Check previous owners when buying a car

THE National Consumer Agency has stated that “car clocking” is a profound practice.

The motor trade is a very corrupt business endemically with more and more people being done on a regular basis.

The first thing consumers need to do when buying a vehicle is to verify how many previous owners used the vehicle before they buy — even with new cars that may not be exactly new.

Vehicle buyers should check and demand to see the vehicle registration certificate (section “J3”), less pre-reg vehicles owned by dealerships and divide the mileage by that number to discover the probability of the stated mileage (kilomage).

This is especially important if it is a second-hand car where there could be far more than just one previous owner. The old tax book stated the previous owner’s name and address. However, the new registration booklets do not, but do state the number of previous owners. Under section “J3” on the vehicle registration document, vehicle owners or would-be buyers will discover how many previous owners have acquired the vehicle — many people may get a very big shock when they do.

Maurice Fitzgerald

Shanbally

Co Cork