Buy A Used Car With Care-Scrappage Scheme Ending Soon

FLINT, UNITED KINGDOM, Apr 06 (MARKET WIRE) --
Staveley Head, one of the country's leading taxi insurance providers,
advises caution when buying a used car due to the scrappage scheme ending
soon.

Use car dealers are expecting an upswing in sales in the coming months,
partly as a result of the Government's "cash for scrap" scheme which is
due to end shortly. The used car market is worth about GBP 35 billion a
year, with something in the order of 7 million cars changing hands.

If you are lucky you can find a bargain, as the greatest depreciation in
a car's value comes in the first twelve months. Thereafter the fall is
not so steep and more proportionate. But there are many pitfalls a
potential purchaser can fall into. 20% of customers buying a used car
will find cause to complain. So what can be done to minimise the risk?

Firstly, always take someone with you who knows about cars, or better
still get a vehicle report from the likes of the AA or RAC who use only
experienced qualified mechanics to conduct the survey and provide you
with a written report detailing the good and bad points pertaining to the
vehicle. Before requesting a vehicle report, take the car for a test
drive and listen for any unusual noises. Any bangs, whines or rattles
should ring a warning bell.

Always check the paperwork. Make sure the name and address on the logbook
correspond with the person you are buying the car from and the place you
are viewing it. And no logbook, no sale. For about GBP 20 you can ask the
AA, RAC or Autotrader to carry out a data check. This will provide a mine
of essential information such as if the car is stolen, an insurance
write-off, has outstanding finance on it or has had the mileage clocked.
The correctness of the information supplied is guaranteed by the
provider. Also check the MOT Certificate and service history.

A spokesman for Staveley Head said "Many of our client's obtain their
vehicles in the used car market, and it is essential that the vehicle is
roadworthy and reliable in order for them to efficiently conduct their
business. We are currently advising them to exercise extra caution in
view of the fact that 130,000 blank V5 registration documents have been
stolen from the DVLA and these are being used to "clone" stolen vehicles
with legitimate vehicles and being offered for sale on the open market.
The DVLA has published a list of the serial numbers of the stolen V5
documents on their website, and we would encourage anyone buying a used
vehicle to check the serial number on the V5 of the vehicle they propose
purchasing with this list."

Contacts:
Staveley Head
Ashley Peters
0800 023 7213
quotes@staveleyhead.co.uk

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