Important Documents to Avoid Car-Buying Scams

The money that you invest in buying a new car is a culmination of your blood, sweat, and tears. That’s why you must protect yourself to avoid being a victim of any car buying scams. 

After all, purchasing your vehicle is a huge deal. Aside from buying a house, it’s one of the highest prized possessions you could own.

But the thing is, sometimes buying a car (a second hand one at that) is considered as a high-risk investment. If you’re not careful enough, you might end up buying a vehicle that looks excellent on the outside but falling apart on the inside. 

That’s why, when looking for a second-hand car, you must do your research to avoid potential car scams. 

Car purchase invoice

According to Cash My Car, “When buying a second-hand car, you must get an invoice for the purchase. You can easily obtain one if the car you purchased it from a dealership or company.”

But take note that it’s not usually provided if you bought it directly from an individual seller. Therefore, the seller must provide you with a buyer’s receipt. 

Registration Certificate

A registration certificate is an official document that gives you proof that the car that you’re about to purchase is registered.

As you’re probably aware of, you couldn’t register your vehicle if there are unpaid fines and unsettled police reports. Therefore, these documents serve as proof that the car you’re about to buy has clean records. 

However, everything’s not good from there yet. You still need to see to it that you read what’s written on the registration to ensure there is no counterfeit. Ideally, it contains the year, specific color,  model, and other specifications of the vehicle. Moreover, the chassis number of the car should also be the same on what’s written on paper. 

MOT certificate

Every vehicle that’s over three years needs to pass an MOT and must have a valid certificate.

Ensure that you double-check if your prospective vehicle’s model, make, and other details match with what’s written on the MOT certificate. 

Having an MOT certificate is essential because it shows that the vehicle is still in good condition if it passed the test. If the MOT is about to expire, tell the seller to have the car immediately retested. Any issues that you experience from the car should be rectified as early as possible. 

Insurance documents

Insurance documents are probably the type of document that most people tend to ignore and then run into problems later on, especially with traffic enforcers.

First and foremost, you need to check if your prospective vehicle has an insurance policy with a decent validity. That way, you don’t have to rush yourself going to the insurance company to renew it. 

Also, see to it that you transfer everything to your name. Otherwise, you’ll have a hard time claiming anything if ever you run into an accident. During the transfer of the insurance policy, make sure that the premium is regularly paid ever since it was first bought. 

Also, check the policy’s expiry date, and if the vehicle has third-party insurance. If ever there are lapses with the insurance, or if the premium is due for the next couple of days, you can renegotiate the car’s pricing with the seller. 

Road tax receipt 

This should have been paid when the first owner registers the car as new. Make sure that this has been paid to avoid incurring penalties, which may cost more than the vehicle itself. So, get the original receipt of the road tax from the seller. 

Service booklet

Every new car comes with a service booklet. This provides the owner with specific instructions provided by the manufacturer, making it easier to drive the car.

The book contains everything, from car servicing to maintenance, which can be a huge deal of help to you as a car owner. It also has a record of the service history of the vehicle that you’re planning to purchase.

Through it, you’ll know the car’s present condition. Is it serviced regularly to maintain it’s actual efficiency or not? 

Owner’s manual 

The owner’s manual contains all essential documents about the car you’re about to buy, including the servicing’s schedule. So you must obtain it from the seller as well. 

Over to you

If you’re planning to buy a second-hand car, take these tips and information into mind. That way, you can boost your chances of buying the car of your dreams, ensuring that during the buying process, you’ve encountered as minimal issues as possible.

Buying a car might be overwhelming. That’s why you must educate yourself in this manner. You don’t want to get into a situation wherein you don’t fully understand what you’re getting into.