Checks and questions that can prevent an apparently cheap car becoming an expensive mistake.
What Are the Red Flags in a Used-Car Advert?The omissions, inconsistencies and suspiciously cheap details in a used-car advert that deserve checking before you travel.What Should You Actually Do on a Used-Car Test Drive?A useful test-drive routine that checks cold starting, controls, steering, braking, transmission behaviour and signs of trouble.How Should You Read a Used Car's MOT History?How to read failures, advisories and recorded mileage as a pattern instead of treating the latest pass as reassurance.How Much Does Service History Matter on a Used Car?Why invoices, dates and evidence of important maintenance tell you more than a vague claim of full service history.Should You Buy a Category N Car?What a Category N marker does and does not tell you, and the evidence worth asking for before considering the car.Does the Road Tax Come with a Used Car?The handover rule many buyers miss: tax does not pass to the new keeper, so the car must be taxed afresh before driving.Dealer or Private Seller: Which Is Better for a First Used Car?The practical difference between buying privately and from a dealer, including checks, protections and handover details.