CRASHED & DAMAGED VEHICLES SOLD IN IRELAND IN OCTOBER 2023

October crashed and damaged vehicles

MyVehicle.ie has revealed the damaged and crashed cars report for the month of October 2023. All the team at MyVehicle hope that you are not one of the unfortunate car buyers who got disappointed with one of these previously damaged vehicles.

Franchise Dealerships

In the month of October, we had 351 vehicles which were damaged or written off in franchise dealerships. This was lower than last month when 654 vehicles were discovered to be written-off or damaged. This was a decrease of 303 vehicles compared to the month of September.

It is always a good idea to purchase a used car from a main franchise dealership. Occasionally even main franchise dealerships get caught out and sell a used vehicle that may have had previous damage or even written-off.

It is quite important to get a full vehicle history check before buying a used car from a main dealer. Itr is good to remember also that not all car history checks are the same. MyVehicle.ie has more damage data and alerts than any other supplier in Ireland.

It is common that some car traders and dealerships buy a vehicle on foot of a trade report by VMS (Vehicle Management System), the parent company of MyVehicle.ie, and then sell that very same vehicle to a member of the public with an inferior report from another history check supplier. That report by another history check provider may very well not show any damage alert at all on the vehicle.

Discrepancies at the main dealerships

Franchise dealers had 130 vehicles with mileage discrepancies during October. Last month, 269 vehicles had some kind of mileage discrepancy down by 139 from the previous month. It is vital, therefore, to always run a car check before buying from any, whether that be a franchise dealership, trader or privately.

Independent car dealers

During October we saw a decrease in damaged vehicles sold at independent garages. This was down from 947 last month to 368 damaged or written-off vehicles . This was a massive decrease of 579 vehicles over the previous month of crashed or damaged vehicles sold at Independent dealerships.

It is important to remember that when you buy any used car, you should always get a car reg check. Never just take a seller's word for it. A trader may say that the car “just had a tip”. This may very well be code for; it might have been damaged before, but I have told you just enough to cover myself and I hope it doesn’t come back on me’.

Unscrupulous car traders are very prevalent in the used car market. The only way to protect yourself from buying a damaged or categorised car is to get a background car check.

Discrepancies at independent dealerships

On sale at Independent dealers were 131 vehicles, which was an increase from 99 vehicles in September, with some type of discrepancy displayed on the report.

In many more instances mileage discrepancies are not resolved and are found to be 'clocked' after investigation.

Private Car Sales Sector

The private car sector is where you will normally find the biggest problems and the biggest risk but during the month of September there was a massive drop in vehicles sold which were damaged.

During the month of September, there were 842 vehicles sold in the private sector which were previously damaged or written-off but there was a drop in October with 693 vehicles damaged or written-off. This was a drop of 149 over the previous month.

It is so important to remember that there is almost zero chance of any comeback or consumer rights after you have bought a car from a private seller and subsequently find out that there is an issue.

It also should be noted that many private sellers may not know anything about car history checks and may themselves have bought the car from the previous owner without knowing its true history.

The previous owner might also have not known about car checks and so a buyer in the private market runs a bigger risk than buying from a main dealer.

Mileage discrepancies in the private car sales sector

In September, 485 vehicles were sold privately with discrepancies, but in October we seen this increase to 548.

Don’t be one of these unfortunate car buyers. Even if you have already bought a car, it's never too late to run your car background check. It is best to do it sooner or later and even after you have purchased the vehicle just in case you need to contact the seller for quick resolution.

Thousands of cars are showing a hidden past each month, so make sure you know what you are buying. Your pre-purchase research should be second-nature as it will prove to be extremely important. Remember...

Every vehicle has a past, check if it has a future!

Author

Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader in automotive intelligence and vehicle data supply to the entire motor industry. He has almost 20 years experience in building systems from the ground up. As the Managing Director of Vehicle Management System, he understands the need and importance of trustworthy and reliable vehicle history and advice to both the trade and the public.
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