Crashed and Damaged Car Report May 2022
Crashed & Damaged Vehicles
The MyVehicle.ie crashed and damaged car report has been released for the month of May. We hope that you are not one of the unfortunate ones who have been affected by one of these previously crashed or damaged cars?
Franchise Dealerships
In the month of May we had 221 vehicles which were damaged or written-off in franchise dealerships. This was a drop of 30 over the previous month of April when there were 251 vehicles damaged in some way. This indicates that occasionally, even main dealerships get caught out when buying in previously written-off or damaged vehicles.
It is always a very good idea to purchase a full car history check before buying any used car, even from a main dealer. Not all car checks are the same, though. A report by another history check provider may not show any damage alert.
Discrepancies at the main dealerships
In April, there were 89 vehicles that had some kind of mileage discrepancy at main dealers but during May there were 95 vehicles which had some kind of mileage discrepancy which was a slight increase of 6 vehicles. It is always a good idea to run a car check before buying from any car, whether that be a franchise dealership, trader or privately.
Independent car dealers
During April there were 385 previously damaged vehicles sold at independent garages and in May the number of damaged or written-off vehicles was 408, an increase of 23 vehicles over the month of April.
When you buy a used car, don’t just take the seller's word for the history of the vehicle. A trader may say that the car “just had a tip” but this could 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
During April there were 152 vehicles, with discrepancies of some kind or another but in May there were 160 vehicles displaying a discrepancy on a history check, which was a very slight increase of 8. In some instances a mileage discrepancy cannot be resolved and so a certain number of these vehicles are found to be 'clocked' after investigation.
Private Car Sales Sector
The private car sector will normally have more problems associated with it and the biggest risk also when it comes to buying a used car. During the month of May there were 934 vehicles sold in the private sector which were previously damaged or written-off. This was a huge increase of 153 vehicles over the previous month when there were just 781 vehicles that had some kind of damage.
When you buy a car privately, there is almost zero chance of any comeback or consumer rights after you have bought the car. It is imperative then, that you run a car check before you buy from a private seller and subsequently find out that there is a big issue with the vehicle that you may regret
It should be noted that many people who sell their cars privately may very well not know anything about the full background history of the car and may themselves have bought the car from the previous owner without knowing its true history.
The owner previous to the current owner may 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
When it came to discrepancies, though, in the private sector there was a significant drop over the previous month. In April there were 117 vehicles with some kind of discrepancy on the record but there was a massive increase to 531 vehicles in April, an increase of 414 vehicles over the month of April.
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...
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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