... It can! So if you want peace of mind when buying a used car, read on!
The HPI vehicle check is an extremely quick and simple procedure that can pay dividends as well as piece of mind.
So who are they, and why should I trust them?
As far as I'm aware, HPI are part of the Equifax ... Read review
Advantages: Can prevent you from buying a car that shouldn't be sold, saving you thousands! Disadvantages: Costly per check
...
The HPI vehicle check is an extremely quick and simple procedure that can pay dividends as well as piece of mind.
So who are they, and why should I trust them?
=============================================
As far as I'm aware, HPI are part of the Equifax group. This is one company that I have had experience of, as they are the people that hold all the information about you, regarding creditworthiness. ... ...I decided to do a HPI check. Good job I did, because it turned out that the car had previously been a "total loss" write off! More recently, when I bought my current car, I did another check, which came back as all OK.
Do I have to use HPI?
====================
No, there are various other companies that offer a similar check to HPI and their details are often advertised in motoring publications such ... more
Imagine this scenario........You work all year round, never treating yourself to much. You've been managing to get around in that old banger of a car of yours. You know it's not going to last out much longer......the bottom end is knocking like a postman and its pouring out enough blue smoke to make a small hole in the ozone layer above you. Its time for a new car - why not? You work hard enough and deserve to be the envy of your neighbours. You look around and find a car that you fall in love with.......you part with your hard earned cash and drive away with a grin like a cheshire cat. The car is lovely, and you got such a bargain, you are smitten.................that is until a police officer knocks on your door two weeks later and repossesses your new found pride and joy. Why? Because the car was stolen last month and has to go back to its rightful owner.....
Many people think that this won't happen to them. Truth is that it does and it happens frequently, up and down the UK. You would have absolutely no comeback whatsoever, as the car belongs to someone else and you are effectively handling stolen property. Your money is down the drain and the harsh reality is that there is little you can do once it has happened.
However there is something you can do before it has happened. Something that, in relation to the cost of having your car taken away from you, is extremely cheap. Yet thousands of us each year don't do this simple thing, because we don't think it could possibly happen to us. It can! So if you want peace of mind when buying a used car, read on!
The HPI vehicle check is an extremely quick and simple procedure that can pay dividends as well as piece of mind.
So who are they, and why should I trust them?
======================================= As far as I'm aware, HPI are part of the Equifax group. This is one company that I have had experience of, as they are the people that hold all the information about you, regarding creditworthiness. When you apply for any form of credit, the creditor will check your history with Equifax - there are a couple of other similar companies such as Experian, but I believe that Equifax are the main player. Surely it makes sense that a company that holds information about most people in the UK, can also hold information on most vehicles in the UK.
What do they offer then?
================== I believe (I'm sure someone will correct me if it has changed) that for the price of £31 they will do a thorough check on the car's history and report the findings back to you over the phone. It is an extremely simple procedure and is complete within a matter of minutes. You just give them the car's registration number and VIN (Vehicle Indentification Number) which is found in the engine bay or on some cars (like mine) under a flip up piece of plastic, on the floor by the drivers door, as well. They input the information into their computers and will tell you over the phone, the date of registration, the details the DVLA hold (colour, engine size, seats etc..) and, most importantly, if it hits one of their registers, which I'll speak about in more detail in a moment. After you get the information that you need, they will send a written report within a couple of days.
What if they are wrong?
================= They are obviously pretty confident regarding their information, because they guarantee the integrity of it, to the extent that they will pay out up to £10,000 if any inaccuracies have been given.
So, what are these registers they check?
================================== ~~As previously mentioned, they check the information that the DVLA hold on the car. This will include the date of first registration, to reveal the true age of the vehicle. The model of the car - which sounds obvious, but you don't really want to be buying a performance model, when it is really just a base model with all the right bodykit on it!! Linked to this is engine size and seats - you don't want to buy a 1.4 when it is really a 1.3!!
~~Plate transfers: It is quite easy to hide a car's identity by simply changing the numberplates. This check looks to see if this has happened and if so checks the history of the previous identities.
~~Condition check: Cars are crashed every day and the owners are paid out on insurance. What happens to these cars? Well, some are scrapped, but if the damage is not too severe, they are often repaired. This check looks to see if a car is in a safe condition. It is always nice to know if the car you are buying has ever been in any sort of accident!
~~Linked to the above, they also look to see if the car has been repaired, to what standard was it done? Was in independantly checked. We all know that repairs are to varying qualities, so it pays to know that the repair itself has been checked over.
~~Theft register: Think of my opening paragraph scenario! This is one of the most important things you need to know......is this car reported as being stolen?
~~Outstanding finance: Your car may not have been crashed or stolen.....but think of the number of people who buy their cars on finance - I'm certainly one of them! What if they can't afford the repayments? What would stop them just selling the car and pocketing the money? Nothing at all! If you bought it, the creditor would come looking for the car to repossess.
~~Linked to the above, they also check if the car is rental owned, as I suppose someone could rent a car and then try to sell it!!! Plus I certainly would like to know if my car was ever a rental car!
Sounds good, but could be costly if I'm going to look at lots of cars!
=========================================== True, it could be costly if you have a shortlist of cars. However, what is £100 or so, compared to the cost of losing the car? If you are still not convinced then they do a sort of mini check for less money. I think they call it the E-check. It is done online at their website and lets you check 3 cars for £12. The checks are still accurate but not as detailed. OK I've just checked their site to be sure, and it does cost £12 for 3, and the extra bonus that I never knew about, is that you can then upgrade one of the three cars to a full check for £16 (instead of £31). This could be quite handy if you have a shortlist, and want to know all the cars are OK before wasting time viewing them. Then when you have your finalist (so to speak) you can go into more detail.
Have you ever done one of these checks?
================================= Yes, when I was out to buy my first ever car a few years back. It seemed too good an offer to be true! Therefore I decided to do a HPI check. Good job I did, because it turned out that the car had previously been a "total loss" write off! More recently, when I bought my current car, I did another check, which came back as all OK.
Do I have to use HPI?
============== No, there are various other companies that offer a similar check to HPI and their details are often advertised in motoring publications such as Auto Express/Auto Trader. The one that springs to mind is the AA. Although as I've never had experience of these, I couldn't comment on their accuracy or prices.
In conclusion
======= Sorry to use a quote but HPI say that 1 in 3 cars hit one of their registers. This is a frightening statistic, and based on this I would say that if you want to keep your investment safe, then one of these checks are a must.
Advantages: checks the car history Disadvantages: None it will cost you £32 per car but its better than say losing £5000
The HPI check is something I would always recommend someone to do when buying a car. For the small cost of £32.00 you get a history check about the vehicle you wish to buy. What you need to complete an HPI check is the reg number and the chassis number. I know you can get away with just providing the reg number to HPI buts its easy for someone to change the plates rather than the normally 18 digit number stamped on the body. This number can normally ... ...bay.
When you phone HPI they also give you the engine size, body and colour details when the vehicle was first new. Take careful note of these and you will be able to tell if someone has changed the engine from a petrol to diesel or painted the car a different colour. Both of these make the car worth less than a geniune car and you may have problems insuring it.
What Hpi also checks it the cars Financial condition as well.More and more people are ...
bazza1603 24.02.2001 (14.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of HPI Vehicle check
Advantages: HPI check itself is good Disadvantages: Don't buy this for the 7 day free Driveaway insurance cover
At the moment HPI have teamed up with Aviva insurance to offer 7 days free insurance when you buy the car you have done an HPI check on. This could be very useful when buying a car as it gives you a bit of time to shop around for the best insurance deal.
I called Aviva and they said they would email me the policy documents. Unfortunately after four phone calls I still hadn't received the documents. Each time they checked the email address and said ...
Steve_Kingston 14.11.2009
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Review of HPI Vehicle check
Advantages: Cheap and instant peace of mind Disadvantages: none
...WAP phone and do an HPI Check.
Simply enter the vehicle’s registration number and within seconds the Make, model, colour, date of first registration and engine capacity will be displayed on your screen.
This costs nothing.
For a modest fee or £5.00 (it will appear on your next Orange bill) the HPI Check will check for hidden interests recorded against the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and cross-reference the Vehicle Registration Number ...
john.sw 28.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of HPI Vehicle check
...to firstly to do an HPI check at a small cost, around £30. This check ensures that the car has not got any outstanding debts on it such as being sold prior to the HP being paid on the car, because if it has and you buy it , you could have all sorts of problems trying to sort it out with the loan company, they could even resort to snatching it back!It also shows up if the car has had a serious accident, and if so will state what category salvage it ... ...is reported stolen to police and it is shown as stolen on their computer it does not necessarily follow that the HPI computer will show it as stolen likewise. ALWAYS DO BOTH CHECKS.
Buying a stolen car, even innocently can result in YOUR loss, you cannoty legally buy stolen property. ...
willsmj 05.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of HPI Vehicle check
Advantages: reveal murky past, peace of mind Disadvantages: waste of £28 if nothing found ?
HPI offer a history check on any vehicle registered in the UK. Give them £28 and the vehicles registration number,they will tell you whether it has a shadey past. They carry details about any credit owing on the car, first registerd details such as colour etc, any accident damage recorded against the car and whether it has been stolen. I used this service for a Fiat Uno my mum was going to buy through a family " friend ". Turned out the car had finance ...
johnt 17.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of HPI Vehicle check
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Essentials- This is a comprehensive check of things like bodywork, electrics, under body, tyre tread depths and more. They will list damages on the vehicle and recommend whether it is a Desirable or Essential repair. A full report will be emailed and posted to the buyer. In addition they offer a verbal report (extra £10) where the engineer will call you directly and discuss his report. You can also choose to disclose the findings to the vendor. Price is £132 for member, £146 for non member.
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Advantages: the coolest site in the world ever Disadvantages: a bit slow
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