CRASHED & DAMAGED VEHICLES SOLD IN IRELAND JANUARY 2024
Crashed & Damaged Vehicles
The MyVehicle.ie crashed and damaged car report for the month of January 2024 has been released. It is hoped that you are not one of the motorists that may have been affected by the purchase of a previously damaged car.
Franchise Dealerships
The month of January saw a big increase with 515 vehicles written-off compared to 228 vehicles in December. This was an increase of 287 vehicles compared to the month of December.
It is always the wise thing to purchase a vehicle from a main franchise dealer, but occasionally, evenmain dealerships can get caught out and buy in a used vehicle, maybe which was traded in and discover after the fact that the used vehicle may have been previously damaged or written-off.
It is also a 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. It is quite is common for some car dealers to 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. A report by another history check provider may not show any damage alert.
Discrepancies at the main dealerships
In December, there were 59 vehicles that had some kind of mileage discrepancy at main dealers but there was an increase during January with 104, an increase of 65 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 December there were 396 previously damaged vehicles sold at independent garages and in January the number was 753 damaged or written-off vehicles, a jump of 357 vehicles over the previous month.
When you buy a used car, you should never just take the seller's word for the background of the vehicle. 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
During December 2023 there were 146 vehicles, with discrepancies of some kind or another. There was just a slight increase in January with 189 vehicles displaying a discrepancy on a history check. 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 the biggest problems and the biggest risk when it comes to issues. During the month of December there were 621 vehicles sold in the private sector which were previously damaged or written-off.
There was a significant increase in damaged cars during January though with 779 damaged or written-off vehicles. An increase of 158 damaged vehicles.
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
There was a huge increase in the number of discrepancies during January compared to the previous month. In December 130 vehicles were found with some kind of discrepancy on the record but this increased to 232 vehicles in January. This was an increase of 102 vehicles over the previous month.
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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