It is believed that as many as 1 in 12 used cars in the UK have something dodgy in their history that could end up costing you money if you brought one of them. Every year more tan half a million cars are written off by insurance companies, some of these cars make their way back into the system.

When a car is written off it is because it is beyond economic repair, this means that it would either be too expensive to fix or could not be safely repaired. Unfortunately some of these cars make there way back onto the second hand car market when they should not even be on the road. You could end up being the new owner of a potential death trap without realising it.

Cars that have been patched up and sold on are just one of the hazards that await many potential buyers. Driving an unsafe car such as one that has been cut and shut can not only put your life at risk but anyone that is a passenger in the vehicle which is usually your family.

So how do you avoid being ripped off in the first place, it is not always easy or possible to tell if there is something wrong with a car you are about to buy. This is the reason so many people are caught out each year when they end up purchasing a used car with a hidden history. It does not even have to be something mechanically wrong with the car, it could be that there is outstanding finance on the vehicle or the car is stolen. In both cases if you brought this car you would end up losing it without being able to get your money back.

Even if you have a friend or family member who knows a bit about cars they will not be able to spot there is something wrong with the cars history. This is why you need to do a car registration check, this is a data check that can tell you all about the history of the car and whether or not there is something wrong with it.

A comprehensive car reg check can tell you everything you need to know about the car you are potentially going to buy and more. A data check is not the same as a full service history, a stolen car or a write off can quite easily still have a full service history.

Getting the car checked out means that will know if the person selling the car is the legal owner, that it has not been cloned, cut and shut, stolen or has outstanding finance on it. There are a number of checks too numerous to list but essentially it will give you the OK to buy the car safe in the knowledge that it is legit. You can always keep the report for when you sell on the car so that the new owner knows everything is in order.