MyVehicle.ie has released data that reveals that 15 per cent of UK imported cars have a hidden past, with many vehicles having been written off, stolen, or under finance.
This newly released data highlights the importance of conducting a thorough background check before purchasing a second-hand car, which has been imported from the UK.
In 2014, there was a total of 49,945 imported cars from the UK in Ireland.
In Ireland, only 20 per cent of people buying a used car will actually check the vehicle’s history throughout the purchasing process. Although there are services available, it seems that the majority of potential car buyers out there have not incorporated a car history check as a crucial element of their vehicle purchasing process.
When compared to the UK market and the measures that are taken to check a vehicle before it is purchased, the results are staggering. In the UK almost 80 per cent of car buyers use a vehicle history check service before they make a purchase. This in turn leaves them a lot less likely to end up with a used vehicle that has been clocked, cloned, written off and has outstanding finance owed.
With only one in five potential car buyers in Ireland running a report before they buy, the Irish market can be a hotbed for potential scammers to sell their dodgy and potentially dangerous cars.
More than 15 per cent of cars that are imported to Ireland from the United Kingdom have some type of hidden history which can go unnoticed without the use of a vehicle history check.
Justin Kavanagh, the MD of MyVehicle.ie believes Irish consumers just need to be careful when purchasing a used vehicle in general and in particular with UK imported vehicles. “I feel it’s time that we stop Ireland from being the UK’s dumping ground for vehicles that have been written off or clocked and the only way to do this, is for potential buyers to get smart and to stop accepting someone’s word or honest face! Do your research, check the vehicle’s background history yourself, to ensure that you are buying a vehicle that is legitimate and safe.”
