Used car: Difference between revisions

{{ForRedirect|Used cars|the 1980 comedy film|Used Cars}}

A '''used car''', a '''pre-owned vehicle''', or a '''secondhand car''', is a vehicle that has previously had one or more [[retailing|retail]] owners. Used cars are sold through a variety of outlets, including franchise and independent [[car dealership|car dealer]]s, [[car rental|rental car]] companies, [[Buy here, pay here|buy here pay here]] dealerships, leasing offices, auctions, and private party sales. Some car retailers offer "no-haggle prices," "[[Certified Prepre-Ownedowned|"certified"]]" used cars, and [[service plan|extended service plan]]s or [[warranty|warranties]].

{{See also|List of countries by car exports|Phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles#Second-hand vehicle dumping}}

In 2006, an estimated 34% of American used-vehicle buyers bought a vehicle history report.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/05/10/006250.html |title=J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Vehicle History Reports Are Becoming Increasingly Important to Used-Vehicle Buyers |publisher=Theautochannel.com |access-date=2010-08-15}}</ref> Vehicle history reports are one way to check the track record of any used vehicle. Vehicle history reports provide customers with a record based on the vehicle's [[vehicle identification number]] (VIN). These reports will indicate items of public record, such as transfers of ownership, [[vehicle title branding]], [[lemon law]] buybacks, [[odometer fraud]], and [[product recall]]. The report may also indicate minor/moderatemaintenance collisionrecords damageand orwhether impropera vehicle has suffered collision damage, improper maintenance, or other problems. An attempt to identify vehicles that have been previously owned by hire [[car rental]] agencies, [[Emergency service|police and emergency services]], or [[taxi]] fleets is also made. Consumers should research vehicles carefully, as thesevehicle reporting services only report the information to which they have access.

In some countries, the government is a provider of vehicle history, but this is usually a limited service providing information on just one aspect of the history, such as the United Kingdom's [[MOT test|Ministry of Transport history]]. The [[U.S. Department of Justice]]'s National Motor Vehicle Title Registration System has only about a dozen approved data providers, about half of which sell car history data to consumers; the rest work only with car dealers. None of them are currently free of charge to consumers and many are not free even to the car dealers.<ref>{{citation |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice, National Motor Vehicle Title Registration System |url= https://www.vehiclehistory.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory.html |title=Research Vehicle History; Approved NMVTIS Data Providers |access-date=7 October 2020}}</ref> The [[Better Business Bureau]] recommends using one of these approved data providers when researching a used car.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbb.org/utah/news-events/bbb-scam-alerts/2016/04/questionable-vehicle-history-report/ |date=April 5, 2016 |title= Selling a Car? Watch Out for Fake Buyer Trying to Trick you into Buying Questionable Vehicle History Report |publisher=Better Business Bureau |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160611194722/https://www.bbb.org/utah/news-events/bbb-scam-alerts/2016/04/questionable-vehicle-history-report/ |archive-date=11 June 20062016 |access-date=7 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/17576-bbb-tip-vehicle-title-scam |date=September 8, 2020 |title=BBB Warning: Vehicle title scams |publisher=Better Business Bureau |access-date=7 October 2020}}</ref> The history reports use several sources to gather the data for each vehicle, including the police, the [[Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency]] (DVLA), finance houses, the national mileage register, insurance companies, and industry bodies.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://hpicheck.com/what-is-an-hpi-check |title=What is a HPI Check? |website=HPICheck |access-date=7 October 2020}}</ref>

Several of the services, most notably those in the [[United Kingdom]] and the United States, sell reports to dealers and then encourage the dealers to display the reports on their Internet siteswebsites. These reports are paid for by the dealer, and then offered for free to potential buyers of the vehicle.

In the UK, the DVLA provides information on the registration of vehicles to certain companies for [[consumer protection]] and anti-fraud purposes. Companies may add to the reports of additional information gathered from police, finance, and insurance companies. Car history check services are available online for the public and motor trade customers.