Buying a second hand car can be exciting but it can also be extremely stressful.

You often have no guarantees that the car is mechanically sound and will have to try and do some investigating yourself. You may be lucky enough to know a mechanic that you can take with you or if not decide to pay a company such as the AA to give the vehicle a once over for you before you buy it. Although this can pick up on more obvious issues that the car may have it may not pick up everything.

You have a choice when buying a used car to buy from a garage / dealer or privately. You may be offered a warranty if you buy the vehicle from a garage but the warranty may only cover a limited number of things. You will often pay more for the car by buying it through a dealership rather than private but this doesn’t always mean you get a better vehicle.

Make sure you do a HPI on any second hand vehicle unless the owner can show you a recent one as this will tell you of there is any outstanding finance on it, its had a number plate change or if has been written off.