According to research, the average price of used cars sold in Poland has risen by as much as 25 percent in recent years, while the number of transactions is now one-third higher than in 2015. For many of us, a second-hand car is the only way to acquire our own vehicle, and the variety of models—including those in the premium segment—on the secondary market makes it easier to find the car of our dreams. Unfortunately, it is easy to make mistakes when searching, and their consequences can be much more serious than additional, substantial expenses. How can you avoid them? What should you pay attention to when buying a used car?

Used Car—Check the VIN

Even before contacting the owner, inspecting the car and taking a test drive, you can learn a great deal about it. To do so, use the VIN, which an honest seller should include in the listing or provide in private correspondence. If they do not, you may suspect that their intentions are not honest. A car's VIN is a valuable source of information about it. Using the https://carVertical.com/pl/sprawdzenie-vin/ service, you can generate a report providing comprehensive information about the car's technical condition and history. You will find out whether the car was stolen and whether what its previous owner says about it is true.

1. Used Car—Service History

Thanks to carVetical, you can learn the car's service history and compare the seller's claims with the actual condition. The report records individual service visits and also contains information about damage sustained by the car and claims reported to the insurer. This way, you can avoid major expenses related to potential repairs or gain arguments in price negotiations.

2. Used Car—Is It Definitely Not Stolen?

Much more serious problems await you if you buy a car from a thief or a fence. Criminal liability applies to you only if you purchase the vehicle knowing that it was stolen, but you will have to prove that you did not know where it came from. Moreover, once this fact is discovered, the police will certainly seize it. You will be able to recover the money only through civil proceedings, which will not be an easy task in the case of a thief. carVertical will search stolen-vehicle records in all European countries for you, helping you avoid losing your newly purchased car and facing legal problems.

3. Used Car—Is the Mileage Genuine?

Rolling back an odometer is trivially easy for a professional. Dishonest dealers take advantage of this and often manipulate the mileage to command a higher price. The scam is particularly common with cars whose well-maintained bodywork suggests an equally good technical condition. You will not fall victim to it if you know the actual mileage of the car you are interested in. You can find it out using the VIN. The carVertical report contains odometer readings from successive technical inspections, allowing you to discover manipulation not only by the seller but also by previous owners.

4. Used Car—Original Equipment

The owner assures you that they are selling the car with all its original equipment? That is great, but as you know, you cannot trust them completely. It is especially worth checking because any missing items will give you an opportunity to negotiate a lower price. But how can you find out what equipment a particular example had when it left the factory? This information is contained in the VIN code. By generating a carVertical report, you will gain access to a complete list of components and accessories, which you can compare with what is on board.