What to look out for in a used Car Transporter

[Jimbo NW]

I'm (hopefully) to be getting my B+E license tomorrow as I fall outside the grandfather rights period on the license.

I've been looking at both Brian James and Woodford trailers both new and used and have given myself a tentative budget of £2.5k which should be perfect for what I need.

Being an IT sales person, I'm a bit of an idiot in terms of what to look for as issues on a used unit, other than surface rust, dodgy handbreak so I wanted to reach out to the wealth of knowledge that is pistonheads to see if anyone could point me in the right direction as to what to look out for?
eBay is a mindfield and confusing me more than helping!

[DrDeAtH]

Chassis numbers.... Make sure that they are present, also the manufacturer ID plate, and some paperwork.
Plenty of stolen trailers on eBay....

[grumpy52]

Take somebody with you with mechanical skills .
Serial numbers and chassis numbers are the key ,if they are missing ,damaged or covered over walk away ,no excuses or exceptions .
Check the trailer is straight and true , everything is present and working and straightforward to use ,if a winch is fitted run the cable out and check the condition ,any kinks or strands sticking out or missing ,if the cable is dry or rusty all could lead to failure down the line .
People tend to neglect trailers and brakes ,tyres and bearings easily fail if not used and maintenance is skimpy.
Allow time and budget to give any trailer a thorough going over before you start to use it .

[Jimbo NW]

Thanks for the detailed replies, something definately worth thinking about!

Passed the test today, hard work actually an Hour and 15 total with manoveurs and driving.