Free write off check workaround
Discussion
Might be common knowledge but if you start to create a car advert in Autotrader it'll tell you whether the car has any markers for a write off. So you can start an advert using the car reg you are interested in purchasing and find out for free...
And on that note, I've found a car which I spotted on gumtree and turns out is a cat N. I can't see anywhere you'd declare this when I run an insurance quote on compare the market so do insurance companies check the miafr database for each quote?
And on that note, I've found a car which I spotted on gumtree and turns out is a cat N. I can't see anywhere you'd declare this when I run an insurance quote on compare the market so do insurance companies check the miafr database for each quote?
Belle427 said:
For what it costs doing a vcheck is a no brainer for me, isnt Autotrader Hpi which in the past has been known not to pick everything up?
The thing i like about vcheck is the photos available.
I went to check to be sure. Autotrader's free bit only checks 5 things (stolen, scrapped, insurance write off, imported, exported). VCheck Initial Check (£2.99) doesn't even check if its written off (or stolen); their Basic Check (£4.99) check more and its more useful but doesn't check for finance. Their Full Check (£9.99) DOES check for finance, as well as having a £40k data guarantee. Compare with Car Vertical, they have (at least) 6 different price levels but the 1 car check, with a 20% discount code applied (eg SR20) is £23.99 and is probably the most thorough check out there currently. HPI themselves do 3 things for consumers, the one with a finance check is £9.99 (but it doesn't have a data guarantee or mileage discrepancies). I am sure there are about 1000000 other companies who offer checks too, its a highly active area of the market.The thing i like about vcheck is the photos available.
Until recently I never even bothered with a check, just went off instinct. If you buy from a dealer you're covered for an awful lot of what a check would cover anyway - and plenty of dealers will do a check and share it with you as part of their service. So its really only for higher value cars bought privately.
Belle427 said:
For what it costs doing a vcheck is a no brainer for me, isnt Autotrader Hpi which in the past has been known not to pick everything up?
The thing i like about vcheck is the photos available.
I would not rely on V -Check as I have seen so many where they have missed cars that have been written off. Likewise HPI does not always show everything The thing i like about vcheck is the photos available.
paul_c123 said:
I went to check to be sure. Autotrader's free bit only checks 5 things (stolen, scrapped, insurance write off, imported, exported). VCheck Initial Check (£2.99) doesn't even check if its written off (or stolen); their Basic Check (£4.99) check more and its more useful but doesn't check for finance. Their Full Check (£9.99) DOES check for finance, as well as having a £40k data guarantee. Compare with Car Vertical, they have (at least) 6 different price levels but the 1 car check, with a 20% discount code applied (eg SR20) is £23.99 and is probably the most thorough check out there currently. HPI themselves do 3 things for consumers, the one with a finance check is £9.99 (but it doesn't have a data guarantee or mileage discrepancies). I am sure there are about 1000000 other companies who offer checks too, its a highly active area of the market.
Until recently I never even bothered with a check, just went off instinct. If you buy from a dealer you're covered for an awful lot of what a check would cover anyway - and plenty of dealers will do a check and share it with you as part of their service. So its really only for higher value cars bought privately.
That's good intel, which I'm copying to make sure I can find again Until recently I never even bothered with a check, just went off instinct. If you buy from a dealer you're covered for an awful lot of what a check would cover anyway - and plenty of dealers will do a check and share it with you as part of their service. So its really only for higher value cars bought privately.
There are loads of cars on Autotrader declared with categories from the old days of C and D to more recent S and N. Perhaps you have to follow through almost to the point of purchase? 
I used to do this a lot, Gumtree cars do the same I thought because the ones on eBay / Gumtree (a sort of partnership) say 'advisory' against the insurance cat field if it has one.
I used to do this a lot, Gumtree cars do the same I thought because the ones on eBay / Gumtree (a sort of partnership) say 'advisory' against the insurance cat field if it has one.
VirtualMD said:
This no longer seems to be working... have used this trick for years but it seems they've gotten wise to it?
Can anyone else confirm? I've tried cars, bikes, known write offs etc, fill out the ad and it gets details but no write off history.
It looks like its been removed. I'll see if completing (and paying for) an advert still shows it up.Can anyone else confirm? I've tried cars, bikes, known write offs etc, fill out the ad and it gets details but no write off history.
paul_c123 said:
It looks like its been removed. I'll see if completing (and paying for) an advert still shows it up.
Yep, the only way to see the results of the 5 basic checks, is to complete the advert, pay for it, then view the live advert (at least for pay-as-you-go). Whether dealer packages can see the results of checks in another way, I don't know.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff