Im considering buying a used car from a private seller...

Obviously im going to want to check the car over and make sure its as it should be, that the numbers all match, that the paperwork is all up to date etc...

But...should I really be considering spending £40 getting an HPI check done?...is it worth it?

And is there anything else I should consider doing?

Presumably there is little or no comeback if I buy the car and descover that it was stolen, or that the car is fake or something?

i wouldn;t buy a car without an HPI check, most HPI style companies offer some sort of insurance so if their info turns out to be wrong (ie they say it isn;t stolen, and it turns out that it is) they offer compensation.

Ray

Depends how much the car is worth and whether you can afford to lose it with no compensation (without taking the seller to court).

Best way is over a mobile after you've agreed a price with the seller - ask them first if they have a problem with you doing an HPI check if they do then don't waste your money and run away quickly

def get an hpi check i bought a 205 1.9 gti about 9 years ago and gave the reg and vin number over the mobile at the time of sale i got 1 digit wrong on the vin and it came back as a 405 the girl at the hpi place asked me to recheck the vin and it came back as the right car no bumps etc. i had been looking for a 205 for ra few months and a couple of sellers admitted that their cars had been bumped/wrote off when i mentioned doing an hpi check so def worth the money

I'd say don't bother if the car is gonna cost less than £1k.

Pat...

I didnt bother with Hpi for a cheapy pug 106 we just bought, but for anything more expensive id say it is worth doing.

If you have a keen eye you can usually see signs of makjor repairs before you get it done to save you some money (ie looking out for seam sealerthat looks hand applied, overspray, panel gaps etc). if you spot these then quiz owner, as said above they may the admit to some work being done in the past. If all this proves Ok then Hpi is defo the way to go.