Motor Industry News

MyCarCheck.com consumer stats reveal that 21% would consider a write-off, 63% are going private and 64% are spending under £5k MyCarCheck.com - the UK’s No.1 vehicle provenance website - has saved millions of people from making an expensive used car mistake. Now, thanks to its UK-based call centre, it will provide regular consumer opinion statistics on a wide range of motoring issues. Roger Powell, Divisional Head at CDL Vehicle Information Services Ltd (which owns MyCarCheck.com), explained: “We call these our ‘Family Fortunes stats’ because, like the game show questions, they are based on the views of 100 people – all callers to our sales and support teams in Glasgow.” Q1. At what point did you carry out the history check – was it before or after you had spent your cash? A. Before = 80% After = 20% Roger Powell said: “This is good news for us because it indicates that our key message – that doing an independent provenance check should be an essential part of buying a used vehicle – is getting home. Of the 20% who used MyCarCheck.com after completing their purchase, a substantial number of these did so because they subsequently found a problem or suspected that all was not as it should be. It goes without saying that these people wished they had come to us before parting with their cash. We prefer to prevent people from making an expensive used car mistake rather than confirming their worst fears.” Q2. Would you buy a previously written off vehicle? A. No = 79% Yes = 21% Roger Powell said: “The fact that 21% of people would consider getting behind the wheel of a ex-write-off is a worry. We all know money is tight, but safety should always be the primary concern. Some write-offs can be repaired to their pre-crash condition but The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre (Thatcham) has clearly demonstrated the difference between a good and bad repair (see the shocking video on their site ). Car buyers must consider the implications of being involved in an accident in a car that has already been structurally weakened.” Q3. Who are you buying the vehicle from? A. Privately = 63% Garage/Trader/Auction = 37% Roger Powell said: “The 63% figure was higher than we expected. I suspect the economic conditions are having an impact, with more used car buyers looking to cut out the middleman. It might also be the case that, contrary to the way used car dealers are often portrayed, car buyers have more confidence in vehicles offered through the trade, and therefore decide not to carry out their own checks.” Q4. How much are you looking to pay? A. £ 0-1000 10% 1001-2000 25% 2001-3000 11% 3001-4000 10% 4001-5000 8% 5001-6000 7% 6001-7000 5% 7001-8000 6% 8001-9000 5% 9001-10000 1% 10001-11000 7% 11001-12000 2% 12001-13000 0% 13001-14000 1% 14001-15000 2% Roger Powell said: “The most surprising finding in this research is that MyCarCheck.com is most popular with people shopping at the budget end of the market. According to AutoTrader the average asking price for a used car in Q3 2011 was £8,870 yet 64% of MyCarCheck.com customers were spending under £5k. In some sort of twisted logic, it seems that people spending more are less likely to do a provenance check. If so, this is a classic case of more money than sense, because their exposure to risk is far greater in terms of pound notes.” In 2010, MyCarCheck.com and MyTextCheck delivered 2.2m consumer checks, which equates to 27% of all vehicles that changed hands in the UK. Parent company CDL performs over ½m vehicle data checks a day for companies including AutoExpress, CompareTheMarket, Tesco Bank and WhatCar. It uses up-to-the-minute information from the Police National Computer (PNC), the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and major finance houses including Lloyds TSB. Anyone treating themselves or a loved one to a new used car would do well to spend a few pounds at MyCarCheck.com to confirm whether it has ever been scrapped, stolen or written-off, the last recorded mileage, the number of former owners and much more. Know what you’re getting into: MyCarCheck.com