According to information gathered in a survey by trusteddealers.co.uk, many vehicle owners are prepared to lie to potential buyers to sell their car.
This could result in a motorist losing money when buying a pre-owned vehicle, which could be just as upsetting for a seasoned road user as for a young driver.
Car insurance alone is so expensive at the moment that reports suggest it is pricing some motorists off the road, so one of the last situations a road user wants to be in is finding that their recently purchased second-hand car is actually recorded stolen or an insurance write-off.
Reportedly, one in ten vehicle owners would lie about a car's mileage and some would neglect to inform potential buyers of previous road accidents.
Not only could this fraudulent behaviour be dangerous to the new owner and other road users around them when they are out on the road, but it could cost them money that they cannot afford to lose.
Unfortunately, if a car is found to still have finance outstanding on it or is a stolen or cloned vehicle, it might have to be taken away from the innocent buyer and their money is unlikely to be returned.
However, by conducting a Hire Purchase Investigation (HPI) check, both seasoned and new drivers who want to buy a used vehicle should be able to save themselves the stress of purchasing from an unscrupulous seller.