Buying a car is a significant event for a family with any income level. Even when buying a new car, it is not uncommon to spend a lot of time in advance searching for the right model and interior with the best price for it. If you plan to purchase a used car, it takes even more time to find a suitable option.
Arrest, bail, being in the database of stolen cars, unpaid fines, getting into an accident - these are not all the “flowers” in the bouquet that can accompany a vehicle bought from hand. And so that the vehicle does not become a source of disappointment, it is necessary to first comprehensively check the proposed purchase for legal purity.
The easiest way to do this is to use the services of specialized services for checking vehicles.
Content
This part of the car selection ritual should be carried out as carefully as possible and should be done even if checking on the Internet does not bring any unpleasant news.
For inspection, you must choose a well-lit place with access to the vehicle from all sides. This will allow you to detect problems with the paintwork, traces of replacement parts of the body, distortions and other problems that could arise due to getting into an accident. Traces of repainting and the evenness of the gaps are easy to determine with a thickness gauge.
When inspecting the engine compartment, it is necessary to pay attention to possible leaks of oil and other liquids. A cleanly washed engine is also a cause for concern. Perhaps they are trying to hide the leak.
If the machine was partially dismantled, traces of intervention will give out scratches and damage to the paint on the mounting bolts. There should be no creases, traces of welding, cracks or deformation on the wing shelves and spars.
The sound of the engine should be smooth, without interruptions, vibration and extraneous noise. Black or light smoke, as well as a pungent smell from the exhaust gases, indicate that the motor needs to be repaired. In addition to assessing the sound of the engine, it is necessary to check the color and level of oil on the dipstick.
The gearbox is checked only while driving.The oil should be pink in color and be in sufficient quantity for the correct operation of the box. At the same time, you can assess the state of the chassis. But an accurate diagnosis with the identification of existing problems can only be done at a professional service station. This will allow you to estimate the approximate cost of repairs, which may lie in wait for the future owner. Often, the identification of any problems leads to a reduction in the selling price.
The cost of the car must be within the market, but there are exceptions to this rule, both up and down. Rare specimens that are in high demand among collectors can be sold at a high price, especially if they are in perfect technical condition. At low prices, emergency sales can be made for any reason, but this can also be a cunning move by scammers, so if the price tag is noticeably lower than the market price, the car must be checked especially carefully.
To conduct a check on the documents, information is required that is contained in the PTS and STS. The main parameters by which you need to make sure that there are no problems are listed below.
The verification results that can be obtained on various services have different degrees of completeness and can be both paid and free.
Services for checking a vehicle by VIN number, license plate number and other data of PTS and STS are offered by many sites. As a rule, they have an intuitive interface with special data entry windows and contain a list of information that will be provided upon request.
Some sites provide transport check services for free. The most popular ones are listed below.
This resource helps to quickly collect information on the vehicle's vin code from sources such as the traffic police and EAISTO databases. All basic information is provided: the number of owners, registration history, year of issue and main technical characteristics. You can see participation in an accident, the presence of a deposit, encumbrances or theft, mileage data recorded during the technical inspection.
This site is a leader among free services in terms of the quantity, completeness and reliability of the information provided. To receive it, you must first register. After that, such questions as the number of owners according to the history in the traffic police, being wanted, participating in an accident, the presence of restrictions will no longer be a secret. On the same site, you can request data from a diagnostic card and get information about fines imposed on a car or its owner.
On this service, you can check imported into Russia or the EAEU countries by VIN, chassis number or body number.
On the website of the Russian Union of Motor Insurers, you can get information about the existing OSAGO insurance policy.
Another official website of the state structure, which contains complete and up-to-date information regarding movable property that is pledged. Information is provided not only about cars, but also about securities and other property that does not belong to the category of real estate.
This site is not purely automotive, but checking the owner’s data will make it possible to find out if his property has been encumbered and if he has serious problems with creditors, which can cause the transaction to be canceled and the vehicle returned to the previous owner for transfer to auction on account of debts.
If necessary, the information obtained on the above free hostings can be supplemented with data from paid sources. The best ones are listed below.
This service provides paid services for collecting the most complete information about the car, including the following data: the number of owners, registration actions, use in a taxi.The average market value, being in a pledge or theft and restrictions imposed, participation in an accident, mileage and maintenance history, information about the current OSAGO policy are derived. The cost of the report is 150 rubles.
This service provides the opportunity to receive a report that will contain information about the previous owners, getting into an accident, search and bail, fines imposed. The cost is 100 rubles. Checking is possible by state number, vin-number and body number.
This site provides an opportunity to collect data about the car you like from a variety of sources and, on their basis, not only identify all the "pitfalls" of the transaction, but also calculate its real market value. The price of the report is 200 rubles.
This service helps to get complete and reliable information about used cars. The report contains general information, as well as data from the courts, notary chambers. Information from dealers, insurance companies, the Federal Tax Service and a number of other organizations is included.The cost of the report varies depending on the completeness and starts from 349 rubles.
On this site, you can order a report containing a lot of useful information: technical specifications and registration history of a car with a list of owners, using it as a taxi, leasing, imposing fines or restrictions. Changes in the design of the vehicle, use by legal entities, disposal are reflected. It is also checked whether a duplicate of the TCP was issued.
One of the most popular sites not only for finding a car, but also for checking it. Provides its users with a variety of service packages: five reports at a price of 120 rubles. per report, a package of ten reports at a price of 99 rubles. for one, etc. The reports are compiled as detailed as possible and have information about the number of owners, the presence of restrictions. Checking if the car has been stolen. Work in a taxi and carsharing is checked, participation in an accident with damage characteristics, participation in the auction of broken cars, the approximate cost of repairs is calculated and based on all the information received, a rating score and an approximate cost of the vehicle are displayed.
On this service, you can get information about whether the vehicle is pledged in any of the banks. The cost of the service is 300 rubles.
None of the existing services can fully insure the future car owner from all possible troubles, but they are able to reduce their number to a minimum. The more detailed the report contains, the less likely problems will arise in the future. Supplementing the procedure of a competent technical inspection and diagnostics of a vehicle by professionals in their field with a documentary check is a reasonable step that will help save time, nerves and money, and will allow you to get the most out of buying a car.