The used car viewing checklist

Most used-car mistakes are avoidable in the first ten minutes — half of them before you even leave the house. Work through this list in order.

Before you travel (all free, all online)

1. MOT history — failures, repeated advisories, and whether the mileage climbs cleanly.
2. Clocking pattern — any fall or plateau in the mileage trail.
3. Tax and MOT status — a SORN'd car cannot legally be test-driven on the road.
4. Write-off markers — Cat S/N history changes the fair price by thousands.
5. Market value — know the going rate for that model, year and mileage before you negotiate.

At the car

6. Panel gaps and paint — uneven gaps or mismatched paint say accident repair.
7. Tyres — tread depth (1.6mm legal minimum, 3mm sensible), even wear across each tyre, matching brands per axle. Uneven wear can mean alignment or suspension trouble.
8. Under the bonnet cold — ask for the engine to be stone cold. Mayonnaise under the oil cap, sweet smells, or a warmed-up engine on arrival are all warnings.
9. Fluids and leaks — oil level and colour, coolant level, and a look under the car.
10. Electrics — every window, mirror, the air-con (should blow genuinely cold) and every warning light: they should all illuminate on ignition and then go out.

The drive and the deal

11. Start it yourself, from cold. Rattles and smoke on a cold start disappear on a warm one.
12. Brakes — straight-line stop, no pulling, no grinding.
13. Steering and gears — no knocks over bumps, clean gear changes, clutch biting where it should.
14. Paperwork — V5C in the seller's name at the address you're standing at; service history that matches the MOT mileages.
15. Negotiate with evidence — advisories, tyre wear and history findings are your discount list.