Purchasing a new car

This is going to be the first factor that you should weigh up when purchasing a new vehicle. A newer vehicle may be cheaper to run as there generally more economical when it comes to fuel consumption but it's unwise to assume that the insurance cover for the vehicle will be the same. Do an insurance quote online for the vehicle and also check the tax band online.

Insurance can be paid monthly or in one payment. If you pay your insurance all in one go this is often the cheaper option and will leave you with one less bill that you have to pay each month.

You should also look into the servicing costs too. Generally vehicles with bigger engines will cost more to service, Ring around and speak to a couple of local trusted garages to get an idea on the service costs of your new car.

I recommend that for every vehicle you buy you have a HPI check done. The HPI check will look at several central databases that the police and other bodies look at. They can check to see if your vehicle has been reported as stolen, scrapped or written off, declared an insurance write off and has any outstanding finance. A mileage report and estimated market value should also be available too

The HPI check can also confirm if the vehicles VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and VRM (Vehicle Registration Number) match the information on the DVLA's database. They will also check to see if the V5 logbook has been previously reported as stolen before.

If the dealer selling the car to you is genuine then they won't have an issue with you checking this information. HPI also offers a guarantee in the event that they provide you with incorrect information...For example if you HPI check a vehicle, the report comes back all green and you find out the vehicle is stolen then your covered and can submit a claim.

This is a vital tool that I recommend all car buyers use, I recommend going for a HPI check with a recognised body like the RAC, their report normally costs 15 - 20 pounds for each vehicle but if your spending 100's if not a few 1000 pounds on a vehicle its well worth it.....I almost got conned into buying a stolen vehicle not more than a few months ago, it seemed like a barging at the time until I had the HPI report back. The vehicle was reported as stolen from the owner just 2 weeks before.

This is a difficult question, This crime does happen very often but it is something that all buyers should be fully aware about. Cloning involved copying or stealing the legimitate licence plates from a genuine vechile and attaching these to a vechile of the same make, model and colour.

The first thing you should do is check the V5 Logbook for the watermark. This should show DVL when help up to the light. If the watermark is not present on the V5 logbook then it is not genuine and you should walk away from the sale.

If the V5 has the watermark there check the VIN number on the logbook against the VIN number on the vechile its self. The location of the VIN on cars will differ according to each manufacturer but the common places are the engine bay, the front window screen and a small compartment in the drivers footwell. Never assume that if the VIN number matches the VIN on the V5 Logbook its genuine You must look for any signs of tampering - some criminals can replace the VIN number on the cloned vechile in an attempt to make this look more genuine.

The warranty on the vehicle will differ and is mostly down to the seller's digression. If you're buying a vehicle privately then you should be aware that the sale is "as is" meaning that if you drive the car away and it develops a fault, unless the private seller agrees to take this back you won't be able to return this.

Buying from a dealer gives you more ground in this situation but make it a priority to find out what they cover. Realistically the dealer should cover issues with the car for a set amount of time normally 30 days (excluding cosmetic wear) Some of the cars may have been sat on there forecourt for a couple of months which is not particularly good for the vehicle and will sometimes mean that a fault will develop within a few days. If this happens you should report it to the dealer immediately and take the vehicle back to get the problem sorted.

The dealer has a responsibility by law to sell you a vehicle that is in good condition and should be free from defects unless these are made clear to the buyer prior to making the sale. If you have an issue regarding a fault or defect with a vehicle that you recently bought contact the dealer first. If the dealer refuses to act upon this then you should speak to citizen's advise or consumer direct.

Unless your buying a brand new car which from the date of purchase doesnt need a MOT test until its 3rd aniversary, you can look back on a vechiles millage that was recorded at its anual MOT test.

To check this you will need the vechiled refrence number from the V5 logbook and the vechiles registation mark and access to a PC or interactive phone that supports browsing.

The check will allow you to see the status of the current MOT certificate which includes that date of the MOT, any advisories that were noted and the expiration of the MOT. You can also look back at the history of the MOT tests and compare the recorded milage on the MOT for each year.

I reccommend that you use the website below. Direct.gov is a government site which provides accurate information. Use the link below to check a vechiles MOT history

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Mot/DG_10020539

Your vehicles service history is not stored centrally, so unless you have a copy of the service history with the vehicle you can assume that it doesn't have one.

On average a full service can cost around 200 pounds but this is an essential maintenance step to keep your engine the heart of your car ticking over smoothly

Another thing you should consider is when the CAM belt needs changing. This differs between different cars but it's usually after the car has done a certain amount of miles or gone a number of years between the cam change, whichever comes first. Even if you hardly do any miles you should get the CAM changed at the next interval. This is essential because the CAM belt is made of rubber and it deteriorates after time.

The CAM belt is the backbone to your engine timing. When the engine is first started the cam belt is turned and this opens and closes the piston values as well as driving the shaft that moves the pistons. If your CAM belt snaps while the engine is running this can cause Serious damage and in most cases will cost thousands to repair. When the cam belt snaps the pistons still move as they have momentum from the power in the engine, since the belt is no longer in sync with the engine one or two of the values will be depressed and when the piston head raises in the chamber this clashes and destroys the values.

You should contact a local manufacturer to clarify when a CAM belt change is required for your vehicle.