Many drivers are wary about being ripped off when buying a used car. After all, the last thing you want to do is buy a car to later find out that there are a lot of hidden, costly repairs. But, what if situations like this can be avoided?

When you buy a car, you may have a number of questions about its condition, which may be tricky to answer yourself – unless you’ve got a mechanical background. Fear not, because this is where an AA Vehicle Inspection comes in handy as it will help you solve any concerns that you may have about a car before you hand over the cash.

It’s important to note that a vehicle inspection is visual, therefore no parts of a vehicle are removed during the process. Our experienced team of inspectors examine the underside of vehicles to look for any worn parts such as shocks, bushes and ball joints. During the inspection they’ll also be looking for visual signs of structural damage and corrosion as these are the sort of areas that may result in a car being deemed structurally unsafe.

The condition and operation of interior components, such as the seatbelts, electric windows and warning lights are checked as well. Plus, they’ll even take the vehicle out for a test drive to determine if there are any engine or drivetrain operation faults. However, we’d still suggest doing a road test yourself before getting an inspection to get an overall feel for the car and to see if it meets your requirements.

The braking, cooling, fuel and exhaust systems are just some of the items that are covered by a vehicle inspection to ensure they’re operating as they should and, by getting a vehicle inspection, you’ll also receive a good indication of the engine’s health, off the back of a relative compression test. Using sophisticated, electronic equipment allows a relative performance result to be delivered for each cylinder without the need to remove any parts – a process that’s less time consuming and costly than the old fashioned cylinder test.

You’ll be made aware of any potential issues that need urgent attention, defects that require further investigation or repair and other items that need to be kept under observation – information that may cause you to fail a Warrant of Fitness inspection and incur further repair.

Buying a used car doesn’t have to be a complex procedure – it can be an expensive one but remember that some investment up front before you purchase the vehicle could prevent you from raking up additional costs in the long run. Don’t feel pressured in to making a purchase and experiencing regret once you’ve taken ownership because once money has exchanged hands it can be difficult to get it back.

You deserve to know what your cash is going towards. Being made aware of any potential WoF issues, recommended repairs, and the overall of the condition of a vehicle’s body, tyres and interior beforehand, will allow you to buy a used car confident that you’ve got the best bang for your buck, and that you’re going to be safe on the roads.