Hi I dont know if this has been bought up before but through experience I thought I'd just warn people to do all the checks they can. Last year I bought a 300tdi with 150000 on the clock, thinking I was clued up enough I checked vin number, engine number etc and I paid for a HPI check and all came back clear, I took the car that day as it had 7 days left on the MOT,taxed it and used it like a kid with a new toy, once the MOT was due I returned it the the seller who had arranged the MOT for me, Upon returning the landy the seller didn't give me the advisory note so a quick online check on the .gov website showed what was on it and also that back in 2006 the landy had covered 216,144 miles yet in 2007 was only 125.923, I know this could be legal ie clock replaced, but that didn't help me. DONE GOOD AND PROPER

So in short check what you get in your HPI check and also get the current MOT issue number or v5 reference number when you view the car and check online it could just save you a lot of money and hassle.

Gov site for history check

Motoring : Directgov - MOT history request

It's still a case of buyer beware and you should always check mileage on MOT's when buying an old car

But yes for those that don't do it this is a good piece of advice, you can't be sure how much of a **** the guy you're buying off is so always check everything. If he can't back up the mileage with old MOT's assume its been clocked, thats why FSH with MOT's is what you should look for when buying a car

We bought our Disco with 185000 on the clock, but the engine had been re-built the year before due to the crankshaft breaking so we bought a second hand clock from a scrappy at the guestimated milage from re-build.

This was before computer MOT records, but we did have an itemised re-build receipt tho.

Dippypud said:

We bought our Disco with 185000 on the clock, but the engine had been re-built the year before due to the crankshaft breaking so we bought a second hand clock from a scrappy at the guestimated milage from re-build.

This was before computer MOT records, but we did have an itemised re-build receipt tho.

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That sound every fair to me, I don't know why this can't be incorporated into the MOT check, if you fit a new/second hand clock and the mileage is obviously different why doesnt the MOT data pick it up and make a log of it then people can see on the MOT history and ask questions before buying it.

Dippypud said:

We bought our Disco with 185000 on the clock, but the engine had been re-built the year before due to the crankshaft breaking so we bought a second hand clock from a scrappy at the guestimated milage from re-build.

This was before computer MOT records, but we did have an itemised re-build receipt tho.

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It's not so much the engine milage I'd worry about it's the rest, gearbox, transfer box, bushes axle, so changing the clocks to match the engine is not better really

And more so how it's been looked after

AWU149K

Some low-milage cars you wouldn't want...

its a good way of checking the advisories as well. as i got the mot with mine but no advisory sheet and have just had a look and it looks like a bit of work to do before the next mot. i think they should print the advisories on the mot so you know what will need to be done in the near future.

The mot certificate says if an advisory has been issued or not, so you should ask for it if it's been issued or expect many jobs to be done

mark-d said:

The mot certificate says if an advisory has been issued or not, so you should ask for it if it's been issued or expect many jobs to be done

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yup a good idea to check but i didnt actually know it said on there untill i had a good look at it. i suppose if they say theyve lost the advisory then run a mile as they obviously dont want you to see it. 1 of the advisories ive found on mine is corroded brake lines that they painted. lol. think im gonna be replacing them before the next mot.