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Buying a Used Car Without Getting Burned
The free checks, your rights, car finance and the scams to watch for, in plain English.
30 pages A4 · phone edition 61 pages · free, no email or sign-up
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About this guide
A used car is one of the biggest things most of us ever buy, and the market is full of claims: “one careful owner”, “full service history”, “battery like new”. Some are true, some are wishful thinking, and a few are scams.
More about this guide
This free guide takes you through it step by step, with a Scottish focus: setting a budget, the free official checks anyone can do online in minutes, viewing and test-driving, extra checks for used electric cars, your legal rights from a dealer and from a private seller, car finance (including where the FCA compensation scheme stands) and the scams to watch for.
Every rule, number and phone line was checked on the official source (GOV.UK, DVLA, the FCA, Citizens Advice Scotland, Police Scotland and others) in October 2026.
Published by Clarity Guides. In a world full of disinformation, get Clarity.
What’s inside
- Set a budget for the whole car, not just the price
- The checks you can do online in ten minutes
- Viewing and test drive checklists
- Extra checks for a used electric car
- Dealer or private seller? Your legal rights
- PCP, HP and the car finance compensation scheme
- Car-buying scams and how to spot them
- Paying, paperwork and driving away
- Your used car buying plan
General information only, not legal or financial advice. For free advice, contact Citizens Advice Scotland or Advice Direct Scotland.
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