How to buy a car which is not a clone?

That's easy, the same way as you would buy a car that is a clone.

Just hand over your money in exchange for the car & logbook.

Check it thoroughly.

Get someone who knows what they're looking for to check it with you.

meaning?

The thing is I don't know how to buy a car that is a clone. And somehow I don't want to buy a clone.

What's logbook?

If you don't know, you need to find someone who has experience of checking for VIN plates, engine numbers, model specifics related to model years and can check paperwork to match

HA Ha you are so going to get taken.

Have it inspected by a reputable company such as AA and get a vehicle report from them and one from HPIcheck, this guarantees you up to 30K against it being cloned.

I can check paperwork to match using Registration Certificate. If Vin plate had been 'changed' neither I nor someone who has more experience can't help. Also Registration Certificate contains some info about model specifics. However not everything can be checked that way.

Once again, how not to buy a clone? Clones are most likely stolen cars. Model specifics may match other legitimate car with legitimate plates. How can I know that a car has legitimate plates? Car check via website/text message won't give you VIN, or am I mistaken?

And by the way, Registration Certificate is just a paper. Also this paper doesn't have to inform me who is the legal owner of the car.

That's why I ask and that's what this group is for, so maybe I won't 'get taken'. Anything more to contribute?

As I said, you mostly need some experience to know the subtleties. There is too much that is car specific to tell you ..

Be aware that this poster is K, who made countless posts recently about Hondas.

Chris

Which means?

No genius needed to spot that person who sells doesn't have to be legal owner, can just be a keeper. DVLA can only confirm previous owners, so you know it all post factum, after you bought that car. And after you've bought anything is possible.

Guarantees up to 30K seem to confirm that there are loopholes in the system. And I'd prefer not to have the necessity to make such claim.

HPI check, how much?

grip, get a.

20 odd quid, do you know that there is a search site called google?

oh thx

yep, thx as well. google includes uk.rec.cars.maintenance. was nice to meet u.

Yeah. Are you not able to use Google? Or BBC news web site?

Delay your purchase until the new style RED log books have all been issued by middle of next year. They won't be issuing them for clones as the log book thieves haven't hacked the DVLA database or stolen RED ones. Won't stop "ringing".

This page gives a list of stolen log book serial numbers that you should run away from and some others that you should make extra checks on. The risk is small. The number of stolen log book "clones" is anything from 2,000 (detected) to 130,000 (un-recovered stolen log books) but is thought to be around 11,000 out of 33,000,000 vehicles. Currently about 10 stolen log books a week are being "found" (being sent to the DVLA). That would average at 520 cars a year since the theft of the log books 2006. Though as cars have been stolen to be cloned and sold, they will be a far greater proportion of cars currently for sale. There will be more in the region that the log book thieves are "working" in - northeast.

Don't buy a very popular car as they are the most commonly stolen car.

Don't buy black, blue, or silver/grey (says someone with 2 blue cars). They have higher resale values, don't stand out and are too common, which makes them more attactive to theft. There is a theory that no one will ever steal a pink car and so long as you don't buy new you will be able to buy one cheap. Yellow and Red don't rate well so also have lower resale value and don't attract so much theft. £10,000 for a "check me out" yellow one isn't worth wasting a log book on that can get £11,000 with a nice invisible black one.

Most of the 11,000 "clones" that are thought to exist are just someone's stolen number plates on the same type and colour of car and don't have a log book with matching VIN and engine numbers. A simple check of VIN number to log book will find them. People use stolen plates to avoid speeding, ANPR (no tax, mot, insurance, driving licence) and other crime detection but would be stupid not to sell the car with its true identity (some are that stupid and some buyers are too). Though there's far more chance that a car used by such people will have been stolen or be smashed (into you as an uninsured accident or into some shop) or burnt than sold.

Don't buy one off Dr Evil.