A series of tests that you can do from the couch can save you a lot of money later (Photo: Kobi Liani)
Are you afraid that you will be cheated in buying a used car?
You're not alone.
The second-hand car market is full of hair-raising fraud cases, sometimes even when purchasing from authorized dealers.
In the USA, for example, you can purchase and receive within minutes a full report on the history of the vehicle first-hand, second-hand or tenth-hand, information on accidents and treatment history, before the purchase: Carfax, which got its name when it was launched 40 years ago in the era of the fax.
In Israel, an office promised The Ministry of Transportation to operate a type of Carfax in Israel, but has not yet succeeded in changing the privacy protection laws to create a single database in which there will be documentation for the treatments the vehicle underwent, for accidents, and for all the relevant information for those who are considering purchasing it.
The Ministry of Transportation itself presents some of the information already today, but it is scattered between the lines of his various databases, and he has not yet learned how to present them in a unified manner - even when it comes to information that is already in his possession.
So we have collected for you the important information sites before deciding on the purchase of a used car, some for free, others for a low fee.
They cannot replace a professional inspection of the vehicle at the institute, or a consultation with a garage, but they can help you filter which vehicle you would like to move forward with for inspection for a fee of about NIS 500 today, and also in negotiating the price you will pay the seller.
"The car has not seen a garage, only annual maintenance" (Photo: ShutterStock)
Accident history: through the insurance companies
The closest thing to the Carfax service in Israel is the clearing center of the insurance companies, which allows you to get the vehicle's insurance claims history for the last ten years.
The breakdown includes the type of damage caused to the vehicle (total loss, legal total loss, loss of value, consequential damage, theft with vehicle found, theft without vehicle found), loss of value if determined, the amount of money paid to the owner of the vehicle and whether there are still open claims regarding the vehicle.
However, it is impossible to know exactly where the damage to the car was caused and what was repaired.
In addition, the report only covers cars that had comprehensive insurance, meaning mostly privately owned cars. Rental and leasing vehicles are usually not insured with comprehensive insurance, so there is no organized external documentation of past accidents, a problem in itself. The report can only be issued by the car owner, but You can do this through the website, pay with a credit card owned by the vehicle owner (as a means of identification), and receive the report within minutes.
The cost of the report:
NIS 10
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"The car was hardly driven, only to the grocery store and back" (Photo: Public Relations)
Travel history: was your mileage falsified?
One of the most common scams in selling a used car is to reduce the number on its odometer to hide a history of hard work and high wear and tear.
It didn't completely disappear even when the measurement went digital.
To verify the information presented to you, the Ministry of Transportation has a hidden database that shows how many kilometers the vehicle traveled until its last license test, and whether changes were made to the vehicle such as conversion to gas propulsion, color change, or tire size from the original ones.
The downside: this database also only shows data on cars that hit the road only in 2017 and after, even though the obligation to record the mileage in the test began much earlier.
The cost of the report:
free
"I removed the car from the company myself" (Photo: AP)
Ownership history: Was the vehicle originally leased?
Used car sellers are honest and decent people, without exception of course, but you should always verify what they say about the vehicle's cost history.
Was it originally a leasing, rental or company vehicle, which affects its price and may affect its mechanical condition.
On the website of the Ministry of Transport there is a database "on previous costs and the type of ownership", which provides the information by requesting the license number of the vehicle.
You won't be able to know who the previous owners were, but you will get information about the type of ownership, and when the ownership was transferred.
The downside: the database only includes private vehicles, and only those that hit the road in 2017 and after.
Even so, it is about one and a half million used cars.
Cost of the report:
free
"You can transfer ownership now, there is no problem" (photo: screenshot, screenshot)
Debt history: is the vehicle mortgaged?
One of the most common scams is the sale of a car that is already mortgaged to a bank or finance company because of the car owner's debt.
To check that there is no encumbrance on the vehicle you wanted, you can check it on the website of the registrar of pledges at the Ministry of Justice.
First you have to select neighborhood check, enter the vehicle number and then proceed to payment.
The report arrives at your email address within an hour.
The cost of the report:
NIS 11
"The car has a long test, you won't have to pay a toll for a year" (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Licensing history: does the car have a valid test?
Another database of the Ministry of Transport allows you to check whether the vehicle has a valid test and what is the date of its next licensing test.
This is important information for used car buyers, since a vehicle that has not passed a test can be the result of the owner's distraction, but also a mechanical problem that prevents the person from passing the test.
In addition, together with the licensing test, you will be required to pay the expensive annual licensing fee, it is important to know before the purchase when the payment will arrive, and price it in negotiation with the vehicle owner.
Cost of the report:
free of charge
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