THE Guardia Civil has issued recommendation for individuals seeking to purchase a second hand automobile in Spain.
As a result of second hand market skyrocketing lately, the authorities felt the necessity to share ideas through social media in order that consumers are protected of their transactions.
The primary main instruction is to be cautious round low-cost second hand automobiles.
In a TikTok video, an officer says: “If it appears actually low-cost, be cautious. Don’t make any cost with out seeing the automobile first.”
Automobile sellers typically ask clients for cash upfront after which ship the product in a poor situation, and even hold the cash for themselves and disappear.
A notable instance, reported by the Olive Press, is the alleged ‘cowboy mechanic’ who has supposedly stolen cash from round 40 clients, together with dozens of expats.
One man, Gary Crumb, was conned out of €3,000 for work which was not accomplished on his automobile.
One other, Darrell Mills, stated on Fb that his household are ‘down by €5,000 and our automobile is sitting in bits whereas we’ve to take care of 4 children, with two boys being autistic.’
The Guardia Civil additionally recommends checking the automobile data.
“You must know that you may request a report from the DGT (Common Directorate of Visitors) to match the automobile’s knowledge,” explains the officer.
This implies you’ll be able to verify if the automobile has any excellent costs that can price you, or if it has been declared a complete loss.
It additionally lets you view the automobile’s MOT historical past.
The DGT highlights the significance of checking sure automobile components earlier than shopping for it.
For instance, you need to ensure that there are not any cracks or irregular put on on the tires as this might put your security in danger, and tires in a poor situation will current added bills after buying a automobile.
Assessing the state of a automobile’s physique, doorways, brakes, and lights will additional assist consumers keep away from future issues.
Recommendation from authorities comes after Spain’s second hand automobile market closed the final monetary 12 months with a gross sales quantity of two,114,396 models.
This was a rise of 8.6% in comparison with the earlier 12 months.
