Every ninth buyer of a used car trusting the seller's words and not checking the car

According to a survey by Bigbank, only a relatively small proportion of car buyers (26%) check this service before searching for a vehicle identification number (VIN), which is a car DNA or fingerprint. . Check with the seller immediately at the point of sale 26% of car buyers.

Research data shows that 82% of Latvian households own their car, 58% a car of ten years or more. It should be noted that a part of the car, especially imported from Germany and France, occurs after a serious road accident. It is therefore important to check its technical condition at the time of purchase.

Only 26% of car buyers bring it to the pre-purchase, where specialists conduct a thorough inspection and 14% check the history of the car after the vehicle identification number. As a result, it can be concluded that most car buyers, 60%, either did a visual inspection of the car, relied on the seller's declaration, or did not carry out any inspection.

28% said that when buying their used car, they planned to spend between 100 and 300 euros per year for their maintenance (maintenance, repairs, replacement of oils and filters, insurance, without fuel). 23% plan to spend between 301 and 500 euros and only 12% – between 501 and 700 euros. In 56% of cases, actual costs coincide with expectations, but 23% of motorists spend more than expected. This shows that part of the car owner did not fully check it before buying a car and that some costs could be related to technical things that could have been planned and discoveries at the time of purchase.

"It is important to evaluate the technical condition of a used car before you buy it so as not to repudiate the money because a significant proportion (63% ) already spends up to € 500 more than expected, "said Kurmis irts, head of Bigbank Latvia.

The automotive industry is active and the demand for used cars in Latvia is strong. Research data indicates that 19% of respondents who already have a car in the household plan to buy another used car next year. 20% plan to buy cars ten years old and over, compared with 10% at three years only. 23% of respondents said they were willing to spend three to five thousand euros to buy a new car.

A total of 476 respondents aged 18 to 74 were interviewed on the Internet.