Should I Buy This Car?
You’ve found a car. Before you hand over money, enter its reg — and get the verdict a mechanic mate would give you, from an AI trained on real diagnostics.
✓ DVLA & DVSA data · ✓ AI analysis · ✓ No signup
A verdict, not a data dump
Buy, negotiate, or walk away — with the reasons
Hidden-risk sweep
Finance owed, write-off history, theft markers, plate changes
True condition signals
MOT patterns and mileage read like a mechanic reads them
Negotiation ammunition
Specific faults and history points that justify a lower offer
The question isn’t “is it nice” — it’s “what does it owe”
Every used car is a set of liabilities wearing paint. Some owe a cambelt. Some owe brakes. Some legally still owe a finance company — and a car with outstanding finance can be repossessed from you even though you paid the seller in full. The point of checking before buying isn’t curiosity; it’s finding out what you’d be inheriting.
The free layer of our check reads the public record — MOT history, tax, vehicle details — and gives you an honest first verdict. The full Buy This Car report adds the databases that matter when real money moves: outstanding finance, insurance write-off categories, theft check, mileage cross-reference and a valuation, wrapped in a plain-English recommendation.
It’s built by AI Mechanic, a UK platform run by a working auto electrician. The same AI that diagnoses faults for garages reads the car’s history for you — which is exactly the mate-who-knows-cars most buyers wish they had on the forecourt.
Questions buyers actually ask
What does the verdict actually say?
It weighs the car’s MOT pattern, mileage story and history flags, then gives a clear recommendation — buy, negotiate on specific points, or walk away — with the evidence underneath, in plain English.
How much does the full check cost?
The first verdict from public data is free. The full Buy This Car report — finance, write-off, theft, valuation — is a one-off £5.99. No subscription.
Can I check a car before viewing it?
Yes, and you should. All you need is the reg from the advert. Two minutes of checking filters out the cars not worth the drive.
What if the car has outstanding finance?
Don’t pay until the seller settles it or the deal is restructured through the finance company. A car with finance owed isn’t legally the seller’s to sell — the report tells you this before you’re the one holding the problem.