Will an ex-insurance company car be ok?

I am looking at a car in Northern Ireland. Its previous owner was MIS Insurance and it was apparently given as relief car when accidents occur. Any experience on buying these cars subsequently? What problems arise if any?

JJ, Waterford

Jim Gran (Waterford)

Jan 2014 Filed under: insurance

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Expert answer

Hi Jim,

Basically, it's the same as buying an ex-rental. The good news is that all the scheduled servicing and maintenance should have been carried out in full and on time, but the bad news is that you just don't know who's been driving it previously and what kind of driving they've been doing. Generally speaking, someone being given a loan car by their insurer will probably just have had a shunt and will likely be in a careful mood, but you just never know. Check everything very carefully, from the cabin for unexpected wear and tear to the suspension for alignment issues or other damage. This could be a good one to break out the AA inspection on, just to be on the safe side.

Let us know how you get on

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe