SAMPLE REPORT — all vehicle, seller, and data values on this page are illustrative examples for demonstration
Flag
Premier Demo Motors (Sample) Ltd was incorporated on 11 February 2026 — four months ago. There appear to have been previous registrations associated with this trading entity, now dissolved: two companies with closely similar names were registered at the same address and dissolved in 2022 and 2024.
Flag
All 12 of the seller's reviews were posted within the last eight weeks, are uniformly five stars, and use similar phrasing. The seller has a physical trade address but no landline.
What to do
1.
Before any money moves, check the paperwork carefully — the invoice and any warranty documents must be printed and show the registered company name and number exactly, matching the active Companies House registration. A handwritten invoice, or one carrying only a trading-name stamp, is a warning sign in its own right.
2.
Ask the dealer directly how long they have been trading at this address, and compare the answer to the February 2026 incorporation date.
3.
Ask who would honour the warranty in twelve months' time, and get the answer in writing.
4.
If you cannot get clear written answers to these questions, walk away — there are other Astras.
| Date |
Result |
Mileage |
Advisories / Failures |
| 14 Feb 2026 |
PASS |
52,300 |
— |
| 20 Feb 2025 |
PASS |
45,861 |
— |
| 25 Feb 2024 |
PASS |
39,204 |
— |
History clear
No outstanding finance recorded. No write-off record found in the sources checked. No theft marker. The VIN is confirmed against the record and there are no plate changes. Mileage is consistent across every test — 52,300 miles is plausible for a 2018 car.
Source: Experian AutoCheck via One Auto API
What to do
1.
Clean records describe the car, not the transaction. They tell you nothing about whether this company will exist to honour your rights in a year's time.
Price
The asking price of £6,495 sits within the independent market range of £6,100–£7,100 for this car at this mileage.
What to do
1.
If you proceed at all, pay at least £1 of the purchase price on a credit card — see your protection below. Given the seller findings above, this protection matters more than usual on this purchase.
What it will cost to own
Insurance group
Group 14
Get a quote before you commit · Data provided by Experian
Fuel type
Petrol 1.4T
Around average fuel costs for the class
Market value
£6,600
Range: £6,100–£7,100 · Valuation by Brego
On the numbers alone this is a fair deal — £6,495 against an independent valuation of £6,600, on a clean car with believable mileage. But value includes what happens after you pay. The Consumer Rights Act gives you strong protection when buying from a dealer — satisfactory quality, a 30-day right to reject — and those rights are claims against a company. A company incorporated four months ago, where previous registrations at the same address have been dissolved, is a company whose ability to stand behind this car in a year's time is unproven. The car is worth the money. Whether the transaction is worth the risk is the real question — and the seller findings above are why this report says walk away until they are resolved.
Section 75 — use it
Pay at least £1 of the purchase price on a credit card. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes your card provider jointly liable for the full purchase price if the car is misrepresented or not delivered. This is not optional advice. It is the single most powerful protection available to a used car buyer and most people do not use it.
If you proceed despite this report
A legitimate dealer takes cards. Pay at least £1 by credit card — and treat a card-refusing dealer as a flag.
Before you set out
Verify the dealer's Companies House registration yourself at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk — and get written answers to the seller questions in this report first.
Ask specifically about any faults, advisories, or work needed. Get the answer in writing.
At the viewing
Check the VIN plate — driver's side dashboard, visible through the windscreen — against the V5C. Any mismatch, walk away.
Confirm the dealer holds the V5C, and do a proper test drive — streets, a dual carriageway, not just around the block.
Take someone with you.
Before you pay
Check the invoice is printed and shows the registered company name and number, matching the active Companies House registration. Handwritten, or stamp-only with a trading name — stop.
Check which company name appears on any warranty — it must match the invoice and the register.
Pay at least £1 on a credit card. No deposit until the seller questions are resolved in writing.
Questions to ask the seller
1.
How long have you been trading at this address?
2.
Which company name and number will appear on my invoice and warranty?
3.
Who honours the warranty if I have a problem in twelve months?