Drivers admit to rip-off tactics

Over a quarter of British drivers - potentially including car insurance holders - would lie to a potential buyer of their vehicle in order to get their own way, according to new research.

Conducted by RAC Car Data Checks, the poll found that more than one in four motorists have engaged in tactics such as hiding scratches in the last 12 months, with other dodgy practices including lying about the performance of a vehicle and neglecting to mention whether the car has been in an accident.

These lies and exaggerations have resulted in more than 1.8 million used cars that had been sold privately requiring repairs, with some 534,000 vehicles failing their MOT, according to the study.

British motorists spend a collective £1.3 billion on second-hand car repairs a year, RAC Car Data Checks warned.

"It is extremely worrying that so many motorists think it's okay to exaggerate a car's features, as long as they think it doesn't affect safety," commented Nick Lindsay, head of RAC vehicle checks and inspections.

"But with motorists confessing that they don't have sound mechanical knowledge, how can they guarantee that their claims aren't dangerous?"

In other used car news, car insurance holders may be interested to learn that market data provider Eurotaxglass's recently issued a report suggesting that 2007 has been the worst year for summer second-hand convertible values in living memory.

It said that values usually peak in the summer as demand rises, but noted that this did not occur this year.

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