New Should I Buy This Car? platform aims to help drivers spot potential repair bills before they buy
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Buying a used car can be exciting, but it can also come with one rather large, nagging question: what might go wrong once it’s sitting on your drive?
That’s the question behind a new UK car-buying platform called Should I Buy This Car?, which has been launched by automotive intelligence company MotorIQ to help used car buyers get a better idea of possible repair bills, maintenance risks and ownership costs before they hand over their money.
Most used car buyers know they should check the obvious stuff: MOT history, outstanding finance, write-off status and service records are all part of the normal homework these days. But MotorIQ says there is still a big gap between knowing a car’s past and understanding what it might cost to live with next.
The company calls this the “Ownership Blind Spot”, which is a neat way of describing the moment when a perfectly tidy-looking used car turns into a rather expensive house guest.
It recognises how modern cars are becoming more complex, with drivetrains, emissions systems, electronics, gearboxes and hybrid bits all having the potential to create chunky bills as cars get older and rack up more miles. Those are not always the sort of problems that show up on a short test drive or a traditional history check.
“The industry has become very good at helping consumers understand a vehicle’s past,” said Vik Barodia, co-founder of MotorIQ. “But buying a vehicle is a moment. Living with it is a journey. Buyers still have very little visibility into what ownership may look like next, and that’s often where the biggest financial surprises emerge.”
Barodia and fellow co-founder Alex Wheatley say the idea came from a simple observation: almost every driver has a story about an unexpected repair, maintenance bill or ownership shock that arrived after purchase, even after doing what they thought were the right checks.
Should I Buy This Car? uses an algorithm to analyse model and mileage-specific ownership patterns. The aim is to show common problem areas, how serious they might be, when they typically appear, what they could cost to fix and what evidence or maintenance records buyers should ask to see.
It can also suggest what to look and listen for on a more personalised road test, which could be handy for anyone who tends to get swept along by shiny paint, tidy wheels and the smell of a freshly valeted interior.
Users can also include a full Experian AutoCheck vehicle history report, putting the usual background checks alongside MotorIQ’s forward-looking ownership guidance in one report.
“History checks remain an essential part of buying used,” added Barodia. “But they only explain part of the picture. Buyers also want to know whether they may be approaching a known high-cost ownership phase, whether key preventative work is likely to have been carried out, and what they should specifically be checking before they commit to buying.”
MotorIQ says the point is not to label cars as good or bad. Instead, it says the aim is to help buyers make better decisions around timing, maintenance exposure and possible future costs.
“Reliability conversations are often driven by anecdotes,” said Barodia. “But ownership risk changes over time. Timing matters. Mileage matters. Maintenance matters. Two similar-looking cars can present very different ownership profiles depending on where they are in their lifecycle.”
Should I Buy This Car? is now live, with reports available for any make and mileage of car.
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