Disadvantages of Pre-Reg Cars

If you have only recently began to educate yourself about pre-registered vehicles then you’re first impressions are probably pretty positive – you may be wondering how on Earth you have not heard about them before.

However it is worth remembering that there are a number of drawbacks associated with pre-registered cars, and as such it’s important to be aware of these and weigh up the pros and cons before you go ahead with a purchase.

Firstly, although you are essentially buying a brand new car when you go pre-registered, the dealer from whom you buy the model is technically the first owner – even if there are only delivery miles on the clock. While this probably won’t matter to you – and rightly so – it may come to affect the residual value of your vehicle if you choose to part with it years down the line. For example the new Chrysler Ypsilon you have bought is actually a used Chrysler Ypsilon and so when you come to sell it will be listed as having two owners. This is less appealing than a single owner to some buyers and may result in you receiving a smaller price for it.

Secondly, the manufacturer warranty period begins as soon as the vehicle is sold, or in other words when the dealer that you are buying it from received it. In many cases you may only lose a couple of weeks warranty which is not a huge deal, and especially not if the vehicle you are buying happens to be a Kia (Kia offer an unrivalled 100,000 mile or 7 year warranty on all new vehicles. However in certain circumstances a pre-registered car can be as much as 6 months old, so always be sure that you get proof of the date the dealer purchased the model before you part with your cash.

Moreover, in certain circumstances buying a pre-registered vehicle can affect your insurance. Because the model you are buying is technically a used car, some insurance firms view this as such and will not take into account the fact that it is a pre-registered one – they will view only the fact that you have not bought the car as new.