MAKE sure you get that new second-hand car inspected or you could be paying over the odds, or worse end up with a death trap.

That's the warning from RAC Inspections Service after figures just released show nearly half of the vehicles examined by RAC in May had at least one potentially dangerous fault.

RAC is the biggest vehicle examiner in the UK, doing over 350,000 inspections a year, and Tony Noakes, head of inspection services, says the figures are truly alarming.

“These figures say louder than ever, ‘buyer beware’. Many people don’t think it’s worth paying for an inspection on a cheaper second hand car, but the older a vehicle gets the more likely it is to fall victim to mechanical wear.

“Two out of every five vehicles, or 40 per cent, showed at least one potentially dangerous fault; and one in three had faults that were illegal, so you could possibly drive out the door and towards a whole load of fines or penalty points,” Mr Noakes said.

“It shows just how important it is to have an inspection done if you are thinking of buying a second hand vehicle. Repairing faults can be a costly business; but an astonishing 80 per cent of the vehicles we examined in May contained problems that would cost at least £200 to fix.

"With an inspection report, you are in the best possible position to negotiate on price.

But make sure you don’t pay good money for a vehicle that could be dangerous, stolen, a ringer or, even worse, a cut and shut.

“The vendor of that perfect runabout for the family might look perfectly honest and above board, but make sure you get independent advice before you hand over your hard-earned cash.”