A good quality second hand car should last you for a long time, and provide you with years, and miles, of quality service. However, as with most things in life, used cars require regular maintenance and preventative checks.

When you buy your car from a car dealer, it will have already been serviced, MOTd and given the general once over by a trained mechanic, but you can’t expect your car to run for years without giving the love and care that it deserves. The used car’s handbook will offer guidance on how often the car should be serviced, and some used cars even have onboard computers that tell you when a service is due; these should not be ignored.

You may think that regular servicing works out as being too expensive, as some services (depending on the make and model of the car) can run into hundreds of pounds, but the money you’ll save in the long run makes this more than worth it. Regular servicing ensures that your car doesn’t develop any new faults that can become more expensive to repair retrospectively. Any issues with your engine, your brakes or even something simple like your tyres need to be caught early, before they become serious problems – costing you more.

In addition to keeping your car in tip-top condition, regular servicing also helps used cars to retain their value because buyers, whether private or a used car dealer, will look for proof that a car has been looked after and serviced regularly.