The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has begun studying the sale of second-hand cars.

The study was launched after 68,000 complaints were made about issues with second-hand car sales.

Concerns around defective vehicles, services and potentially misleading selling are consistently among the top complaints .

The second-hand car market is large, with sales of approximately £35 billion in 2008, and the level of harm appears substantial: the financial cost of car clocking alone is estimated to be £100 million per annum.

The purpose of the study is to understand the causes of such high levels of consumer complaints and to consider whether existing consumer protection legislation is sufficient and effective in this sector.

The study will focus on sales by dealers.

The OFT hopes to work closely with the second-hand car industry, local authority Trading Standards Services, consumer bodies and other interested parties.

The OFT will be contacting key parties directly; other interested parties can submit written views by 5 June to second-handcars@oft.gsi.gov.uk