Just logged in here looking for advice on something else and couldn't resist having a look at my own trade section. Clocking is only the start of it. When they're money laundering to beat the band, buying cars vat free in the U.K and importing them here without paying the vat, breaking all kinds of planning and environment laws that reputable garages are obeying at large costs, etc, etc, clocking is only the cream. And then there's the honest public. Yeah right.
Use your head when buying a car. It's not rocket science. Service history is vital. If it's not there, just walk. And not everybody keeps an up to date stamped service book. If you like the car, and the service book is empty, ask can you contact the previous owner, call them, ask them where they had the car serviced, call the garage concerned, and they'll have all the details on computer.
My rule on English imports is if they're isn't a stamped up service history with the phone no. of the garage that carried out the services legible in the service book, that you actually call the service dept in the U.K and verify, then it is clocked.
And stick with a good reputable garage. There's lots of us out there. We can't be that difficult to find.
With regard to dodgy garages, and getting someone to check out a car, I'd reccomend
www.carcheck.ie Put it this way. I've heard them say that when they call certain garages to tell them they have been asked to check a car out, the salesman just tells them 'Oh sorry we just sold it'