When purchasing a used vehicle online or at a dealership, a car history report is an invaluable tool that helps consumers make sure their future buy is not laced with problems. With just a vehicle identification number, a car history report can be pulled up in an instant through the Internet.
Online Vehicle History Report
The first place that one can look up a car history report is through an online vehicle history report agency. There are four major companies that put together car history reports. Each one offers different services and different aspects of the car history report.
The four major agencies are Carfax; AutoCheck; Free VINCheck; National Motor Vehicle Title Information Systems Database.
If you log on to the Carfax website, (carfax.com), it promises to show any accident history of the car and whether the car has had title problems because of salvage junk or flood. Its report will also bring back fraud damage claims and make sure the odometers were not rolled back. One report costs $29.99.
If you choose AutoCheck, (autocheck.com) note that it is connected to Experian, which is credit reporting company. It, too, promises, to have thorough reports with accident information and any past problems of the vehicle. It will also show everywhere the car was registered. The cost for one report is $20.
To use Carfax and Autocheck, it requires the VIN of the car you are looking up and identification and credit card information from the consumer who is purchasing the report.
A free method of seeing if the car is stolen is by visiting FreeVINCheck (NICB.org) This website is a free search by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. This helps consumers ensure the vehicle they are purchasing was not obtained illegally and the title is intact.
Finally, consumers can use another free service through the U.S. government to help in their decision. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information Systems Database is a United States Department of Justice website that has contracted with Auto Data Direct and CARCO group to deliver vehicle history reports. So far, only 38 states are participating in this service. Obtaining the information is free.
All FreeVINCheck and the NMVTISD require is the VIN number of the vehicle you are looking up.
Dealer
If you do not want to obtain the car's history report by yourself, the next best place to get it is from the dealer. All reputable dealers will have the vehicle history report on file at the time of purchase, and they should be willing to show it to you for free. Once at the dealership, it's as easy as asking for the car history report; they generally will print one out for you in an instant.
Car History Report Controversy
While the car history report seems like a valuable tool, a 2009 survey by "Consumer Reports" magazine found that many of the car history websites will give cars a clean bill of health, when in reality there is damage that was not reported. When a car is in an accident, and the owner did not have collision insurance or if the car was a rental the title can still maintain the car is clean. Also if the car is not deemed a total loss by the insurance companies, it can still have a clean title. It is recommended that a certified and trained mechanic examine any used car before purchase.
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