How to Check the Vehicle History With a VIN Number

You have finally decided on that new used car but you are worried about its history. How do know you are not buying a "lemon"? Is there some way you can check on its history? Yes, there is.

Instructions

1

The next time you decide to buy a used car, you might just want to check out the vehicle history report (VHR) for that vehicle. Such a report can reveal a great deal about the car you are contemplating purchasing including any odometer changes, records of wrecks, whether the car has been totaled, any "lemon" reports, etc. It's amazing what some bodywork and fresh paint can do for the aesthetic appeal of a previously totaled vehicle. And it's amazing what some sellers will try to get by with.

2

You will need the vehicle identification number (VIN) to do any detailed checking on your potential new ride. That number can be found on the inside of the driver side door or on the lefthand side of the dashboard. The VIN can give you a wealth of information that might be useful in making an informed purchase. This seemingly gibberish amalgam of 17 characters---numbers and letters---has actually been well thought out to give the reader a snapshot on Day 1 of the vehicle's life. Let's look at what a typical VIN breakdown might tell us. We'll use the VIN 1G3CX54C7L4345211 for our example.
1: The first number is the country in which the vehicle was manufactured. In this case, the United States.
G: The manufacturer. Here, General Motors.
3: The vehicle's type or division of the manufacturer.
CX54C: The vehicle descriptor section (VDS). Such things as the model, body style, etc.
7: Check digit. A character assigned by the Department of Transportation to help combat fraud.
The characters 10-17 comprise the vehicle identifier section (VIS).
L: The model year. Here, 1990.
4: The location where the vehicle was assembled. Each manufacturer has its own plant identification system.
Characters 12-17 are used by the manufacturers for different purposes.
345211: Could be the assembly plant production tracking numbers.
Some model year codes and country codes follow.
MODEL YEARS
X: 1999
Y: 2000
1: 2001
2: 2002
3: 2003
4: 2004
5: 2005
6: 2006
7: 2007
8: 2008
COUNTRY CODES
1: United States
2: Canada
3: Mexico
4: United States
5: United States
6: Australia
9: Brazil
J: Japan
K: Korea
S: England
T: Germany
V: France, Germany
W: Germany

3

You can insert the VIN into a search engine box and sometimes get information on that particular vehicle. There may be records that have made their way into the database and these might be helpful in making a buying decision on a specific vehicle

4

The best way to get a good grasp on the history of your potential purchase is to buy a VHR from one of the many companies providing that service. There are no "free" sites that will provide a vehicle report on any car you might specify. There are sites which list cars for sale and they will provide a VHR as part of the deal. Your local used car dealer can also make the cost of a VHR a sweetener to get you to sign the contract.

5

The price that a generic VHR provider might charge for a VHR is really small as a percentage of the purchase price of the vehicle. If you really like the car under consideration and will definitely take it if the VHR has no surprises, the seller might spring for the cost of the report to finalize the sale. Even if he doesn't, the report cost is a small price to pay for the peace of mind it buys. And if the report DOES turn up something that's a deal-killer, think of the money and headache you might have saved.