Vehicle History Report

Why get a vehicle history report?

Get all the facts about used cars before you buy. A Vehicle History Report gives you background information on a used car you may be thinking of buying or may have bought. You'll find out how many previous owners the car had, where the car originated from, what service was done, and if there's been a DMV-reported accident, among other things.

Vehicle history reports take most of the guesswork out of the used car buying situation. Feel confident about your purchase.

Vehicle history reports provide the following type of information:

Totaled in an accident
Salvage/Junk titles
Flood damage
Odometer readings and/or rollbacks
Lemon histories
Junked Titles
State emissions inspection results
Lien information
City/State of owner
Original vehicle use (rental, taxi, lease, etc.)
Stolen vehicles (where available)
Flood titles
Vehicle registrations
Problem titles
Manufacturer Buyback (Lemon) Data
Maintenance/service data
Location of inspection site
Pass/fail inspection status
Major repair and maintenance data
Damage reports from accidents
Police-reported detail
Open Recalls
Lemon titles

Where to find the VIN on a vehicle.

A car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) is the identifying code for an automobile. Each VIN is unique to every vehicle -- its equivalent would be your social security number or government ID.

The VIN consists of a 17-digit character set. It provides a method to trace a vehicle's history from manufacture to grave. VIN's are used to track recalls, registrations, warranty claims, thefts and insurance coverage claims.

Common locations of the vehicle identification number (VIN) vary but the following are places to look:

Firewall of the vehicle
Left hand inner wheel arch
Steering column
Radiator Support Bracket
Dash by windshield
Drivers door or post on passenger side
Guarantee & Maintenance Book *Vehicle documents
Machined Pad on front of engine
Component parts, such as engine, frame, etc.

Later model years - most common area's of VIN:

Left instrumentation/dash plate by window
Drivers door or post
Firewall

Know the VIN of a vehicle you want and get its history before you buy

...visit CarFax.com to do a search.

The workings of a vehicle history report.

Vehicle history reports aren't free, unless the owner of the vehicle you're looking to purchase already provides one, you'll have to pay around $20 for one. If you are shopping around for a used vehicle, then you may want to pay $5 more for CarFax's unlimited vehicle history reports for up to 30 days.

You'll have to register for this and pay online, but all you need thereafter for the next 30 days when auto shopping is to obtain the VIN of any used vehicle that you are interested in, go to CarFax.com, log in and type in the VIN...and up pops your used car report.

CarFax even offers a BuyBack Guarantee.

CarFax will buy back the vehicle if there was a severe problem that wasn't included in the Vehicle History Report. You're protected for a full year after your vehicle purchase! Read the BuyBack Guarantee details to see what's covered.

Buy a vehicle history report and know that you're probably buying a good vehicle! But also keep in mind that a vehicle history report may not uncover all the things you need to know before you buy.

...So you may want to consider a mobile vehicle inspection service as well to really get that warm fuzzy feeling about you're potential purchase because a vehicle history report may not catch everything.

Check out our Buy Car Online Section for the full breakdown on what you should do to protect yourself.

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