

Three will cost you $64.99, and five sell for $99.99. It dates back to the late 1980s when it faxed reports to its customers. Here's a look at AutoCheck versus Carfax, along with some other providers, and our experience in how they stack up.Ĭarfax is the most well-known provider of vehicle history reports. No matter whether you're shopping private-party sellers or at a dealership, it's good to know what you'll get - and what you won't - in these reports. If the dealer refuses to run a vehicle history report or provides an outdated report, it could be a red flag. This report becomes a valuable source of third-party information.
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All dealers have vehicle history report subscriptions, usually for either AutoCheck or Carfax, and will run a free report for interested buyers. If you find yourself on the used car lot and want to know the history of a particular vehicle, just ask for a report. You can find many of these vehicles on the Edmunds used car inventory page or on dealership websites. Most major used car dealers and some car-selling sites will provide a free Carfax report or AutoCheck report. But if you're shopping at car dealerships, it's a different story. And if you're shopping for a used car on the private-party market, you'll likely be the one paying for the reports. The reports from the biggest players - AutoCheck and Carfax - are expensive, ranging from $25 for one report to $100 for five. That said, we still recommend running a vehicle history report before driving across town to see a car in person.Ĭan you get a free vehicle history or title report? So a vehicle could have frame damage and you would not know it by just reading the report. Similarly, if the body shop handling the repairs does not share its data with the vehicle history companies, it will not appear on a report either. If, for example, someone gets into a minor accident and decides to repair the car without involving an insurance company for fear of rates going up, the accident will not be reflected in the report. It's only as good as the incidents that have been reported to the database.

Several companies sell vehicle history reports, promising to reveal the past of any given vehicle. For definitive information on recalls for any used car that you're considering, use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's free VIN lookup tool.
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Other information can include a description of the vehicle, the number of previous owners, accident information, verification of recent mileage (which could include an alert for an odometer rollback), and lemon-law and recall checks. The report makes it easy to see if the car has been registered in numerous states. Typically, the information on a vehicle history report includes a summary and an overall evaluation of the vehicle, supported with details, dates and locations. The 17-digit VIN is like the car's Social Security number: It's used to note nearly every major event in an auto's lifetime. The car's vehicle identification number (VIN) is the key to the vehicle history report. Branding means an insurance company has declared the vehicle a total loss and given it a salvage title because of an accident, flood damage or other catastrophic event. Most importantly, the report tells shoppers if a car has been in an accident and or given a branded title. They are one of the best ways to learn about a given vehicle's history and help make your search for a used car much easier. Vehicle history reports, such as those from AutoCheck or Carfax, have become an integral part of any used car purchase.
