free carfax report

free carfax report

The Importance of a Free Carfax Report

1. Understanding the Value of a Carfax Report

Consider a scenario over a car with some type of undesirable historical factor such as theft, being rebuilt from salvage, flood/water damage, odometer rollback, or a recall. The seller of a car stolen and recovered may not disclose that information to the buyer in hopes to make a sale. A mechanic shop can completely repair a car from salvage and cascade it back into the auto market. A vehicle declared as totaled due to an accident by an insurance company will receive a salvage title. Although the criteria for such title varies amongst individual states. With the title branding the vehicle claiming it irreparable by an insurance company, the car will end up at a salvage auction. Buyers should be aware that a salvage titled vehicle is unsafe to drive. Flood/water damage can result in certain electrical and mechanical problems surfacing in the vehicle which happens over time due to corrosion. This type of vehicle could be the trouble for buyers, a seller may not know of the car’s history and could be affected later. Odometer rollback is self-explanatory, and a recall on a vehicle may have been systematically resolved, but consumers should still be aware of the car’s information. In every one of the above scenarios the seller has the opportunity to not disclose this type of information to the buyer in hope to make a sale. A buyer should verify specifics of the car’s history to ensure that the right purchase is being made. This type of history checking can save a lot of headaches in the future because these are all factors that can affect the automobile’s performance and safety.

When you are purchasing a used car, you want to make sure that you are getting the best value for your money. With that said, a car can hold many secrets hidden from the buyer, whether the dealer is aware of them or not. If you don’t ask the right questions and seek the right evidence, you may have to deal with that decision for a long time. It does not matter if the car is ten years old or only one day; a Carfax report can tell you things about the automobile that the seller may not disclose.

2. How to Obtain a Free Carfax Report

Step three and perhaps the most rewarding method is to actually inquire with the current owner of the car and ask if they will run a free report for you. This FAQ guide explains how owners can maximize the specific details of their car’s history and condition by simply running an unlimited Carfax report using an alternative spelling of their name and/or a different address.

Step two is to actually obtain the report using the VIN. There are no free ways to pull up a Carfax report using only the VIN, despite this being the most direct method. However, one alternative method is to simply search the car’s license plate number on Google.com and see if the car’s details and any recent accidents turn up. If an accident location is recent enough, the buyer can call the police department that made the report and sometimes acquire accident details from them. Most reports are saved down in automobile incident reports and can be easily obtained this way, though this can be time-consuming and not nearly as thorough as a Carfax report. Another method is to bring the VIN to local used car dealerships and ask their opinion on the car. This is an easy way to get free information from people who have experience with Carfax. Sometimes the dealer may have run a free Carfax report for the car in the past and may have the report details kept down in their records to show to the car’s customers. Lastly, another method is to simply take the VIN down along with a description of the car to places that are likely to have recent information on the car’s history, such as a police department or auto body shop, and ask for details and accident records in the car’s last known location.

Find the VIN number for the car you are interested in. This is the 17-digit number-letter combination that you can typically find in the lower corner of the windshield on the driver’s side of most cars. You can’t even really test Carfax without accessing a car’s history by VIN, so not having the VIN number pretty much renders a Carfax report useless. If the car is listed at a dealership, you may be able to simply ask the person selling the car for the VIN. If the car happens to be on a dealer lot, this is a good strategy because it lets you test the dealer’s willingness to be honest about the car, since private dealers are also pressured to provide VIN-specific details about the cars they are selling. If the car in question is being sold by an individual, there are ways to obtain the VIN without making it too obvious that you are checking up on the car. One method is to simply call and ask the seller to take a look at the car’s title and registration documents in order to acquire an insurance quote. Writing down addresses, phone numbers, and VINs on insurance quotes is a typical thing to do, so this method does not appear unusual. Another way to get the VIN off a car being sold by an individual is to verify the car’s details before checking if the car has recently been involved in an accident. By asking where this accident took place, you can have the seller attempt to acquire the details of the accident’s location, which are typically needed to look up accident records. This can later be done at no cost through local police reports, but the seller may view this as a way to save money and may acquire accident details from a recent location. If done correctly, this method will yield the VIN-specific accident details from Carfax.

It is entirely possible to acquire a Carfax vehicle history report without spending any money. This is a great way to save five to thirty dollars, which is the price of a single Carfax report, and really get a feel for the history and condition of the car before you go ahead and purchase the Carfax report.

3. Benefits of Reviewing a Carfax Report

It is better to know about a car’s past history before making a purchase. This can get you a better deal on the vehicle. That’s why it is important to consider the price of a vehicle history report. The benefits are many. First, it can affect the decision whether or not to purchase the vehicle. Quality is more important than quantity. This adage also holds true for car buying. You can purchase a car with 50,000 miles that was poorly maintained, or a car with 80,000 miles that was well taken care of. The first car may have a lower sticker price, but may cost more in the end. Mileage is an important indicator of a car’s value. Unfortunately, some low mileage cars have their odometers rolled back. It may go against popular belief, but it is easier to roll back an odometer than to replace an engine. High mileage, used engines are cheap and plentiful. A rollback is hard to detect, but a Carfax report can uncover the truth. There are many different types of cars that show up in the used market. The used car buyer may not know which price range of car he can afford. Often times, dealers will try to sell a customer a car that is out of his price range. This is because the car dealer gets a higher commission for selling more expensive cars. A car history report can determine whether or not a dealer is being honest about the price of the car. A customer may also be looking for a specific type of car. Cars can be stolen and then taken to a chop shop. The car is dismantled and sold as different used car parts. A car history report can determine whether or not a car is in fact a complete car. This also holds true for flood damaged cars. A flood can cause extensive damage to a car and it may be resold on the used market. These and other similar situations can affect the type and price of the car.

4. Avoiding Potential Risks with a Carfax Report

When you purchase a car, there is usually an extensive process of inspecting the car for potential problems. This process involves a lot of trust between the buyer and seller, and often times the seller will not disclose vital information unless asked. Sometimes, the seller might genuinely not know about an important factor of the car’s past, such as an accident or mechanical issue. In these cases, the seller is not hiding the information, but it may not be revealed in time to affect the sale. In worst case scenarios, sellers attempt to con unwary buyers into purchasing a car that is not worth its price. At times, conning attempts can be about a specific car which actually has nothing wrong with it. The seller might change the odometer mileage or attempt to sell the car for more than its worth, in which case buyers may use free DMV reports or other services to find out what the car is really worth. However, the most common conning attempts involve selling cars with a myriad of hidden problems, or selling previously salvaged cars at regular used car prices. The best way to avoid being conned into purchasing a problematic car is to acquire a free vehicle history report, such as a free Carfax report. Free vehicle history reports are available on many cars and provide information about a car’s past, including former usage, title issues, past accidents or damage, and maintenance history. Carfax reports are usually the most detailed and reliable vehicle history reports, and because of this the most heavily sought after. By attaining a Carfax report before purchasing a car, you can avoid a multitude of potential risks and make a much better informed purchase.

5. Conclusion: Empower Yourself with a Free Carfax Report

After considering the issues discussed in this essay, the benefits of having a Carfax report are tangible and can be quite advantageous in one’s favor. After discussing the problem, I found information which can be empowering to car buyers everywhere. You are permitted access to information about a car’s title, how many owners the car has had, and has a detailed record of odometer readings. By having accessibility to this type of information, one can easily figure out what a car is actually worth. This certainly lowers the risk of overpaying a car and being “ripped off” by a dealer. In addition to obtaining what a car is worth, the report can also reveal cars that have been severely damaged in the past. In considering the issue of taking yet another risk on a used car, the Carfax report comes through in revealing everything from previously salvaged vehicles to lemons. With a wealth of information at your fingertips, you are given an upper hand in making an informed car purchase. The wealth of information on Carfax reports in making that decision can easily be the turning point for many buyers. Anyone can now make an informed purchase of a used vehicle in knowing its detailed history. Whether you are someone ideally trying to get their money’s worth or trying to steer clear from another bad car purchase, the free reports are there to guide you. By considering the case where sometimes free reports might not give all the information about a car, a buy can be justified if it is a decision for a paid Carfax report. With privacy and company correctness issues in current events, Carfax has been working with 8000 dealerships to give free reports in any cars it has. With more and more companies promoting the right thing to do, it is only a matter of time before all car information can be accessed free.