Frequent Questions about Vehicle History Reports

What is a Vehicle History Report?

A vehicle history report from CARFAX is the quickest and easiest way to research the history of a car. It gathers all of a vehicle's insurance and DMV records into one place. At a glance, you can tell if there are major accidents, odometer problems, flood damage issues or if the car is a lemon.

With this info in hand, you can make an informed purchase decision AND negotiate the best price.

Where can I get a Vehicle History Report?

Several companies gather the data and sell these reports online: CARFAX is the major provider. Click here for a comparison chart of major reports.

What will I get from a Vehicle History Report?

A vehicle history report will tell you one of two things about the car's history:

• that the car's history is CLEAN: history records for clean cars might show the title being renewed or issued several times. Where states require them, you might see emissions or safety test passes. If it's a newer car, there might only be a couple of records.
• that the used vehicle has POTENTIAL PROBLEMS that require further investigation: the report might include evidence of accident history, flood damage, indications of odometer fraud, emission test failures, theft history, or evidence of heavy usage.

Why should I buy a Vehicle History Report?

• if you're selling...
  • to get the best price for your car. If you're selling to a dealer or trading in, they will definitely run a Vehicle History Report before they take the car off your hands. To get the best price for your car, you should know what they're going to find out before they find it out!
• if you're buying...
  • so you don't get stuck with someone else's problem. If you know what the seller knows--or maybe more than the seller knows!--you're more likely to make a good decision and not be swayed by someone's smooth "pitch."
  • extra peace-of-mind: CARFAX offers a "title guarantee" when you buy a report. If you later find something wrong with the car's title that wasn't in the report, you may be eligible for a payout. (Pay close attention to the requirements, though, to make sure you're eligible.)

How far back do the vehicle history databases go?

VINs were standardized in the early '80s to all be 17 digits long and to use certain codes to indicate make, model, year and other information about the car. Manufacturers were using other types of IDs before that, but the major history databases only include the standardized VINs from 1981-on. You probably won't find many records for most cars older than the late eighties, but you should run the VIN check anyway.