Before you login to Carfax it would be best to consider your options, Don't get me wrong, it is always a good idea to lower your risks when making a large purchase. Even Dennis Waitley would agree with that premise. Waitley made the famous comment "Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing". With that in mind, I would encourage you not to do nothing when buying a used car but to do the best thing. In this case, the best thing to do is to check out the alternatives to Carfax and there are three criteria that I would suggest you use in your decision.
First, consider the alternatives to Carfax. It's true that there are nearly a quarter million searches for Carfax each month but it's unfortunate that most of those people will miss out on some very competitive and much cheaper alternatives. I would mention two great choices for vin number lookups and that would be Vinaudit and Vinalert. Vinaudit was founded by former Google exec David Wu. Wu made the following statement about his company, "I felt ripped off when I paid $35 for a car history check. Data on vehicle
history should really be free.That’s right, public and open like the rest of the
Internet. We’re not there yet, but VinAudit.com aims to make vehicle
history as public and as affordable as possible.” Vinaudit has a partnership with the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) which allows people to access all available public records for a particular VIN number for a very affordable price. I highly recommend Vinaudit for performance and valute.
Second, don't login to Carfax until you consider the cost. Typically, Carfax will charge between $35 and $40 for a car history The good news concerning Vinaudit is that it is a real bargain at $9.99. If money is no concern then go ahead and spend $40 but if you want to save money consider the competitors.
Third, don't login to Carfax until you consider the benefits. Since 1981 there have been standardized VIN information requirement for all vehicles made in the U.S. This information can be accessed and is certified tier one information. The categories covered on a Vinaudit car history report would include vehicle specs, title information that is current and previous from each state the vehicle was owned, title issue data, odometer readings, salvage history and a host of other reports. The odometer reading is particularly useful since there is so much fraud in this area. I am reminded of a true story that occurred in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where police were called to investigate reports of a car driving around the neighborhood in reverse, It turned out that a young girl had placed too many miles on the family car and was trying to re-wind the odometer ! While that story is rather humorous it is definitely not funny that many dishonest mechanics and dealers have been known to tamper with the odometer. A quality car history report can help you avoid this scam
Finally, when you go to a dealership and they offer you a free Carfax I would recommend declining and getting your own copy. I have been very suspicious of doctored VIN reports from dealerships. All these things should go into your thinking before you login to Carfax.
Third, don't login to Carfax until you consider the benefits. Since 1981 there have been standardized VIN information requirement for all vehicles made in the U.S. This information can be accessed and is certified tier one information. The categories covered on a Vinaudit car history report would include vehicle specs, title information that is current and previous from each state the vehicle was owned, title issue data, odometer readings, salvage history and a host of other reports. The odometer reading is particularly useful since there is so much fraud in this area. I am reminded of a true story that occurred in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where police were called to investigate reports of a car driving around the neighborhood in reverse, It turned out that a young girl had placed too many miles on the family car and was trying to re-wind the odometer ! While that story is rather humorous it is definitely not funny that many dishonest mechanics and dealers have been known to tamper with the odometer. A quality car history report can help you avoid this scam
Finally, when you go to a dealership and they offer you a free Carfax I would recommend declining and getting your own copy. I have been very suspicious of doctored VIN reports from dealerships. All these things should go into your thinking before you login to Carfax.
