by Kevin Hagen

Created on: November 06, 2008   Last Updated: November 13, 2008

Buying a used car can feel like a bit of a gamble. You wish that good-looking car on the lot that catches your eye could tell you where it's been, how many owners have driven it, and what problems it's had. Of course taking a trusted mechanic with you to look at used cars can ease a lot of your concern. But there is another way to get some concrete facts before you take the plunge, to stack the odds a little more in your favor.

You want to know whether your choice vehicle has a clear title. Has the odometer been manipulated? Has the car been in any serious accidents that could affect its performance and even safety? The key to finding the answers is in the VIN, the Vehicle Identification Number. With that number you can request a Vehicle History Report. You can find the VIN on a small engraved plate under the bottom of the windshield on the driver's side. Jot it down when you find a car that interests you.

CARFAX was the first to offer a vehicle history report. Philip Reed in an article for Edmunds, a website with a lot of information and tips on buying cars, quotes Scott Fredericks, Vice President of Marketing at CARFAX, as saying that "We literally have every car on the road in our database back to 1981."

By entering the VIN on the CARFAX website at www.carfax.com you can find out for free whether there is record available on the vehicle. You can buy a report on one vehicle for $29.99, up to 10 reports for $34.99, or unlimited reports for $39.99 - a good option if you're doing some serious shopping around. Spending a little money up front can buy you some peace of mind and potentially save you from getting involved with a vehicle that could cost a lot more down the road in repairs and maintenance.

The CARFAX report provides several categories of information summarized in a table that can flag any problems. The report can tell you whether the vehicle has been bought back by the manufacturer as a lemon, and how many owners the vehicle has had. Look for the 1-Owner Vehicle emblem on the CARFAX report. The report can also tell you if the vehicle has been in any severe accidents or has suffered flood damage.

CARFAX does a rollback check on the odometer and tells you the average miles driven per year. You may be able to find out if the vehicle was a rental, meaning a lot of people may have driven it and not necessarily taken the best care of it. CARFAX can tell you if an insurance company declared the vehicle a total loss, if the airbags have been deployed, and if there is any structural or frame damage. CARFAX also draws on millions of service records for oil changes and routine maintenance.

Arming yourself with information before deciding to buy gives you the comfort of knowing you have made the most informed decision possible. And if you are planning to sell a vehicle, by requesting the vehicle history report yourself and providing it to potential buyers, you can gain their trust and use it as a tool to close the deal.Write your article here

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