by Marc Phillippe Babineau

Created on: November 07, 2008   Last Updated: November 13, 2008

When buying a used car, it is extremely prudent to attain and study the car's car maintenance and accident history report, or CARFAX. This documentation lists all repair work done on the car, with regards to both garage repairs and manufacturer new car (or used car) warranty maintenance requirements and repairs. The CARFAX report will also list any body work done as a result of a motor vehicle accident (in which case the frame should be professionally checked usin a laser to make sure there is no bend). If the car has been owned by more than one owner, the CRAFAX report may not be complete, and this could be worrisome to a prospective buyer, as the car could have been in one or more accidents, or had major engine repairs on more than one occasion, and that information would not necessarily be on the CARFAX report.

The importance of getting a CARFAX report on any used cars that you are interested in purchasing begins with it telling you if there has been excessive work done on the car, like pumps, gaskets, lifters, head gasket or cylinders, any transmission work and/or repetitive work done on the same area of the car (electrical, brakes, exhaust, etc.). This is all information that is provided by the CARFAX report, and is a direct descendent of the Lemon Law. In car layman's terms, a lemon is a car that just keeps on needing repairs, breaking down frequently, or has major engine malfunctions within a short term of buying the vehicle. If this happens now, there is a redress that can give you most of your money back from the nefariously minded salesmen, be they from a car lot or a personal sale.

Another bonus of the CARFAX report is that you get to see just how many people really have owned the vehicle, and whether or not it really was just a little old lady who only drove to church and back. As more and more people found themselves buying used cars that broke down, usually for good, about a week to 2 - 3 months after purchasing the car, the government stood up for the little man and introduced legislation that makes any person selling a used car to anybody provide a full and complete history of any and all work, performed on the vehicle as regular maintenance, repair or accident repair to any interested buyers.

If the CARFAX report is complete, and the car, purchased from a car lot, still breaks down within a very quick timeline, then the used car warranty, mostly 30 to 90 days, will take care of any short-term problems. If the car in this case was purchased from a person (like from your neighbour, a classified advertisement, etc.), then there is no used car warranty, and it is basically buyer beware, where the buyer is solely responsible for any problems. The CARFAX would give you the information you need to see whether or not the vehicle has been worked on, but the best option for buying a used car is to make taking the vehicle to a mechanic that you trust before paying for it a condition of the sale.

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