by Tom Lapointe

Created on: March 25, 2008

'Free' Vehicle Reports Not Really Free

Like the holy grail, it appears that "free" car history reports will remain just beyond reach for a bit longer. The way it's been explained to me is that that the companies who sell this data actually have to pay for it, then mark it up and sell it to clients. The major players offer a "free" check, but it basically tells you that the car exists and that there are records reported on a vehicle. You need the actual report to see what those records contain, because the majority of records are items like registration, title transfer, and even service or repair visits.

However, there is a way you can get free checks through www.carfax.com. If you pay an additional five dollars for the FIRST one, you get as many as you want for a month. This comes in extremely handy when you are shopping for a vehicle. It is both convenient and priceless to be able to copy and paste a VIN (vehicle identification number) into their site and have the details in mere moments.

However, be warned. There are a few ways you can get bitten, even if you do your homework.

First, a "clean" CarFax merely means nothing has been REPORTED, and not the whole report is guaranteed just the validity of the title. The damage and accident data isn't guaranteed.

Second, on more expensive vehicles, owners often have a fleet of several cars. Submitting an insurance claim for a repair of even $10,000 or more, can get very costly on their insurance, so they opt to pay out of their pocket. These type of repairs often never appear on a report.

Finally, ensure that the VIN that the car is advertised with is the SAME one on the actual vehicle you are buying! Be sure that you PHYSICALLY check the VIN on the dash or door sill to verify the car you're buying has the same VIN you looked up.

As for checking for damage on a vehicle with a clean report, it's still "buyer beware". Bring someone with you who is experienced looking at cars; it's a plus if they have a paint meter and can see if a vehicle has paint work done so well that it's not visible. Paint work doesn't mean a vehicle has been wrecked, but it can bring into question the honesty of the seller.

So when it comes right down to it, you get what you pay for. Any "free" vehicle check on the market right now is merely a teaser to purchase data from CarFax or AutoCheck, which don't necessarily report the same data. Industry professionals I work with prefer CarFax, though AutoCheck is less expensive.

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