CarFax Report

[ellev8or]

Greetings,

I've been looking for a nice reliable 4 cylinder car for my daughter who's in college and everyone with the exception of one is not willing to provide a CarFax report.

Is there something wrong with my logic with wondering the worse about the owner attempting to hide information about the vehicle they're trying to sell? I've been down this negative slope too many times.

Every car I've sold in the past I've provided a CarFax report and the transition was effortless and smooth. I always thought that it wasn't advantages for me to suggest the buyer purchase the report and then purchase the car I'm selling. ~to each his/her own~

Also, I keep hearing the report tells an incomplete story; that some of the history of the vehicle is missing. Has the report lost its value as in to aid buyers in making sound decisions in regards to purchase and being a document of proof and reliability?

What is the truth about this piece of parchment and the information it reveals?

Your comments are valued.

Thanks

[Greenblurr93]

If things aren't reported to Carfax, then they won't be on there. Such as some work, accidents that the owner paid out of pocket for, Etc,..

That said, if the dealer won't provide one, I would still be suspicious they know something and aren't telling

[Jamesfranklin]

You must make sure about getting all the information about the car. If the seller is not providing it, there may be something wrong with the vehicle and you may have to regret in long run. Just ask the seller about CarFax report, as it does not only ensure you get a good conditioned vehicle, but is a great way of staying away from many threats as well.

[Ray paulsen]

There is nothing wrong with your logic,,, if your buying from a registered dealer they will know history report 100%, if they want to disclose details becomes another matter.

Buying privately becomes hit and miss, some sellers don't want to fork over the coin for a history report to be included in the advert, while others like you want to display all aces.

As for incomplete history reports,,, yes I agree but I also can think of reasons as to why , greenblurr93 made excellent comments in that area,,, overall the positive outweighs the negative and I am in heavy favor that anyone buying a used car should obtain their own report,,, not look at one provided.

One of the major mistakes buyers make today " clean title " why bother history, it's clean,,, wrong,,, it could have been a Salvage in it's former life, and this little factor alone is worth the investment buying a report.
http://www.usedcartips.org/

[mark5250]

buyer beware! Here's the deal...the less expensive vehicles all have problems and most likely, accidents. Dealers are afraid that if the carfax isn't clean, then the buying public won't care for the unit. The fact is, if the frame is damaged, then there's a MAJOR red flag and a lot of the older units that run through the auctions are sold as a "red flag" unit, meaning it has frame damage. Those vehicles are bought by a lot of the "pot-lot" dealerships. Personally, I don't care too much about a "clean" or "unclean" carfax. However, if it's "unclean" and the incident report says "towed" or the "airbags were deployed", then stay away because it'll often be a frame damaged unit. However, you can find out by pulling an AutoCheck. AutoCheck is owned by Experian and is a "credit report" on the vehicle...plus, it'll tell you if it ran through the auction lanes as a frame damged unit. BONUS! However, it's a dealer-only product. I never buy vehicles that are frame damaged, but I do buy vehicles that have an unclean Carfax. I hope that helps.