Car history can be the determining factor when shopping around for a used car. Take the time to find out everything about the car before you purchase it. You do not want to be stuck with an old wreck that will only last you about two months.
Getting a car’s history is not that difficult. All you need to find it is the car’s VIN. The Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN for short, is just what it sounds like: an ID for a car. Most modern cars have them right in the vehicle title or under the windshield on the driver’s side. You may have trouble finding the VIN on older model cars though. The VIN was not made standard until 1981. Many cars manufactured before that date will not have an ID number. Before that date, the only cars that did have IDs were created by the individual car company’s standards, since there was no universal code for all cars. This makes it harder to catalog these numbers because they are unique. However, with a VIN, you can unlock a wealth of information about a used car.
When you receive the car history, check to make sure that the make of the car matches the history. Some people will replace the nameplates on a car with other names. Because the VIN information comes from auctions, DMV records, and other reliable establishments, you will have no reason to doubt its accuracy. If the used car has XL model nameplates on it but the history says it is the older model XT, the seller is trying to trick you. Included in the vehicle description will be the engine type, body style, the country it was manufactured in, year, make, and model of the used car.
A title check will reveal the next bit of information about the car. With this check, you will learn more about what the car has been through. This information includes fire, water, flood, and hail damage. In addition, you can find out if the car is a manufacturer buyback, from a salvage yard, or has been rebuilt in any way. Any false odometer readings will be clearly stated in this report as well. Falsifying the number of miles on a car is a common problem, so be on the lookout for unbelievably low-mileage cars.
Your used car history will reveal any accidents your used car may have been in. In the problem-check section, most damage to your car will be shared. This includes but is not limited to: frame damage, deployed or unreplaced airbags, and insurance lost. If the car has failed any tests such as crash tests or emissions tests, the report will reveal this information as well. Who knows, maybe the seller is trying to sell you the car because he or she found out it is not safe to drive. You do not want to be the recipient of a deathtrap.
Though a used car history can be very thorough, some items do not show up on reports. For example, some states do not require the reporting of accidents where damage did not exceed $1000. Other municipalities simply do not require accident reports on minor accidents at all. If you want a complete history of a used car, have a mechanic look it over. He or she can tell you if any parts have been replaced because of an accident or any other damaging incident.
By Tamara C. Jude