About Vehicle Reports

Obtaining a used car was once a test of a buyer's patience. The only information the buyer received was that which the seller was willing to divulge. Used-car dealers especially weren't giving away any more information than was required by law. The buyer's only recourse was a title search, but even that was limited to the details reported by the seller. Today, vehicle reports are a normal part of the buying process. They provide buyers with much-needed information while keeping sellers honest.

Features

Vehicle reports consist of the pertinent information about a car, and often encompass things car owners never know about. This includes issues that must be represented on a car's title, like accidents in which the car was severely damaged, as well as damage from flood and hail. Any issues with the odometer must also appear on the title. These problems will appear on the vehicle history report.

Other aspects of the vehicle's history--like the number of owners, the mileage and its previous use as a rental or business vehicle--are included on a car history report. Severe accidents listed on the vehicle report include those that damage the frame or deploy the airbags. Sometimes the maintenance and any other service visits are also listed.

Significance

When buying a used car, it is important to have as much information about the vehicle as you can gather. Vehicle reports make this possible. They access several databases--from those housed at car dealerships to insurance records and police reports--to find everything there is to know about a vehicle. Armed with a vehicle report, a customer can make an informed decision about a car or truck, avoiding the hassles of buying a lemon or the court costs that would be incurred fighting a lien from a previous owner.

Function

To obtain a vehicle report, you must find a company that specializes in them; many used-car dealers can recommend a good company for you. The report company's website will include a request form, into which you input the VIN number of your vehicle. You can find this number on the dashboard or in the driver's side doorjamb. Pay the fee (usually less than $50) and wait for the report.

Benefits

The reporting company does all of the footwork by delving into numerous databases to find your VIN number. It collects that information, then categorizes it into report form. The report you see on screen should be the most complete one possible, depending on the extent of access the reporting company enjoys.

Warning

A vehicle report is never a complete history of your car. It is only capable of reporting what is included in the database to which the reporting company has access. For example, your car could have been exposed to a flood or involved in an unreported accident. If the repairs were made by a company that was unaffiliated with a dealership or one that doesn't report such incidents, the damages will not show up on the report. In short, the vehicle report should never take the place of a mechanic's inspection of your used car.