How to Get a Free Carfax Report

Carfax is an online service that offers comprehensive reports of vehicle histories. Since making their services available to consumers, individuals shopping for used cars have been able to make more qualified decisions about their purchases. While dealers and sellers may “bend the truth” about a vehicle's history – what is was used for, the accidents its been in, and even who drove it – Carfax reports give a completely honest and detailed background on the vehicle you may be purchasing. If you're in the market for a new vehicle, but you're not quite sure about its history, read on to find out how to get a free Carfax report before you sign the dotted line:

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Ask the Dealer or Seller for a Free Carfax Report
   
   More consumers are requesting a free Carfax report on the premise, directly from the dealer or seller. In fact, some dealerships have made it a policy to give a copy of the report to anyone interested in purchasing the car – all you have to do is ask. Because Carfax offers reports for about $30 a piece, you may want to stay away from any dealership that refutes your request. The dealership can certainly afford to give you a free report, so if they aren't offering one, you may take this as a sign that the dealer is trying to hide something.

2. 

   Visit Carfax.com Directly
   
   While you won't get a full report from Carfax for free, you can get a bit of information just from plugging the VIN number into the search feature. You can obtain the VIN number directly from the dealer or seller, or find the VIN number etched into the windshield of most cars, on the driver's side. When you search for the VIN number on Carfax, you may see some red flags pop up that warn you of some major problems in the car's history. Even if you don't purchase the whole report, the red flags should be taken as a warning to steer clear of purchasing. If you are dead set on purchasing the car, at the very least, tell the dealer or seller you won't be making an offer unless they offer a free Carfax report to explain the red flags. This will give you some bargaining power, especially if the dealer wants to move the car quickly.

3. 

   Check for Special Deals on Carfax
   
   Carfax offers special deals for their reports a few times a year. While scoring a free Carfax report may be near impossible – it may not be available while you are in the market to purchase a vehicle – at the very least, you can get a really good deal. Carfax will often sell their reports for as low as $5 to $10 during their special deals. Keep your eyes peeled for these special offers, or sign up for their mailing list to get an e-mail alert.