How to Buy a Carfax Vehicle History Report

The Carfax Company was founded by Ewin Barnet III in Missouri in 1984. In 1996 the company launched its website Carfax.com to educate consumers about the history of previously owned vehicles. The information you can get is designed to reveal a breakdown of documented history of a used car to help determine its worth and reliability. However, Carfax cannot reveal any undocumented information concerning used cars.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• VIN (vehicle identification number) of vehicle
• Computer
• Credit card (optional; VISA, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover)

1. Ask or respectfully demand that the dealership or seller supply the Carfax history report with the sale of the vehicle you're intending to purchase. Reputable dealerships will have already purchased the Carfax history report and in this case, it will be available to view without purchasing. A private seller can also obtain a Carfax history report for as low as $40. If they--used car dealers or private sellers--don't have the Carfax history report, perhaps there's an underlying reason as to why.

2. Obtain the VIN from the vehicle. The vehicle identification number is located on a plaque or plate on the driver's side corner of the dashboard and easily visible from the outside of the windshield. The 18 digits of the VIN will reveal the plant manufacturer, the date of production, the engine size, the model type and the year it was made, among other pertinent information. Each VIN is unique to the vehicle.

3. Log in to Carfax.com on a computer.

4. Enter the VIN of the vehicle into the appropriate VIN search box--located on the center left hand side of the page and then hit the "search" button. You will then be taken to the purchase page of the Carfax history report. A number of options will be displayed for purchase along with a number of records on the vehicle that are available. Keep in mind that some of the records may simply indicate the date of the first registration, the first couple of inspections and if the vehicle was registered in a new state. It might also reveal when the car was offered for sale. With this in mind, having five to six records on file may reveal little about the history of the vehicle.

5. Select an order option to purchase the Carfax vehicle history report. For $30, you can order one report to reveal documentation on severe accidents, whether it has been classified as a lemon, flood damage, odometer problems, how many owners, mileage, whether it was a service vehicle, a salvage classification, the airbags have been deployed, frame damage, recall checks and any documented service and state inspection records. For $35, you can obtain 10 records, which may be a suitable money-saving option if you're looking for multiple vehicles to measure their worth for purchase. For $40, you can purchase an unlimited amount of reports for 30 days.

6. Fill in the correct required information into the requested fields--including Carfax selection option and pertinent credit card information.

7. Hit the "process my order" button to obtain the Carfax history report. The Carfax vehicle history report will be sent to you via email address as soon as the credit card information is processed.

Tips & Warnings

• Carfax history reports do not always inform the would-be purchaser of major repairs done to the vehicle. The history report does not always inform the would-be purchaser of minor accidents the vehicle has been involved in.

References

• Carfax.com

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