How to Do a Car Title Search for Your Vehicle
Title searches help find a vehicle's history and can be an important tool when shopping for a used vehicle. If the car has been in a major accident and deemed a total loss by an insurance company, then it will have a salvage title, which significantly decreases the value of the vehicle. There are numerous title history report websites that allow you to purchase title reports inexpensively and view the results sometimes within minutes.
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Instructions
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How to search the title of your vehicle
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Locate the vehicle identification number, more commonly referred to as the VIN. The VIN is a 17-digit identification tag that contains all of the vital information of the vehicle. Use a VIN finder or the owner's manual to help if you're unsure where the VIN is located on the vehicle.
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Perform an Internet search for "vehicle title seach." This will bring up a results page with various vehicle history report companies such as CARFAX, AutoCheck and Auto Title Info.
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Select your preferred title report website. You can determine which website fits your needs by researching what each history report includes and the price. In this case, you'll be looking for reports that include the title history. The Department of Justice recommends two websites that charge less than $5 for the service, as of 2009: autotitleinfo.com and add123.com.
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Enter the VIN into the website you've chosen and register for your account. In most cases, you'll be making a one-time purchase for one title history report. Use a credit or debit card for the service.
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View the title history report and title information after you've paid for the report. In some instances, you may have to wait a few hours or days for the appropriate information to filter in. All title reports will have the date and type of title. Some websites, such as CARFAX, update you in real time as new information becomes available.
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