How to Get a Used Car History for Free

Limited used car information is available for free through the right sources.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau provides free information on cars reported stolen, but not recovered, salvaged car reports and vehicles with a past flood damage history. A car history report can protect you from buying a vehicle with bad title information, flood damage, total loss accident history, false odometer readings, lemon history, multiple owners, poor service records and various other facts. CARFAX provides a free record check to allow you to find out how many vehicle history records exist in their report for your particular used automobile. They offer a more detailed free car history for vehicles listed on their site. CARFAX gathers information from the world's largest automotive database, consisting of more than 20,000 sources that meet either federal or industry mandated guidelines. Before you buy a vehicle, get certain information on the car's history by using the vehicle identification number.

Instructions

1. Access the National Insurance Crime Bureau and go to "VINcheck" and enter the VIN of the vehicle you are interested in. The free information is limited but may help you to decide important purchasing decisions if anything comes back in your search. You can conduct a maximum of five searches within a 24-hour period.

2. Check the CARFAX website for used cars near you. Select "Find a Car" and pick the make, model, year, zip code and distance to find a vehicle. Once you find the car you are interested in, view or print the free CARFAX report.

3. Ask the private owner of a used vehicle for sale to buy the car history report as part of the deal. Make sure that he agrees to make the car's price negotiable based on the report's possible depreciation factors.

4. Go to a used car lot and ask the salesperson for the car history of a car that interests you. Many car dealers access these reports for each car on the lot and will offer to add them in for a potential sale.

5. Look in local car magazines and newspapers for used cars that include a free CARFAX history report in the ad. Make sure to get all the information on a used car before purchasing it to avoid unpleasant surprises later.

6. Type the VIN number into the Google search bar and see what information comes up. Sometimes you can find free car history information this way, as it taps into basic information from other car history sites.

References

• Federal Trade Commission: Facts for Consumers
• CARFAX: Free Car History Report

Resources

• National Insurance Crime Bureau: Vincheck
• CARFAX: Find Great Used Vehicles in Your Area
• National Motor Vehicle Title Information: Check Vehicle History