It’s every used car buyer’s worse nightmare – you drive your car off the lot only to find out that you’ve bought a lemon. A lemon is a car that has frequent “mystery maladies” that no amount of shop time or repair work seems to fix – basically, a car that you wish you’d never bought. Fortunately, modern technology and communication have made it easier than ever to avoid buying a lemon. One essential tool in the battle against lemons is the CarFax report.
CarFax is a private company that offers reports on cars and their histories. They offer some products for free, and provide more comprehensive reports for a fee. Currently, there are four free products that are offered, which will give you the basic information about the car you intend to buy. You’ll need the car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to run the report, but that’s prominently displayed on the car and easy to get. Beware any seller who doesn’t want to provide you with the VIN number before the purchase.
CarFax is a web-based program, so take the VIN to the site and start with one of the four free products. Choose from “Lemon Check,” “Record Check,” “Recall Check” or “Problem Car.” Follow the instructions on the screen and you’ll quickly see what reports are linked to the car you’re considering.
Unless a really obvious red flag pops up during one of these reports, you’ll want to go to the next step and purchase CarFax’s most popular product, the “Vehicle History Report.” You can purchase one individual report, but if you’re looking at a number of cars, the multi-report option will provide more cost savings as you continue to evaluate your purchase options. Some car dealerships will be happy to provide you with a copy of the CarFax Vehicle History Report at no charge, and some automobile manufacturers even provide these automatically to potential buyers who are considering purchasing a pre-owned vehicle.
The Vehicle History Report has information on nine different categories. In addition to the lemon check and recall check mentioned above, this report also includes a summary section, vehicle specification information, a vehicle history and check for accidents, mileage accuracy, ownership and warranty information. This report will tell you, for example, if the car you’re considering was ever involved in an accident, suffered flood damage, had major repair work, or has been the subject of a recall. There will even be an indication as to whether or not the odometer was ever tampered with.
CarFax has built a reputation on its guarantee of customer satisfaction, but they recommend that their reports be used in conjunction with an inspection by a certified mechanic. This is the best way to get a complete picture of the car you’re looking at. You should also know that this service will not work for any car older than 1981.
CarFax is a great tool to use when you’re buying a used car. A little time, some careful research, and the small expense of a Vehicle History Report can either save you from buying a lemon, or help reinforce that you’ve made a good choice.
