When it comes to buying a used car, for many years it was hard to know a lot about the history of the car, and the decision to purchase came down to the way that it test drove, and whether people believed that the price of the car fit into their budget. Today, buyers have more tools to discover if the car is likely to be as reliable as you hope, and whether or not the price that they are asking is within the reasonable price range for that make, model, year, and condition of vehicle. One of the first tools at your disposal is a carfax report. Here is a guide on how to get your own free carfax report, and what to do with the information once you have it:
1. To obtain a carfax report, the easiest way to do it is to ask the seller for a copy. If you have a dealer, they should be able to give you a report right there. If you are thinking of buying the car from a private party, then get the VIN number of the car, and the year, make and model. You can enter this yourself into carfax.com on the first page of their website.
2. The report will tell you several things of importance. First, it will let you know the damage level that the car has received during its time. This includes whether the title is salvaged, any accidents, if the airbag was deployed, and whether the car was totaled and rebought for road use. It will give you a history of owners, the states where they lived, and the miles driven while in each. This can be helpful in considering if there is a risk of rust, as the states who salt their roads are notorious for underbody rust and carriage damage. It will also tell you if all of the recalls for this vehicle have been addressed and fixed.
3. Finally, if you go to a car pricing site like nada.com, edmunds.com, or kelly blue book, you will be able to take the price, enter it on carfax’s report website page, and they will add or subtract value to that price based on the car’s history. Once you know this, you have a lot more information about how likely the car is to be structurally sound and last a long time for you, and whether the asking price is fair.