Car History Check Question

[lincolnlocker]

Hello everyone,

I’m considering purchasing a used car and wanted to get a car history check done before moving forward.

However, I’m not sure which service is the most reliable.

I’ve heard of a few popular ones, but I’d love some feedback from those who have used them in the past.

Are there any specific aspects I should pay attention to when reviewing the history report, such as past accidents, service records, or title status?

Any recommendations for checking if a car has been well-maintained or is likely to have hidden issues would also be appreciated!

 

[lincolnlocker]

Hello everyone,

I’m considering purchasing a used car and wanted to get a car history check done before moving forward.

However, I’m not sure which service is the most reliable.

I’ve heard of a few popular ones, but I’d love some feedback from those who have used them in the past.

Are there any specific aspects I should pay attention to when reviewing the history report from cheap carfax, such as past accidents, service records, or title status?

Any recommendations for checking if a car has been well-maintained or is likely to have hidden issues would also be appreciated!

thanks in advance for any help

 

[Fix4Dirt]

CarFax and Autocheck (whatveer the Experian one is) are usually the most reputable. I find CarFax to be the eaisest to read and go through.

If it was maintained at a shop that reports, youll see the mieage & date that maintainence was done. I like cars that have oil changes at least every 5k if not sooner. Transmission fluid etc etc. Yes look at title status and past accidents, sometimes they can tell you the "severity"

Ultimately though the history report is mainly the first hoop to make sure there is nothing major. There are many fender benders or repairs that go undocumented (for example if you run a CarFax on my Explorer you see nothing but smog checks and registration, no maintainence I think since like 2002). This is no substitute for an in person inspection by you or a trusted mechanic.


As far as cheap carfax no clue if its legit or not.

 

[syncceduppp]

I had good results from one of the "cheap CarFax" places I found via Google. The $30 or whatever CarFax wants directly is rather steep; I went with a place that charged about $5 and had the report ready in one minute.
The report was easy to read and included the original window sticker, seemingly all of the work done at various dealers, details on a few minor fender benders, and the full registration history.