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Buyer Beware:
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A Carfax (or AutoCheck) vehicle history report contains zero information about the CURRENT condition of a used vehicle. A history report CANNOT be a substituted for a professional pre-purchase inspection. For many years, Carfax stated that their history reports were “...your best protection against buying a used car with costly, hidden problems.” That is very bold statement considering a Carfax report cannot reveal the CURRENT condition of ANY mechanical or electrical system. The only reliable information contained in a Carfax report is the vehicle's DMV record. However, Carfax can report negative title comments such as rebuilt, salvage, true miles unknown, thief recovery, etc… ONLY if the title was changed at the DMV and ONLY if Carfax received that record. The perception for used car buyers is that a Carfax report offers comprehensive historical information about used vehicles, but the reality is the information advertised in a Carfax report is incomplete, limited, misleading, not current, and in some cases totally inaccurate. Seven problems with a Carfax (or any Vehicle History report): First, if the vehicle has been rebuilt (or salvaged) Carfax can only report this information if the States’ DMV changed the vehicle’s title to “salvage, rebuilt, reconstructed, etc…” However, Carfax does not tell their customers that there are some states that do not have remarks on their titles such as “savage, rebuilt, true miles unknown, thief recovery, etc…” Also, if the insurance company does not notify the state that they have totaled a vehicle, the DMV will not change the title to ‘salvage, rebuilt, etc…” For example, a few years ago, State Farm was sued for not reporting over 30,000 totaled vehicles to the States’ DMV. Since the titles were never changed to salvage, Carfax shows these vehicles to have "clean" titles. These totaled vehicles were sold to salvage yards, patched together, and re-sold to the public with the original "clean" title and a "clean" Carfax report. It is not uncommon for a professional pre-purchase inspection to find accident and frame damage on a vehicle when the Carfax report shows “no reported Structural / Frame Damage" or "Accident / Damage". Second, there is no database for body & frame shops to report accident damage and repairs, and not all insurance companies disclose or share their accident information to Carfax. Carfax admits that there are thousands of accidents, each day, which will never show up on a Carfax report. Even if Carfax reports an accident, it cannot tell you the extent of the accident damage, or the quality of any repairs. Only a professional inspection by a Body & Frame Specialist can give you that information. Third, used car dealers and wholesalers know the limitations of a Carfax report. Some dealers knowingly buy vehicles with frame and accident damaged which have a "clean" Carfax report and wholesalers sell damaged vehicles at auctions which end up on reputable dealers lots. These damaged vehicles are sold to unsuspecting buyers showing them the “clean” Carfax before purchase. A vehicle history report cannot tell the buyer the current condition of any mechanical or electrical system. Bad vehicles are purchased every day because the seller or salesperson talked the buyer out of a professional inspection by showing a "clean" Carfax report. Forth, Carfax does not have any type of reporting mechanism with the tens of thousands independent repair facilities across the United States. Most of the Carfax reports have little or no repair information compared to the millions of automotive repairs performed each day. Even if Carfax reports a repair, it cannot tell you if the problem was fixed correctly or if there are CURRENT mechanical/electrical problems with the vehicle. Fifth, some States require an annual safety and/or emission testing. A safety or emission test is very limited in its testing and like a repair history, it cannot tell the buyer the CURRENT condition of all the vehicle’s components and systems. Sixth, Carfax is a "History" report. There is a time lag between when a vehicle's title was changed to reflect a "negative" comment and when Carfax actually reports the title's new information. This time lag can allow a damaged vehicle to be re-sold before Carfax reports the negative information about the vehicle. Seventh, a used car buyer should question the cost effectiveness of a vehicle history report. A Carfax report sells for $34-$45. Pay Carfax $34-$45, and you still don't know the CURRENT condition of any mechanical or electrical system, you still don’t know for sure if the vehicle was in an accident(s) or the quality of any previous accident damage, or if the vehicle was abused or well maintained. Only a physical pre-purchase inspection by an ASE Master Technician and Body & Frame Specialist can determine the true condition before you buy. SAVE YOUR MONEY... an inspection from Auto P. I. includes a Texas Title Search which shows the current owner, past owner, odometer statement at last title transfer, and if there are any negative comments on the title. Our inspection will determine if the vehicle was ever been in an accident(s) and the quality of any repairs. The #1 reason bad cars are purchased is the buyers' inability to determine the current condition of the vehicle before purchase. A history report cannot be used to determine the current condition of the vehicle. The ONLY way to determine the current condition before purchase is to have the vehicle professionally inspected by an ASE Certified Master Technician and Body & Frame Specialist.
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Auto P. I. Used Car Inspections, LLC |
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