Carfax account anyone?

[Ombligo]

I will need to run a couple VIN numbers - does anyone have a carfax account that they would be kind enough to share?

[M>B>]

KBB allows checking directly, Google is your friend...

http://www.kbb.com/vehicle-history-report/?psid=66666&gclid=cif81rdczlgcfs_zqgodwhuavg&siomid=si_321862321_35717965773_1&siclientid=6239&sessguid=ead95acc-0a12-477c-b6a7-44dd7f610281&userguid=ead95acc-0a12-477c-b6a7-44dd7f610281&permguid=ead95acc-0a12-477c-b6a7-44dd7f610281

[Ombligo]

Thanks M>B> but all that does is tell me records exist. It costs $40 to actually see the record.

[Markintosh]

Just know that Carfax is essentially useless. Delayed reporting is a huge problem. We have had this happen twice in the last two years. It works like this....you go to purchase a used car and the CF looks just fine. Ours reported no accidents. When we went to trade those vehicles later, accidents were reported late. In one case, a Miata I owned had an accident occurred just before I bought the car, but it was not reported to CarFax until two years after I bought the car. The car was fine and had no issues, but resale and trade in values were greatly affected. This was a big shock to us. It also happened on the next vehicle we traded in.

After sharing the story with a friend, he reported than an odometer rollback was reported late on a car he purchased.

You should definitely Google delayed CarFax reporting and make your own independent checks for accident damage.

[Wailer]

Thanks Markintosh. That definitely diminishes the value of a carfax report and increases the need for a thorough inspection of a vehicle. It also may explain why some used cars boast about "clean carfax" even though they are selling for considerably less than market.

[Ombligo]

I had planned to fully inspect any car, but carfax can also help at times. While the delay is an issue, it can still be helpful as long as you don't place full faith in it.

[weapon]

Most if not all accidents are not reported to carfax.

The car I own now ('03 honda accord) had an accident that cost $9000 (including airbag deployment) in repairs during its 2nd year of ownership. I have had multiple accidents (fender benders, Shipping truck backing into the quarter panel and crushing the door), all have been fixed. When I pulled a carfax report on it, it comes back clean.

The only thing carfax is good for is the seller. As a buyer, you need to have it looked over by reputable mechanic.