The Most Important Thing to Check Before Buying a Car

Buying a car can be nerve racking when it comes to buying a used car. You never know its true history, what it’s been through and if the seller is being honest about its history. It’s good to be a good people person, get a feel for the seller but it isn’t always the full teller. Checking the VIN (vehicle identification) number will take away the majority of the anxiety. It really paints a picture of the vehicle history. Here are some things to look for, to ensure you don’t make a bad purchase.

Last Odometer Reading

It’s becoming less popular now that buyers are becoming more educated but sometimes people do roll back the miles on cars. What exactly does rolling back the miles mean? Rolling back the miles is odometer fraud, it’s when someone changes the miles on the cluster to show lower miles than what the car actually has. What does this mean to you? Well when you buy a car that shows on the odometer that it has 50,000 miles, but in reality has over 200,000 miles on not only its history, but also the motor, transmission and all the mechanics, that could mean thousands of dollars you over paid. Odometer fraud is a felony offense.

This is the most important reason to check the VIN number history report, it will show you the last odometer reading as well as what the reading was each time it was taken in for service (most shops report the mileage). Do mistakes happen when reporting the miles? Absolutely, by looking at the vehicle history report, you can see the consistency and if it looks like it was an honest mistake. It can be cleared with the reporting agency, but always best to just check it before buying to avoid a huge headache.

Accident History

Another important thing to catch when checking the VIN number is for accident history. Anytime an accident is reported to insurance or a police report is taken on an accident, it’s usually reported to Carfax, Autocheck and any vehicle history-reporting agency. It is possible that some accidents are not reported. Not many know, but it drastically lowers the value of your car when there is an accident on its history.

Along with accidents, you will see any major incidents reported on the car including if it has a branded/salvaged title, flood damage, fire damage, if the vehicle was reported stolen, hail damage, total loss, etc. Needless to say this is another important reason to check the vehicle history report before buying a car.

Number of owners

Checking the amount of owners that car has is not as important as the first two reasons to check the vehicle history report, but it is important to some. Buying from the original owner is a huge plus compared to buying from the third or fifth owner of the vehicle. The original owner is the only way to ensure the seller can really tell you the car history, if its had any issues and any accident history.

When you’re buying from a second, third owner, often times we find that they think they’re selling a no accident vehicle, to then check the vehicle history report and it shows an accident. So this is not a high priority reason to check the vin number but does give you some insight of how long each owner has owned the vehicle. When the title was updated to new owner and also when a loan/lien was open and or released.

Service Records

Checking the service records is another important factor to some when buying a used car. Obviously the more records it shows, it gives the buyer more peace of mind that the car was well kept. With each service record it will show the details of the service; if it has its oil changed, rotated tires, transmission flushed, etc. It will also show if there are any open recalls and what the recall is.

In conclusion, checking the vehicle history report is the most important thing to do when purchasing a car. Yes it also needs to get test-driven and check to see if all the panels line up and a few other things you can do before buying, but by far the most important is the check the vehicle history report. It will give you a very good idea of how the overall condition and history the car is in.

Some good companies we recommend when doing a vehicle history report. Prices vary, we recommend only checking the vin once you’re ready and certain to buy so long the vin number is clean.

carfax.com

autocheck.com

vinaudit.com

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