Free preview · from the dealership side of the desk
Dealers run a vehicle history report on every car they appraise, and the used-car manager reads it in about forty seconds. They are not reading it top to bottom. They are looking for a short list of things that change the price, and then checking whether anything on the report contradicts the car in front of them. Most buyers do the opposite: they get anxious about a parking-lot bump and miss the branded title in the header.
Here is how to read a CARFAX or AutoCheck the way the appraiser does. The same logic applies to both services; neither is complete, and a clean report is evidence, not proof.
Members read the rest · 7 more sections
In the full guide
- 1. The title section first
- 2. Accidents, by severity
- 3. Owners and use
- 4. Service history and gaps
- 5. Odometer continuity
- What to ignore
- What the report cannot see
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