Free preview · from the dealership side of the desk
A clean vehicle history report feels like a green light. It isn’t. A report shows what was reported to that company from the sources it buys data from. An accident paid in cash, a repair at a shop that doesn’t report, or a total loss recorded somewhere the report doesn’t look won’t appear. Two reports on the same VIN can tell two different stories, and the gap can be a car worth thousands less than you’re paying.
From the dealer side, used-car managers rarely rely on one report. They check auction records, title data and the car itself. You can build the same picture for very little money, and some of the checks are free. Below: what Carfax, AutoCheck, NMVTIS and NICB VINCheck are each good and weak at, the free checks that fill gaps, a worked example of a car with a clean Carfax and a hidden history, what every report misses, and what to say to the seller.
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In the full guide
- Carfax
- AutoCheck
- NMVTIS
- NICB VINCheck
- Free checks that fill in the gaps
- Worked example: the car with the clean Carfax
- What every report misses
- What to say
- Your game plan
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