Carfax or alternatives?

I'm looking at a car that is a ridiculous deal- one that's ridiculous enough that I'm interested in looking more into detail on the VIN and making sure there's nothing fishy going on with it. I've heard lots here that a Carfax isn't worth it- is there something better/cheaper? I've so far found VinAudit.com which looks to give a lot of the same info but for only $10/report, but don't know if it will be as useful as the more expensive Carfax. What is everyone else's experience in this? Thanks!

I like carfax because it tells me where the car has lived its life and pretty well documents the mileage.

I have no experience with any other sites.

None of them are perfect. They get their data from sources such as the DMV and/or an insurance accident database. If damage was never reported to one of those sources, it'll get missed...by Carfax or any other vendor. There's nothing "bad" about Carfax, but you just can't take it as gospel.

Get 2 or 3 of them and compare. Yes, it might cost $100-$150 but compared to the cost of the vehicle, its cheap.

It allows some overlap to cover the limitations of each report.

NGTD wrote: Get 2 or 3 of them and compare. Yes, it might cost $100-$150 but compared to the cost of the vehicle, its cheap.

Not when the vehicle in question is priced barely above scrap value...

Ashyukun wrote:

NGTD wrote: Get 2 or 3 of them and compare. Yes, it might cost $100-$150 but compared to the cost of the vehicle, its cheap.

Not when the vehicle in question is priced barely above scrap value...

Well if that's the case then I don't bother - risk vs. reward.

Ok, got a couple of questions. How long is the 5 Carfax report deal good for? I don't want to do the unlimited because I only have a VIN and they made the unlimted part for looking up by license plate. Also considering the 25 report Autocheck instead of Carfax for the higher number of uses, but it's limited to 21 days. Any other service providers I should consider? Any recommendations on which one you would use?

Thanks!

Ok, another question. Does Carfax list/show reason for salvage title? Found a vehicle at a dealer that is a few hours away, last night after they closed and won't be open until tomorrow. Dealer's website had the VIN, so I tried Autocheck (cause cheaper) and it shows the vehicle has a salvage title but specifically says no accident listed. No other information about the salvage title was shown. Would Carfax have more/better information about this particular circumstance?

I would ask the dealer for the Carfax. Most will usually provide it if you ask.

I will ask when I call about it tomorrow, but I'm not sure they will provide it. It is not a new car dealership, they are used only and from the looks of the location on Google Earth, it looks like they probably specialize in buying damaged cars at auction and repairing/flipping.

I use both carfax and autocheck.

Just make sure you check on reviews of the website before you give them your credit card number. There are some phishing scams out there. Reputable websites will have literally hundreds of online opinions.

SCAM

In reply to trucke: No credit card. If we purchase, we're gonna pay with green folding $. Brought it to the local dealer for a PPI tonight.

secretariata wrote: I will ask when I call about it tomorrow, but I'm not sure they will provide it. It is not a new car dealership, they are used only and from the looks of the location on Google Earth, it looks like they probably specialize in buying damaged cars at auction and repairing/flipping.

Salesperson owned up to the salvage title and that it was from a collision as soon as I asked if it had been in any accidents. Described the repairs/damage in relative detail. My limited inspection seems consistent with the description provided. Repairs looked to be reasonably well done. Made arrangements to take it to OEM dealer for PPI.

While recognizing and understanding that no service is perfect and only reports what it knows about:

Which is typically better, Carfax or Autocheck? Most dealers do provide one or the other, but private sellers almost never do. As is probably obvious, I'm shopping cars in the $5k range. I don't mind driving 100 miles south to buy a car, but I'd like to know more about what I'm going to look at before I go. Thanks.

Carfax. It checks for service history records, where Autocheck doesn't. Overall, I think it just gives a little more detail than Autocheck.

Just so you know, you need to recognize and understand that no service is perfect and it only reports what it knows.

Klayfish wrote: Carfax. It checks for service history records, where Autocheck doesn't. Overall, I think it just gives a little more detail than Autocheck. Just so you know, you need to recognize and understand that no service is perfect and it only reports what it knows.

Sort of.

Autocheck will also pull auction announcements. Frame/structural damage has to be announced at dealer auctions, and you'll occasionally see it on Autocheck, but never on Carfax. Autocheck is also much more consistent about listing police reports (with case numbers), so theoretically you could call the police department and get more details about the accident.

That being said, Klayfish's last sentence is on point. You really need to pull from multiple sources, I've seen Carfax and Autocheck report vastly different things on the same vehicle. Rare, but it happens.

I've used Vinaudit before and was unimpressed. It doesn't have nearly the information of carfax or autocheck. It really had only the bare rudimentary registration history information. Interestingly though, it was the only site that had when my first car was sold from a dismantler for scrap, giving me the definitive day of death for my first car.