Hey guys. Not sure if you knew this but CARFAX does not record every accident a vehicle has been in. My GF has a Lincoln Nav that has been in two MAJOR accidents. The first almost totaled the car. Car was in the shop 6 months. The second accident tied the car up for 4 months. I was investigating cars a few months back and decided to run a check on her car. Though her last accident was about 18 months previous, CARFAX reported "No Accidents" in their report. Anyone know of a source more accurate?
In Pa car fax can not record loss data..the privacy laws...in NJ and NY they report on a police report and estimates..
On a newer car , a dealer can run a service check and I believe it will show all the parts that been optained on the car, That is how some dealers know the car was in a accidents.
car fax is good for salvage sales and mileage
olded cars, it is by looking at the car and knowing wear to look .
Carfax is a cute tool but I dont trust them, like I have said in the past I have parted out 3 ZR-1s in the last couple of years all of them had clean carfaxes and they were totaled
If the insurance doesnt send it in or no police report you wont know
That's funny! I know some members are running CARFAX reports to check cars reported condition.
I ran a report once on a car - had 8 "reports" - registrations and emissions tests were part of them - a title issued was another - Funny, no mention of the deer collision which caused the doe to become lodged up in the fenderwell - new fender, grille, headlight assy. and refinish hood and other fender and a door - Go Carfax
Now, in defense of CarFax, I was checking out a ZR-1 and CarFax listed a minor collison to the front end. I e-mailed the seller and asked him about it. He wrote me back and said that he had bought the car from his best friend and that his friend had failed to mention to him that the car had been hit in the hood by a trailer hitch and he had had it professionally repaired. I think I may have destroyed a friendship there.
It looks to me like some states report this stuff to CarFax and some don't. Still better than nothing. We all know there are ways to "clean" titles.
In other news, the sky is blue, grass is green, and air is free - except at a gas station
Yep. I look at Carfax as a cheap check with less than pefect reliability, and one of my buddies or myself usually has a month of carfax unlimited, so it's usually a really cheap check. It's great for checking out some things, and is better in some states than others. Back it up with a professional inspection, especially if it's a special-type vehicle.
If a guy wants something more concrete in the investigation and reliability department, he can get it, with the expected increase in cost. Professional collector car inspections services, and so forth. Expect them to cost a lot more than a carfax report. If we want the best, we generally have to pay for the best (of anything).
If you want an intensely investigative report that looked up the car's tailpipe from the day it rolled off the line, with absolute bonded reliability, you won't get that for $20, and it's foolish to expect it. You don't get well-prepared Fugu (or even lobster tail) for $4.95 per plate, you have to pay a bit more.
Corvette Store
CARFAX not the definative source of car's history
Ask the Car.
