how to get a free vehicle history report
How to Get a Free Vehicle History Report
It is essential to know the history of a vehicle before it is purchased. In the following Buzzle write-up, you will learn how to get a free vehicle history report.
Please Remember:
Car dealers will never tell you if the car has been involved in an accident, or that they know you have already checked your credit scores, or even that the displayed price is different from the actual price.A Background
- Every vehicle has some background information (obviously).
- This information should be known to the buyer so that he is aware of what he is investing his money in.
- The entire history of the vehicle is generally not informed to the buyer.
- This may cause problems, for instance, what if the vehicle the buyer has selected was a used one, which has been repaired and has been resold to your dealer? Or, may be the vehicle has a police record and has been stealthily sold by its owner?
- If the history is not checked earlier, the buyer will receive the worst end of the stick for no fault of his.
- As already mentioned, not all dealers may know about the intricate details of the car history, and even if they do, it is absolutely not necessary that you would be honestly informed about the same.
- In order to make sure you are making an authentic purchase, you can obtain a vehicle history report, which is sold at authorized centers.
- But, what if you visit 4-5 showrooms and examine about 8 cars? (Just a hypothetical situation) Will you pay for every vehicle that you may or may not buy?
- In such a scenario, it would be better to obtain a free vehicle history report. The methods by which you can do so are given below.
Ways to Get a Free Vehicle History Report
Method I
- You can use CARFAX, a website which is touted to have every information about most of the vehicle models.
- Apparently, they pay for all the necessary resources - the computers, staff, software, etc., and the information is displayed free of cost.
- The reports include details like the ownership of the vehicle, mileage history, service records, etc.
- To obtain a free report from here, you need to first sign up for a CARFAX account.
- Take note of the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) of the vehicle you like. It is printed on a sticker and is located anywhere on the vehicle.
- You can do this while you are taking the vehicle for a spin (test drive).
- Log into your account, and paste the VIN at the appropriate place to obtain your free vehicle history report.
Method II
- If you have already decided that you are going to buy a particular car, you can request the report as a part of the buying process.
- Your dealer will give it to you only if you are serious about the purchase.
- You might even need to provide proof or fulfill some condition to guarantee that you are buying the vehicle.
Method III
- Note down the VIN of the vehicle/s you like.
- Go to the website of the state DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles).
- Surf for the 'Vehicle Search' section. You might find this option at the 'Department of Transportation' section as well.
- Here, you need to identify yourself as a public user (registered users need to pay, especially if they are a part of a business venture).
- You can give your personal information, vehicle details, and click 'Submit'.
- You will then receive your report.
Method IV
- Note down the VIN.
- Go to the website of NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau).
- Go to the VinCheck page and type the VIN.
- Enter the verification code and click 'Submit'.
- You will be provided with a report that contains sensitive information about the vehicle, like whether it was involved in any theft, accident, or has any other criminal records.
Essential Tips
- If you are using NICB, remember that you are allowed only 5 searches per computer (i.e., for a single IP address).
- If you are buying a secondhand vehicle, you most certainly need to obtain a vehicle history report.
- Do not check any random websites, there are a number of fraudulent sites that provide fake information.
- Most car dealerships do have CARFAX reports, you can request them to have a quick glance of the car report of the vehicle you prefer.
- While noting the VIN, take note of the car model as well.