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You’ve likely heard about vehicle history reports, and you may have even glanced over the content of these types of reports on vehicle auction websites or through used car dealers. However, are you aware of what information is contained in these reports? Do you know how to thoroughly read such a report when shopping for a used vehicle?
• Sources of Information
Information in a vehicle history report is compiled using records from insurance companies, accident reports, mechanic service records, junkyards, and state departments of motor vehicles. All of this information is connected to a particular vehicle using its vehicle identification number (VIN), so anyone with access to this number can request a report.
• Problems Identified by Vehicle History Reports
In the past, sellers of used cars often acted deceitfully and misrepresented the car they were selling. Here are two examples of common scams that are nearly impossible to perpetrate in the era of vehicle history reports:
- Odometer rollbacks
Sellers of used cars used to manually roll back a vehicle’s odometer to make is seem that the vehicle had been driven for many fewer miles than it actually had. When information is recorded on a vehicle history report, the odometer reading is noted and any discrepancies become immediately apparent.
- Title washing
This practice means that a person has moved a car from one state to another to attempt to get a “clean” title when it had been branded as a salvage vehicle in another state. A vehicle history report will alert buyers to salvage titles assigned in other states.
• Recalls
It may be possible that an older vehicle was part of a recall, but was never serviced for the problem. Not only will recall information be contained in a vehicle history report, but there will be a note regarding the work done to correct the problem.
• Fees
There is a fee for access to vehicle history reports. Companies may charge per report, or may offer a subscription-based service with unlimited access to reports within a certain time period. Many used car dealers and online auction websites offer these reports free of charge to buyers, charging the seller for the report.
Vehicle history reports can offer used car buyers’ peace of mind when shopping for their next vehicle. Many scams perpetrated in the past are virtually impossible with the advent of vehicle history reports, making purchasing a used car less risky than in the past.
