Buying a used car without a report on its history is like buying a house without an appraisal. Before you spend thousands of dollars on something that might turn out to be a lemon, do all you can to find out as much as you can.
In order to begin, you simply need to write down the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of all the cars that appeal to you while you are shopping around. On the driver’s side dashboard, the driver’s side door post, the insurance card, and the title/registration, you will find this sequence of 17 numbers and letters. No matter what method you use to find the used car, whether it is a dealer, classified ad, friend or even family member, do this.
As soon as you have the VIN, you can run a used car history report with a company like VinReport.io, which will tell you everything you need to know about that particular vehicle. A used car history check will not only reveal basic facts such as the year, model, make, engine, brake system, but also any major issues reported to the state DMV, such as persistent mechanical problems, severe damage, odometer tampering, theft, fire damage, fleet/taxi use, and more.
Inspecting the vehicle or driving it around for a while may not be able to detect many of these problems. Many of these problems may even escape the attention of a trained mechanic. Therefore, the used car history must be retrieved before you make your final decision…it will give you peace of mind.
Is it expensive? Generally, it is less than $50 for one car history report and you might get some discounts for unlimited reports but still it vary company to company, usually within a specified period of time. Getting the latter package makes sense since you’ll be able to check out as many vehicles as you like until you find the perfect one. There’s a good chance that you’ll be looking at a few cars while you’re shopping.
Consider how much it costs to buy even an old pre-owned vehicle, and you’ll see that another $40-$50 to make sure the vehicle is in good condition isn’t much. Other important information includes whether it has had multiple owners and whether it has hundreds of thousands of miles on it.
