CARFAX
CARFAX — VEHICLE HISTORY CHECK
When buying a used car from the USA, one of the most important steps is checking its history. A CARFAX report, based on the car's VIN, gathers information about the vehicle's past and helps you weigh the risks before deciding to buy.
WHAT CAN A CARFAX REPORT TELL YOU?
Depending on the data available for a particular car, a CARFAX report may include information about:
- registered accidents and damage to the car;
- the number of previous owners;
- its registration history and the states it was driven in;
- recorded odometer readings and any mileage discrepancies;
- how the car was used — personal, rental, commercial, fleet or other use;
- maintenance and service records, where these were reported to CARFAX;
- manufacturer recall campaigns;
- title history and any special brands such as “Salvage”, “Rebuilt”, “Flood” and others;
- other information held in the CARFAX database about that particular vehicle.
WHY DOES CARFAX MATTER?
A car that looks tidy on the outside does not necessarily have a clean history. It may have been in an accident, used as a rental or for commercial purposes, or carry registered damage and other significant history records.
A CARFAX report reveals some of this information before you buy, helping you judge the car's price and possible risks more objectively.
WORTH KNOWING
A CARFAX report is not a substitute for a technical inspection. It contains only the information that was recorded and reported to the CARFAX database. If an incident, repair or other fact was never registered or passed on to the system, it may not appear in the report.
So before buying, we recommend weighing not only the CARFAX history but also the car's actual mechanical and body condition.
CARFAX is an important additional tool for understanding exactly what car you are buying.