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Buying a previously-owned vehicle is a big decisions that involves many smaller ones. What make and model do you want? Do you want a car, SUV, or truck? Do you have a color preference? How old of a vehicle are you willing to drive? What type of options do you want on the vehicle? These are all very important questions to consider when searching for the perfect vehicle, but the most important item on your list should be researching the history of the vehicle you’re thinking about purchasing.
A vehicle history report will reveal details about that vehicle that the dealer may not know about or that he or she doesn’t want you to know about. The vehicle in questions may have been damaged, salvaged, or if the vehicle has had an recalls in the past. Educating yourself about any accidents or other troubles with the vehicle also offers an upper hand of sorts when sitting down with the dealer to negotiate the final price you will pay for the vehicle.
In order to research the history of the vehicle you’re thinking about buying, you’ll need the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). This can be found in two places on the vehicle:
• On the driver’s side of the vehicle, along the dashboard.
• On the driver’s side door post (when the door is open).
There are two popular agencies that you can use to get a vehicle history report:
1.) Carfax: These reports include data about used vehicles from over 20,000 different sources and will include details on previous owners, whether the car was a rental car at any point, damage reports from natural disasters, and any accidents. A single vehicle report will cost $29.99.
2.) Experian AutoCheck: These reports include much of the same data as the aforementioned reports, but also give details about the vehicle itself, such as engine type and body style. A single vehicle report is cheaper than Carfax and costs $14.99.
