ask someone on offshore only to do it for you !

I could! but 100 - 150 times a month...

I might get banned from the OSO for this!

I can tell you that CarFax and AutoCheck are not free to dealers.

That's a marketing tactic IE "make sure you ask for your free carfax so the evil, cheating, lying, rat bastard car dealer doesn't take advantage of you".

Sorry..sorta struck a nerve there..

We recently dropped CF and rescinded permission for them to access our data. IF you've got some time do a google search for "Carfax lawsuit"

Pretty good thread here: http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forum...ghlight=carfax

As a GM dealer we do have access to the factory VIN info system which gives build info, warranty info, warranty repair history, recall info etc etc IE "factory stuff" on a GM vehicle.

It's "free" in terms of no individual charge for each vin inquiry but I'd be willing to debate (over a few adult beverages) the real cost of having it available to us. There are no free lunches kids :)

If there is a "CarFax type" VIN history report that is free, as in "No Charge purely for the good of the consumer" I'm not aware of it.

cheers

Could you possibly do this for me as well? Thew dealer that I am purchasing from says he couldnt get a clear scan of the numbers etc etc, its taking most of what I have to purchase the vehicle so 40$ on the report does not fit in my budget lol. I would very much appreciate it and Im sure their would be karma points or brownie points or just being a good Samaritan goes a long way!

I'm not following you….??

The dealer that has the vehicle you want to purchase isn't sure what the VIN is ?

If I'm understanding you correctly - the dealer is refusing to provide a VIN history, and using the excuse that he can't get a clear scan of the numbers?

Something smells….there are so many things potentially wrong with that story I don't know where to start. If he can't get a "clear scan" how is anyone else supposed to?

So I'll start with the legal disclaimer "all the following is in my opinion, your mileage may vary, and you'll have to make the best decision possible based on the info you have available to you"

Inspect the vehicle carefully. VIN histories are NOT a replacement for common sense and diligent inspection. The "can't get a clear scan of the numbers" is BS and the first thing that comes to my mind is there are more than a single VIN on the vehicle. VIN's are in multiple locations, but they all need to match IF the seller is representing the vehicle as a non-salvage vehicle.


There is a VIN under the front glass at the bottom of the driver side, another on the door or door post, and sometimes one in the glove box. After that it gets trickier to find them. Find at least 2 and make sure they match. That doesn't guarantee it isn't a fixed salvage vehicle but it's a good start.

If the vehicle is '81 or newer is should have 17 digits.

If you can't read them or "can't get a clear scan" ask to see the title. In MI - as a dealer- you can't have a vehicle for sale unless you have the title in your possession.

Did you Google "free carfax report" or something?

Typically, favors are done for folks that have been a part of this site/community for a while.

X2...

as a side note, i thought dealerships paid an annaul or monthly fee for unlimited access to car fax? given they are accepting trade ins, selling new and used cars, etc. is this not true? car fax charges per transaction? im a little surprised.

CarFax has subscription levels based on volume of reports run & levels run from single report to unlimited…or at least that was the way they charged when we dropped them.

We've switched to AutoCheck by Experian.