$35 for a freaking car fax report?

[gnfanatic]

Damn! thats alot of coin! Are there discount codes somewhere???

 

[chopped39]

My brother on law almost got burned on a Carfax report. Carfax showed no hits. Ran an Auto check and it showed the car was totaled in georgia and the dealer was in Kentucky. Title wash. I will run both and compare. the prices are crazy now.

 

[cruzn57]

car fraud is the biggest waste of $$ I've ever seen,
2 different cars car fraud said were clean , had branded titles ( salvage)
when I attempted to collect on their "guarantee" they declined to pay.
so lawsuit was filed and they willingly paid up! ( cannot disclose any particulars)
save your $$ use ANYONE ELSE!
homeless guy on the corner would be more accurate!


http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/10/carfax_facts.html

 

[novaderrik]

what can you learn from a Carfax or similar report that you can't learn by actually looking at the vehicle? even the best body repairs are going to leave some sort of a trace- overspray, slightly mismatched paint, signs of metal getting bent and then bent back to shape, bolts that have obviously been removed and replaced in different holes, wire loom holders that are broken, etc..

 

[PLAINWHITE T]

car fraud is the biggest waste of $$ I've ever seen,
2 different cars car fraud said were clean , had branded titles ( salvage)
when I attempted to collect on their "guarantee" they declined to pay.
so lawsuit was filed and they willingly paid up! ( cannot disclose any particulars)
save your $$ use ANYONE ELSE!
homeless guy on the corner would be more accurate!


CARFAX: Not Always All the Facts

Interesting information....I always thought that CARFAX was the end-all, beat-all, rock-solid report that one should rely on. I will be looking at it with a much more critical eye now. Thanks for sharing!

Since the article is over 5 years old, it would be nice to know if they've addressed any of these issues too.

 

["Turbo-T"]

I remember when Carfax reports were $14 for one and $19 for unlimited reports for an entire month. But as I see more and more car dealerships use Carfax, probably part of why the price went up.

But take Carfax reports with a grain of salt. They only show what is reported to them. So you may not be getting all the "fax".

 

[chopped39]

what can you learn from a Carfax or similar report that you can't learn by actually looking at the vehicle? even the best body repairs are going to leave some sort of a trace- overspray, slightly mismatched paint, signs of metal getting bent and then bent back to shape, bolts that have obviously been removed and replaced in different holes, wire loom holders that are broken, etc..

Very true. I do this every day. A real good tip is to look at date codes on body parts. I had a 08 benz that was clean as hell. During the inspection I found a front headlamp with a 2005 date code on it. I pulled the entire front of the car apart and found the front clip of car was replaced. Whoever did this job did the best work I have ever seen. This car had no clamp marks. The welds were unreal They ground everthing down and painted the whole clip . The auction rep came out because he didnt believe me. I was fourtunate to catch this. I should have done a powerpoint demo on my car when I took it apart so everyone that does not know what to look for would now know. As for late model cars I have good luck with Auto check. I will use both to compare just to see if there are any hits and then I do the inspection to verify no other problems

 

[turboj91]

But take Carfax reports with a grain of salt. They only show what is reported to them. So you may not be getting all the "fax".

As stated, carfax can show you only what was reported into a data base (where they obtain their info is not even THEIR database). Not all insurance companies report their claim data to a data base that carfax extracts from. If you crash and go to a shop and pay cash for the repair, no info to carfax or any other data base. Car gets traded in "as is" and the dealer decides to either repair and put it on the lot or wholesale it out. Those repairs do not get reported either.
Having an expert inspect the car is the best way to tell how "virgin" the car is. Like chopped39, I also preform inspections for potential buyers. I am a damage appraiser (28 yrs) and have an eye for true virgin factory work vs. the collision or restoration world work.

 

[automan]

Try getting a report here I used them several times its not a car fax but other type:

Just Google two words " CHEAP AUTOCHECK "

think it was the 1st or 2nd link.

it worked for me and saved me more than that 35 bucks!