The Pros and Cons of Carfax and Autocheck

Vehicle history reports can be a useful tool when used vehicle shopping. We have both history report tools on our website, Carfax and Autocheck. While we encourage looking at your vehicle’s history report before you buy, the history reports don’t always tell the whole story.

There are some things Carfax and Autocheck capture well, and some things they do not.

Here are a few things we think vehicle history reports get right:

• How many owners the vehicle has had
• Where the vehicle was titled
• Title Status, Whether it is clean, salvage, or rebuilt
• Recorded accident information
• Recorded service information
• Any recall information

While that might seem like a complete list, it may be missing come key pieces of information.

Here are a few of the things Carfax and Autocheck have been known to have missing in their reports.

• Not all accidents or damages may be shown.
• Not all service history may be shown.
• Current vehicle condition
• How well the vehicle was kept

You may wonder how these history reports could miss such critical information. Here are a few examples of things that might be left out.

If a tree were to fall on a car, and the the owner used a small body shop to repair the damages, it would not be reported. The key is the companies that report information to Carfax. Typically, if an accident has a police report, it goes through a prominent insurance company. Or if the vehicle is taken to a body shop that reports information to Carfax, the information will be recorded. If any instance falls outside of those reporting mediums, it will not make its way to Autocheck or Carfax.

If someone was a “mechanic” and decided to do an engine swap or replace their own transmission, there would be no record on a history report. This includes smaller maintenance items. Maintenance is key for a vehicles longevity, and that’s why we encourage our customers to get their cars inspected before purchase.

Current vehicle condition is a no brainer. Unruly kids or animals can ruin a car’s interior, and history reports have no way of capturing that.

Lastly, knowing how a vehicle was kept. It is very difficult to determine how well the vehicle was kept. Whether it was kept inside, or outside, or if the driving conditions it faced were harsh, or not. Again, this is why we encourage test driving your future car, and possibly having it inspected.

The point we are trying to make is don’t consider history reports a complete history of the vehicle. Think of them as clues that help you paint the picture of your vehicles history.

Accidents on History Reports

Accidents can mean a lot of different things. Not all accidents are made equal. Some accidents could be simply a chipped bumper, or the car could have been crushed. You can use Carfax or Autocheck to shed some light on what an accident could mean, but it helps to have your car inspected to make sure.

Is a car with an accident worth less than a car without?

The answer is, it depends. A car with an accident that was meticulously kept and maintained will be worth a lot more than a car without an accident that was not. The key is to do your research and figure out what the different clues mean that you have been provided.

The more time you invest in understanding how the car was maintained, driven, and kept, the happier you will be down the road.

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