I'm looking to run a vehicle history report for a family member. Carfax is $40 and AutoCheck is $25. Both show 35 report/items but obviously no details until I pay up.

Any significant difference in details between the two? Do I save the $15 and go with Autocheck?

Thanks
Russ

I've used both. Carfax is obviously better known than Autocheck. The caveat is that either are only as good as the information input into the record. I can't recall if Autocheck has the 'buy back guarantee' that Carfax offers, but even that has time limitations.

You may find these useful...
https://www.carfax.com/company/vhr-data-sources
https://www.autolist.com/guides/autocheck-vs-carfax
https://www.autocheck.com/vehi...tory/autocheck-score

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
I'm looking to run a vehicle history report for a family member. Carfax is $40 and AutoCheck is $25. Both show 35 report/items but obviously no details until I pay up.

Any significant difference in details between the two? Do I save the $15 and go with Autocheck?

Thanks
Russ

If you like send me the VIN. I can pull a Carfax for you.

Don’t rely on either one to tell you for certain whether or not a vehicle has been wrecked/flooded etc. Nothing beats a good visual inspection by a pro.

A wreck won’t show up on a Carfax if there was no police report, right?

I once bought a “clean” Carfax used car and a mechanic told me that it had repaired front end damage that I never knew about.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:
Don’t rely on either one to tell you for certain whether or not a vehicle has been wrecked/flooded etc. Nothing beats a good visual inspection by a pro.

This X10.

I was in a wreck last summer. Brand new 2017 Toyota Tacoma. Cop wrote the report (Virginia FR-300) wrong and indicated airbags deployed which they werent and then carfax listed it as frame bent because it was put on the machine to check for damage. Carfax would not delist it as having frame damage without the repair facility (Toyota dealer collision center) providing dimensional drawing tech/diagram and a seperate carfax form showing readings. Well Toyota doesn't have the specs as listed in the carfax form, so no can do. So Carfax kept it listed that way. So I made a claim on my insurance in addition to the other at fault drivers insurance and let them all sort it out along with my diminished value attorney. It was a complete cluster fuck.

In the end I got ahold of the cop and got the FR-300 fixed and my insurance got something squared away with carfax or the other insurance company played ball with my insurance and carfax after 6 months. Promptly sold the Tacoma.

There is absolutely no oversight with them. They can put anything they like on the report and no one can make them change it without the proper prodding $$$. They are in a 3 way crackhead fueled orgy with the insurance companies and dealerships. Fuck Carfax, wouldn't use their report to wipe my ass with!

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
A wreck won’t show up on a Carfax if there was no police report, right?

I once bought a “clean” Carfax used car and a mechanic told me that it had repaired front end damage that I never knew about.

It depends on where it was worked on. Dealer shops usually report to the system, while many independents don't. The tire shop I use reports my tire rotations and alignments, while I've had work done at other places that didn't show up.

Thanks again for the input. It’s been family owned since 1998, so I’m confident that the records reflect my association with the car. My car friend ran the Carfax for me.

It was a custom order MB convertible from a San Diego MB dealership, supposedly for owner’s wife. The window sticker shows it was delivered to MB World HQ in Montvale, NJ. The first 11k miles and three years don’t show anything until it’s sold at auction. Family lore is that it’s a CA car always. Could it be the San Diego dealer kept it a manufacturer plate (Nj) even though the car was in CA

quote:

The caveat is that either are only as good as the information input into the record.

I had a Land Rover that had major problems. Both engine & transmission were replaced by the dealer & neither showed on Carfax.

I don’t trust Carfax and I’ve never used Autocheck.

Things may have changed but based on some of the other comments probably not.

A few years ago, I found a used car at a dealership that I was interested in buying. The car had been on the dealer’s lot for several weeks, I felt maybe I could get a good deal. The Carfax was clean. The dealer did not reveal any issues. I drove the car and it just didn’t feel right.

Through other resources I found contact information for the previous owner. I called and asked them about the car. They told me it was a great car right up until the time of the accident that totaled the car. Obviously, I didn’t buy the car.

I told the dealer the original owner had told me the car had been totaled. Two weeks or so later I checked the status of the car on a public data base and found it had been sold to a note lot in a depressed part of town.

Carfax and the other may be a good starting place but I don’t completely trust them.

All the above was within the state of Texas.

Good luck.

John

I find someone that can run them cheaply and get both. I don't trust them to have everything, but they help me narrow down which cars to bother looking at in person. Aside from accidents and other major issues, I am looking at number of owners, steady progression of mileage, and where the car has been registered. I greatly prefer a car with fewer owners that remained in one geographical area throughout its life.

Also, don't discount a series of good pictures. They can tell you a lot. I have looked at so many cars online at this point that I can usually tell if there has been bodywork or accident repairs just by the pictures. The cleanliness of the interior tells you a lot about the previous owner as well and I usually pass on any car with modifications. You can do all of this without leaving your house.

Yep, you may recall that this is a car that my uncle is selling, so we got the CarFax to substantiate our claims to being in the family for 21 years. Essentially we can explain and, if applicable, show documentation to services and major incidences (why it lived in CA, NY, AZ).

And I believe some internet sales suffer from poor pictures. Often sellers ask top dollar but provide crappy photos that don't command the asking price.