Buying a used vehicle - The 3 major area's of concern
HISTORY - CONDITION - VALID VALUE
History - Step 1 If I was a consumer buying a used vehicle having no ties to the industry only using the knowledge I have required, History would be my very first priorty , why is this car for sale ? how many owners, State of origin, any accidents, branded title, any recalls , do I trust the private seller with answers - do I trust the dealer's salesperson " NO " the sad truth is most buyers are gullible and fall for a sellers pitch not having the time to investigate the power of their own money.
You absolutely must safeguard any used car purchase with a History Report, it blows my mind the high number of buyer's that are prepared to invest thousand of dollars, but not a few dollars to secure the investment.
1,,, Buying privately or from a dealer where there is only one vehicle of interest, purchase a one time single report $30 - $35
2,,, Undecided shopping for a vehicle I recommend unlimited reports for 30 days at a cost currently $45. from Autocheck " not Carfax " where you're only allowed 5 reports for about the same money, it's a no brainer, AutoCheck is the better value.
Reason's why I suggest buying your own History Report
The seller may have a history report in hand, but it may have been purchased right after an issue and the report has not had time to go through the system.
Most dealers today when asked will disclose a history report that entails several pages , unless you really know how the report is structured and what to look for, a vital page could be missing, I really don't wan't to downgrade the majority of dealers to this extend as most are honest in this area, but at the same time I seen this little game close a few deals.
Why waste time kicking tires at car lots or driving to a private seller.
If you seen advertised a vehicle of interest, phone and obtain the 17 vin identification numbers of vehicle in question, this is a common request, any reputable seller will disclose right away, any hesitation not to submit you have just saved time getting a sore toe.
Carfax vs. AutoCheck - Which Vehicle History Report Should You Choose ?
(selling) Carfax comes out on top (buying) AutoCheck is the better choice. Having used both extensively here are some personal observations.
1,,, AutoCheck on average find more errors than Carfax because they are now part of Experian whom are one of the 3 official providers that reports credit scores, they are simply masters when it comes to gathering information.
2,,, Some reasons why dealers use mostly Carfax
(a) Go with today's flow, when the salesman says free Carfax report most buyers recognize the name, say free AutoCheck it's not as effective " but that will change with time "
(b) AutoCheck can be a pain in the butt trying to sell a car with their expertise finding more issues than Carfax,,, with Experian now at the helm
(c) From a dealers viewpoint why have a more detailed history report in hand when trying to sell a car
3,,, Carfax currently has the upper hand being more exposed and therefore can get away with charging more for their service,,, but look at it this way,,, if you went shopping for a pair of designer jeans you know darn well you can buy the same no name cloth without the fancy show off label for much less money " that's AutoCheck "
Let's compare Brand name Carfax price vs. No name AutoCheck price
CARFAX single report $34.99 - AutoCheck single report $29.99CARFAX 5 reports $44.99 - AutoCheck $44.99 with unlimited reports for 30 days
SUMMARY,,, It's a battle between David and Goliath, " if you know your history you will also know the winner, I really would like for anyone to post in my forum something positive about Carfax that's not covered by AutoCheck . so I can give them some credit on this web page.
Condition Step 2
Having done history on a vehicle you may consider for purchase it's time to visit the seller.Dealer
Phone the dealer to make sure the vehicle is still available and can be test driven, there is no need to ask further questions or having to answer counter questions by the salesman to prepare for an edge, you have done your homework with history and it's now time for a visual inspection that " hopefully " passes and leads to a test drive, If the visual passed your inspection a test drive is in order,,, if you want to follow in my footsteps doing the test drive click TEST DRIVEPrivate Seller Most private sellers are legitimate, and a fair amount that is not,,, having covered step 1 with history report in hand looking good it's time to make the phone call.
Vehicle still for sale
Where can I see this vehicle
Are you the registered owner of this vehicle " if song and dance " hang up
Is there anything defective or not in working order not disclosed in your post before I make the trip.
Upon arrival if visual inspection pass to the next step, ask to view title/ownership that it matches address location where your at, ask for sellers ID " drivers licence " that it matches title,,, don't be embaressed to ask, it's your hard earned bucks on the line, your the buyer in control, especially buying privately.
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