JDEP162

how many of u have bought a carfax for ur vehicles? i would like to have one, to know the maintenace records and such, history etc. but it doesnt change anything, the car is what it is. anyone discover vital info by getting one?

N20zuki

I carfax vehicles I plan on building or keeping around. Good to know where it came from and what has happened.

sawblade99Z

iTrader: (1)

Worth it IMO. I ran one on my z28 before I was willing to commit. A buddy of mine who is a dealer asked me to go look at a car with him. 02 black SS vert with 70k for $7800. Obviously too good to be true. Guy presented a clean Missouri title. After running a carfax it showed that it had previously been given an Arkansas salvage title. Dunno how that worked, but saved my buddy from making a pretty pricey mistake.

KissMyTushZ28

iTrader: (4)

I always run one before buying a car. Has kept me away from several totaled that had been titled washed from different states and one that was stolen. Definitely worth it!

Gunslinger09

Keep in mind though CarFax is insurance database information. If somebody has done a repair for cash out of pocket nothing will show on CarFax. Always look at the car for the tell tail signs before you buy.

sgtrgpfdps

I don't like it because of this reason. Ran my vin came of with 7 issues or hits what ever they call it. Well I payed to get the info and it was each time the plate was renewed and the day it was first reg, when bought new.That was the 7 issues with my vin. They make you believe the 7 issues were acc.or other things done to the car. I complained to car fax and got my money back. I told them they are a fraud making it sound like serious issues when clearly they were not. ! Like the other poster said accidents not reported to ins co will not show up. As police officer working the road 35 years. I would say 40% are not reported Drivers work it out them self to keep the rate down.

NC01TA

Carfax is a very useful tool in car buying. Just like any other tool it has value but can not be considered 100% accurate. I have always purchased one and would never consider a car without one. If a current seller claims to be the 2nd owner wouldn't you like to verify that? I sure would because if the Carfax show 5 different owners I have a good feeling the current seller is full of it, and Lord knows what else he is lying about the car. Of course you can get vital info from a Carfax. It's a no-brainer.
As stated above, many 'incidents' are not reported. I have personally seen cars with serious accidents in their past but Carfax shows nothing. Once even a Porsche 911 with $25,000 in damage including the suspension. The Carfax was clean! So while Carfax helps with documenting mileage and the number of owners, etc... keep an open mind and still have the car inspected before purchase. Again, a very helpful tool, just like a price guide book. It educates in helping make an ultra important expensive decision.

BigBirdLS1

^^^EXACTLY^^^ Carfax is definitely useful but take some of the info on there with a grain of salt. My personal car that I personally wrecked in 08 has false info. It says that "rear damage reported" possible frame damage.

That's obviously incorrect it was front damage only bumper, fender, and headlight.

I called Carfax and faxed them the repair bill and police report. They refused to change the info because it wasn't what the insurance company reported.

All in all Carfax is useful but keep an open mind about the info you see.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I don't see it as a critical thing in every case, but it's nice to have. I too have looked at cars that were clearly accident-repaired but that had clean carfaxs, therefore I would not ever rely on one to tell the whole story. It's just one piece of the picture, which should also include a comprehensive inspection of the actual car and consideration of the source from which you are buying.

For those of us that like to buy older cars (pre-'81), caxfax does not even apply. This certainly does not/would not prevent me from buying another classic/antique.

mr.beachcomber

Do your homework researching the vehicles past reported insurance claims after checking out the vehicle first for sloppy repairs, rust, unrepaired damage, mechanical problems, etc. Once you've determined the vehicle is a keeper, and you're still interested, CarFax is just cheap insurance that the title is good and that the mileage tracks across the vehicle's history. Don't get the CarFax first! As stated many times above, the report only covers items reported to the insurance companies; and there may be a good reason the last accident wasn't reported!

I use 'em on my personal cars. Hope this helps!

JDEP162

lots of good opinions here, i agree with. maybe i should have been more specific in my case, i bought the car off a small lot, clean car, 1 owner, saw a copy of the carfax online, but didnt print it out(doh) now considering buying one to see if the maintenance was kept up on. how often do they show all the service if done by dealer? wish id have printed the dam thing when it was for sale online.

badformulaLS1

iTrader: (1)

Definitely worth it imo. Not 100 percent full poof but still very very useful.

mr.beachcomber

Just in my experience with CarFax, there isn't a lot of maintenance records unless the car is relatively new and all the work was done at a dealership. Remember, CarFax uses the VIN to compile it's information so unless the shop enters the vehicle's VIN into the system, nothings gonna show up.

If the previous owner/used car lot doesn't have any service records to turn over, your best bet before buying a CarFax would be go to a dealer that services the brand you bought and ask for a service/recall history on the vehicle's VIN. If there's anything in their system, it should show up for a nominal fee, if any.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

In this case, I would say it's a waste of money for that purpose. You've already seen it, and know it was a clean title, etc., so what will you/can you gain from having a printed copy at this point? Whatever the maintenance history is, it is, and knowing or not knowing isn't going to change anything now that you own the car. Furthermore, not all maintenance will be listed (as mentioned above, not all shops will update this info), so just because you don't see something doesn't mean it hasn't been done. So you'd be paying for information that may or may not be complete, and therefore doesn't change the fact that you're still best off performing all the basic/usual/routine maintenance that's due on any used car that you buy.

TransAmWS.6

It's something good to have, especially if the vehicle isn't local. I have reports on my current and old Camaro, like others are saying, it's not always 100% accurate, but surely a good reference

NC01TA

JDEP162, I wouldn't base a maintenance schedule on a Carfax either. Whoever buys my car one day will see a real lack of maintenance info on the Carfax because I do all my own oil changes and some other things I am capable of, like rotating tires, power steering fluid flushes, etc.. They will see rear end fluid, brake fluid changes since I can't do those things. The key with every car purchase is documentation, which unfortunately you are not going to get from a dealer selling the car. This is where 'private party' purchases come into play because the owners will probably have the records you need. If they don't, I usually move on to another car. Every person that has ever bought a car from me has every detail, right down to when I last applied wax!
What I would do in your situation now is to change every fluid on the car. You would start at 'square 1' on your maintenance schedule. Then it simply doesn't matter what was done in the past because you already own the car. Change the fluids, enjoy the car, and forget about it.

Latch

iTrader: (8)

As has already been stated, having the CarFax is nice but it is no substitute for a keen eye. You need to look at the car. It's usually pretty obvious if a car has been damaged and repaired... body shops often don't repair the car back to 100% like it was. Panel gaps, sanding marks in the paint, trash in the paint, high amounts of orange peel, rough edges on body panels... all things you can look for.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Same here. I do all the routine stuff myself; oil, coolant, P/S, P/B, rear end, spark plugs, fuel and air filters, trans service, belts, etc. There isn't a single record showing any of this for my cars, other than the notebook that I keep for each car. I don't even have specific receipts for the fluids/filters/etc. that correlate to the service dates, since I buy this stuff as personal inventory at various times to be available for any of my cars as needed.

But someone who would pass on my cars simply due to a lack of carfax-shown maintenance would be missing out on some of the best maintained LS1 cars they could hope to find. This is why I mentioned above, "a comprehensive inspection of the actual car and consideration of the source from which you are buying". How the car is presented and the impression you get from the current owner are some of the most important factors to consider.

JDEP162

Good answers guys, appreciate em. I've done the usual fluid changes and checks, so on my schedule now. Seems like I'll spend the. Bucks on go fast goodies, fill my n20 bottle with it instead, thanks again for input , u are wise 0