• Home
No Result
View All Result
Money Monarch
  • Make Money
  • Money Management
  • Banking
  • Investing
  • Lifestyle
  • Real Estate
Money Monarch
  • Make Money
    • All
    • Make Money Apps
    • Make Money Online
    • Side Hustles
    • Work From Home
    68 Ways To Make Money Quickly In Multiple Sectors During 2020

    68 Ways To Make Money Quickly In Multiple Sectors During 2020

    23 Ideas For Kids And Teenagers To Make Money

    23 Ideas For Kids And Teenagers To Make Money

    I need money now

    23 Ways To Make Quick Cash When You Need Money Now

    make money driving for uber

    How To Make Extra Money Driving For Uber

    online jobs for teens

    13 Best Online Jobs For Teens To Make Real Money

    8 Places To Get Paid To Test Websites From Your Home Couch

    8 Places To Get Paid To Test Websites From Your Home Couch

    stay at home mother

    9 Best Stay At Home Mom Jobs To See Your Kids

    hobbies that make money

    16 Hobbies That Make You Money To Start Today

    create passive income with no money

    How to Create Passive Income With Zero Money

  • Banking
    • All
    • Certificates of Deposits
    • Checking Accounts
    • Savings Accounts
    Meet Credit Karma Savings – A New High Yield Savings Account With Even More Perks

    Meet Credit Karma Savings – A New High Yield Savings Account With Even More Perks

    woman writing about a money order

    How To Fill Out A Money Order Step by Step

    checkbook for checking account

    What Is A Checking Account?

    piggy bank savings account

    What Is A Savings Account And When Should You Use One?

    cd ladder money

    What Is A CD Ladder – Should You Get One?

    switch bank meeting

    How To Switch Banks Without Missing Any Payments

    what is direct deposit

    Direct Deposit – What Is It?

    Radius bank high yield account

    Radius Bank High Yield Savings Account Review: What You Should Know

    Checking Accounts Versus Savings Accounts: Similarities And Differences

    Checking Accounts Versus Savings Accounts: Similarities And Differences

  • Investing
    What Is A Bear Market?

    What Is A Bear Market?

    Stash App Review – What You Must Know Before Investing

    Stash App Review – What You Must Know Before Investing

    stock gift

    How to Give Kids A Share Of Stock (Christmas Gifts Or Other Holidays)

    Titan invest banner

    Titan Invest Review – Algorithm Investing Like A Hedge Fund

    thinking about betterment

    Betterment Review: Safe Investing With Robo Advisors?

    best short term investments

    8 Best Short Term Investments To Grow Your Money

    happy acorns review

    Acorns Review – Investing Spare Change With An App

    fundrise review apartment buildings

    Fundrise Review: Real Estate Crowdfunding Made Simple

    M1 Finance Review – The Greatest Way To Invest With “Pies”

    M1 Finance Review – The Greatest Way To Invest With “Pies”

  • Money Management
    68 Ways To Make Money Quickly In Multiple Sectors During 2020

    68 Ways To Make Money Quickly In Multiple Sectors During 2020

    Earny Review: The App That Monitors Price Matching And Price Drops

    Earny Review: The App That Monitors Price Matching And Price Drops

    What Is A Bear Market?

    What Is A Bear Market?

    12 Best Coupon Websites To Save The Most Money

    12 Best Coupon Websites To Save The Most Money

    Groupon Review – Online Discounts Without Clipping Coupons

    Groupon Review – Online Discounts Without Clipping Coupons

    filling up discounted gas

    16 Best Ways To Get Free Gas Cards and Discounted Gas

    how to get out of debt guide

    How to Get Out of Debt (Step By Step Guide 2020)

    Charlie Review – Text Message Budgeting Assistant

    Charlie Review – Text Message Budgeting Assistant

    on phone getting a personal loan

    How To Get A Personal Loan (Where To Look To Find One)

  • Real Estate
    buildium review

    Buildium Review – Is It Worth The Money?

    best property management software

    The Best Property Management Software (Ultimate Guide)

    13 Steps To Buy A House For The First Time

    13 Steps To Buy A House For The First Time

    3 Ways To Make 50K A Year Without Working (Using Passive Income)

    3 Ways To Make 50K A Year Without Working (Using Passive Income)

    how renters can save a house down payment

    7 Ways For Renters To Save For A Down Payment

    7 Ways For Renters To Save A Down Payment For A House

    7 Ways For Renters To Save A Down Payment For A House

No Result
View All Result
Money Monarch
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle

3 Ways To Get A Free CarFax Report When Buying A Car

Money Monarch by Money Monarch
June 17, 2020
in Lifestyle
0
This article may contain references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
2
SHARES
421
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

3 Ways to Get a Free Carfax Report

The more expensive an item, the more you’re going to investigate it to ensure it meets your standards of quality.

Given the pricy nature of cars, it only makes sense to have a convenient way for buyers to check out the history of a vehicle before signing on the dotted line. Doing so can help the buyer avoid cars that might be costly or dangerous to own, even if they’re dirt-cheap up front.

Your cheapest and easiest option for learning more about what a car’s been through is a free Carfax report.

A free report from Carfax will enlighten you on all the important points of a car’s history.

Why Should You Check A Car’s History?

You’ve got your eye on a nice used ride. It looks in good repair, and it even drives like a normal car.

That doesn’t mean you’re good to go, though. You want to understand what the car’s been through and how well it’s maintained — otherwise, what looks like a great deal on a vehicle up front can turn into a money pit.

Here are some things a car report can shine light on.

Accidents and Other Damage

Perhaps the most important piece of a car’s history is its accident history. Fender benders aren’t a huge deal, but more severe crashes that damage structural components may be cause for concern.

If you do want to proceed with the purchase of a vehicle that’s been in a bad accident, have it checked out by an independent mechanic. Even if it appears to be fine, bad accidents provide you negotiating power to bring the price down.

Accidents, of course, aren’t the only ways you can damage a car.

Vehicle history reports also show damage from other sources, such as the elements. Some damage, such as that caused by hail, can be repaired with ease. However, avoid cars with fire and/or flood damage. Even if the car looks to be in good shape, there may be hidden damage that will be costly — or worse, dangerous,

Odometer Reading

Rolling back the odometer is illegal for obvious reasons — and it’s much harder these days due to electronics — but some people still do so anyways.

Fortunately, vehicle history reports also record the odometer reading at various points in the vehicle’s life. If the odometer reading is lower than the mileage in the report, alarm bells should be ringing in your head.

Unless, the seller has a bulletproof reason for the difference in mileage — and there are few reasons why this would ever happen — it’s best to walk away.

Ownership History

Generally, a car with fewer owners will be more valuable than one with more owners, given the same mileage.

Think about it: more owners adds complexity and uncertainty to the vehicle’s history. For example, there’s a higher chance that a previous owner had poor driving or maintenance habits that increased wear on the car.

Ideally, you’ll find a car with only one previous owner, and that owner would be an individual instead of a business. If the latter is true, make sure your mechanic is informed of that when inspecting the vehicle.

Maintenance History

Proper maintenance can do wonders for extending a vehicle’s life.

Now, maintenance records may not document every single oil change and tire fillup, but these records can still serve as a confirmation that major maintenance tasks were performed at the correct times.

Additionally, maintenance history can give you a glimpse into potential problems. If you see an important component show up several times — say the transmission — then this car might be a costly move. When a transmission stops working, it’s not fun nor cheap.

What is a Carfax Report?

Carfax is an online service that distributes reports, dubbed Carfax reports, regarding the histories of cars and light trucks to people and businesses. They have nearly 22 billion records in their database.

To create its reports, Carfax collects data from several sources:

  • Police departments
  • Fire departments
  • Motor vehicle repair agencies
  • Collision repair businesses

And several others.

Carfax uses a vehicle’s 17-digit VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number, to create reports that display all of the information we mentioned above, as well as warranty information on the car.

They go to great lengths to ensure you get all the details of cars. For example, they delineate severe accidents from minor accidents — important because cars that had minor accidents can still work fine, yet you can bargain down the price.

How Do I Get a Free Carfax Report?

Car are expensive, even when used. You shouldn’t have to pay even more to learn about the history.

Fortunately, Carfax offers you four methods with which you can get a free Carfax report.

1.) Shop for Cars on Carfax.com

Carfax lists a lot of pre-owned, for-sale vehicles on its site. As you’d expect, each one comes with a free Carfax report, courtesy of Carfax.

2.) Shop on Other Car Sites

Other car sites like Autotrader.com offer free Carfax reports on many of their vehicles. Some vehicles may not come with a free Carfax report, though — in that case, ask the seller for a Carfax report. If they refuse or try to stall, the car may not be in as great shape as they say it is.

3.) Car Dealers

Any car dealer that sells used cars tends to have accompanying Carfax reports. You can likely find them on their website. If not, you can either contact them and ask for one, or visit in person.

4.) Private Sellers

If you’re buying in-person from a private seller, always ask for a free Carfax report. Again, any refusal or stalling could mean they’re uncomfortable about the car’s history — not a good sign.

Alternatives to a Free Carfax Report

Carfax is an excellent way of learning about a vehicle’s history, but it isn’t the only way. You have several alternative options for getting a vehicle history report.

Go to Another Free Provider

Don’t worry — many of your options are free.

Vincheck.info

Vincheck.info is a great site that gathers data about a car using its VIN or license plate. Vincheck.info’s reports can show you accidents, damage, odometer readings, and more.

Lemonchecks.com

Lemonchecks.com is another free site you can use to obtain a report. They make it ultra-simple: just enter the VIN in question in the field provided on their homepage and Lemonchecks will pull in all the info.

Lemonchecks works for cars, trucks, vans, RVs, and motorcycles in the US, Mexico, and Canada.

iSeeCars Vin Report

iSeeCars is free yet it goes beyond your standard car history report. Some things they list aside from the normal stuff include

  • Price analysis — estimates car’s value based on the local market and finds similar cars in the area, helping your compare your options
  • Selling history — Lists price changes, as well as the history of where and when the car was listed and sold
  • Dealer scorecard — Compares the competitiveness, responsiveness, and transparency of several car dealerships
  • Supply analysis — Further analyzes availability of similar cars in local market, providing you with additional bargaining power should other cars be priced lower
  • Theft record — Checks to see if the vehicle has ever been stolen
  • Open recall — Informs you of any open recalls that haven’t been attended to

Among other things.

Like other services, just plug in the vehicle’s VIN and iSeeCars will do the rest.

Paid Options

In addition to all of your free options, there are several places from which you can obtain paid reports. You’ll want to choose from a provider approved by the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS).

Get Them to Show You the Carfax First

Used cars are cheaper than new cars — and they depreciate a lot less — but the “baggage” of previous owners and miles gone by can become much more costly than a new car.

No matter how you get your hands on one, a vehicle history report is a fantastic way to view a succinct history of everything a car’s been through. It won’t show everything, but it makes you a much more informed consumer.

And when it comes to being a consumer, knowledge is power.

Previous Post

Meet Credit Karma Savings – A New High Yield Savings Account With Even More Perks

Money Monarch

Money Monarch

Money Monarch is a team that is in love with personal finance. We are on a mission to help you make the crucial decisions that will outline your financial future.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Money Monarch

  • 8 Followers

Popular Post

  • donating plasma doctor visit

    How Much is My Plasma Worth? Ultimate Guide to Selling Plasma for Money

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Ultimate List of Blog Income Reports (100 Bloggers to Follow)

    11 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 16 Places To Get Free Furniture For Your Home Or Apartment

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 16 Places To Sell Used Furniture For Cash

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 3 Ways To Make 50K A Year Without Working (Using Passive Income)

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Follow Our Page

Follow Us

  • Looking for freedom from your job? Want to work from anywhere in the world? Learn how you can earn a full-time income by getting paid to write - even start your own blog! #blogger #blogging #paidtowrite #sidehustle #entrepreneur #entrepreneurlife #makemoneyonline #quityourjob
  • Want to make your money work for you? We
  • Are you a single parent of working hard to support your whole family? We
  • Trying to pay off never ending student loans or high interest credit cards? Let us help! This article explains how to track expenses and earn extra income to help you achieve financial freedom! #studentloans #creditcarddebt #financialfreedom #finance #sidehustle
  • Your health is important! Get rewarded for eating right and working out - win up to $10,000!  #weightloss #fitness #healthylifestyle
Facebook Twitter Youtube Pinterest Instagram

Money Monarch is here to help you save and make more money at home while at the same time helping you get your finances right

Pages

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Recent Articles

3 Ways To Get A Free CarFax Report When Buying A Car

3 Ways To Get A Free CarFax Report When Buying A Car

June 17, 2020
Meet Credit Karma Savings – A New High Yield Savings Account With Even More Perks

Meet Credit Karma Savings – A New High Yield Savings Account With Even More Perks

June 17, 2020

© 2022 MoneyMonarch.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Make Money
  • Banking
  • Investing
  • Money Management
  • Real Estate

© 2022 MoneyMonarch.com