Which Vehicle History Report Is Right For You?

Vehicle history reports tell you all you need to know about a car. This gives you a fair idea of its current condition as you become aware of how well it was maintained, allowing you to rule out the ones with potential issues.

They provide vital information based on data from the Department of Motor Vehicles DMV, manufacturers, car dealerships, insurance companies, service or repair centers, and police reports. Most car dealerships and classified car-selling websites have vehicle history subscriptions with Carfax or AutoCheck.

To decide which history report is right for you, it is important to know what information a vehicle history report should provide.

What Information Is Featured On A Vehicle History Report?

To help you know exactly what you’re getting, vehicle history reports provide you with the following information about a car: 

• Accident History. Details of all severe accidents are listed on a vehicle’s history report since those accidents are reported to insurance companies. Minor accidents that are reported to insurance companies are also listed, including the repairs made to the car. The report will only miss out on accidents that are not reported. However, these are minor accidents, and some drivers manage to effect repairs without informing their insurers.
• Maintenance Records. All services or routine maintenance that were completed at dealerships or authorized service centers will be listed.
• Salvage Title. A salvage title is issued by insurance companies when a car is declared a total loss due to damages from a serious accident, fire, or flood. The “salvage title” is issued to prompt prospective buyers that the car has been “totaled” and may have hidden problems.
• Odometer Rollbacks. History reports alert you if a dealer has tampered with the odometer to increase the resale value of a vehicle.
• Number Of Previous Owners. History reports tell you the number of owners a particular car has had, when it changed hands, and how it was used.
• Information On Recalls. You get to know if a particular char has been part of a recall or not.

Now that we are familiar with the information featured in a vehicle history report, let’s take a look at the two popular vehicle history reports to see which’ll work best for you.

AutoCheck

AutoCheck is well known for its vehicle scoring system, where vehicles are given a score ranging from 0 to 100 based on the vehicle’s history. The score includes a recommended range for each make and model.For example, a vehicle may score 85 out of a recommended range of 70 – 90 for that model. 

Along with the score, AutoCheck provides all the information Carfax does. The only difference is that AutoCheck does not give maintenance and service history.

Pricewise, AutoCheck is cheaper when compared to Carfax. While Carfax’s priciest option gets you 6 reports, AutoCheck gives you 300 reports. Below is the pricing breakdown:

• Single Report - $24.99
• 5 Reports - $49.99 (Valid for 21 days)

Which Vehicle History Report Is Right For You?

Choose Carfax if you’re looking for a thorough report. Even though its expensive, you get comprehensive and user-friendly information plus the buy-back guarantee.

On the other hand, choose AutoCheck if you’re looking for an affordable option or if you plan on running multiple reports before making the final purchasing decision. Though you won’t get a maintenance report, their scoring system can help you eliminate vehicles with potential issues.

Summary

AutoCheck provides valuable information about a vehicle, enabling you to either walk away from a deal or go ahead with confidence. Even so, they do not guarantee that you will be getting a good car. Hence having a mechanic inspect a car is the ultimate way of getting a clearer picture of its current condition. Get Answers To Your Questions: Get The AutoCheck Report.

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