How accurate is a CarFax Report and other similar services?

[scottyru98]

Hello All....

I was wondering how accurate is a CarFax report and other similar services? What are your experiences and opinions on these reports? I'm pretty much of a novice when it comes to buying a user car. In college I bought a 1991 Olds Cutlass Calais with the Quad 4 engine. That thing turned out to be a piece of crap with head gasket going out 2x and the timing chain 1x. That was the one and only used car purchase of my life.

Any advice would be greatly appreicated......

Thanks....

[fastblackmerc]

This is what Carfax reports. To get reliability info need to check Consumers Report, etc.

TITLE CHECK
SALVAGED?
LEMON?
FLOODED?
REBUILT?
ODOMETER CHECK
FRAUD?
ROLLED OVER?
ROLLED BACK?
BROKEN? PROBLEM CHECK
MAJOR ACCIDENT?
SALVAGE AUCTION?
FIRE DAMAGE?
STOLEN?
REGISTRATION CHECK
LEASED?
RENTAL?
TAXI / POLICE?
FLEET CAR?

[Mike Poore]

Hello All....

I was wondering how accurate is a CarFax report and other similar services? What are your experiences and opinions on these reports? I'm pretty much of a novice when it comes to buying a user car. In college I bought a 1991 Olds Cutlass Calais with the Quad 4 engine. That thing turned out to be a piece of crap with head gasket going out 2x and the timing chain 1x. That was the one and only used car purchase of my life.

Any advice would be greatly appreicated......

Thanks....
Some say the CarFax reports are worthless at best, and a scam at the worst. Our friend Brian (RoyLPita) has been happily supplying OASIS reports to our friends here on MM.net, and all you have to do is ask. To me, this is the best information you can get about a car you're researching.

[baltimoremm]

I wouldnt rely solely on the Carfax for the above mentioned reasons. The carfax report may also not show all accidents a car was involved in, if it was through a smaller insurance company, or an insurance company that didnt report to ISO/NICB.
I would take those reports w/ a grain of salt. I would always have a reliable mechanic and body man inspect at any used vehicle before a purchase.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

I bought and sold a car that was a total repaint with only 17k miles on it. Carfax showed nothing. It was rear ended when I owned it, and the bumper was replaced and repainted again. Carfax still shows 100% clear of accidents and body damage.

[JonW]

If CarFax sends up a red flag, investigate thoroughly. But just because there are no red flags in a CarFax report, don't assume the car is clear. You can pretty much count on CarFax for title and odometer discrepancies, but not for body damage.

[jgc61sr2002]

Only incidents that are reported get in the Carfax.
No report = No info in carfax.

Example - Accident damage that you have repaired on your own. This will not show up.

[Mad4Macs]

I *cough cough*, know of someone who was involved in a single car accident, and who didn't want it reported, nor the involvement of his insurance company, who approached a *cough cough* "body shop" and paid for his repairs out of pocket.
And believe me, it didn't show up in CarFax.

[fastblackmerc]

Our friend Brian (RoyLPita) has been happily supplying OASIS reports to our friends here on MM.net, and all you have to do is ask. To me, this is the best information you can get about a car you're researching.
But Brian can only get OASIS reports for Ford vehicles.

[murphypeople]

I paid for 30 days of Carfax access and don't regret it. Would I do it again? Maybe. I do not doubt any of the comments above. True the OASIS report I obtained from Brian (thanks again) will show you things Carfax never will. The thing I liked about Carfax is that it will tell you if a car was a rental...enough said...maybe. Since rental car companies are self insured they don't typically report damage and all that.
I was considering a GM and the Carfax report concured with dealer comments that it had an accident in Alabama.

.02:beatnik:

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

The point is, my accident WAS reported to the police, and to my insurance company, and it still did NOT show up on Carfax. I have the police report # to prove it. So its not just shady dishonest body work that won't show up, legit stuff also may not show up.

[Paul]

IMO carfax is worth getting just to see what you learn. The more you learn about a car the better, all the pieces add together like a jigsaw puzzle. It won't tell you all you need to know, and likely have ommissions, but it can warn you off so you don't waste time (like on a salvage title from new orleans). It will also give clues - 1 owner good, 4 owners in 3 years bad sign.

[jgc61sr2002]

I *cough cough*, know of someone who was involved in a single car accident, and who didn't want it reported, nor the involvement of his insurance company, who approached a *cough cough* "body shop" and paid for his repairs out of pocket.
And believe me, it didn't show up in CarFax.

There is nothing wrong with that as long there were no injuries and only minor damage.

[Jimsbowies]

Folks, I'm the CEO of a very large trade association of automobile dealers. While we encourage our dealers to use whatever databases are at their disposal, we also caution them that good old common sense and physical inspection is also required.

Insofar as CarFax in particular, here's an article we placed in our most recent newsletter to our membership. Pretty much says it all!

CARFAX: IN THE NEWS
CARFAX has attracted more than it’s share of media attention over the last few months, most of it negative. The company recently proposed a settlement to a class action lawsuit brought by consumers who bought CARFAX reports believing them to be complete car histories, only to find that their vehicles had significant history - usually collisions - that did not appear on the report. According to Consumeraffairs.com, one of the plaintiffs in the case was a dealer who bought a BMW with a clean CARFAX report, only to discover later through the National Insurance Crime Bureau that the vehicle had been declared a total loss three times. A consumer in Florida purchased a used Jaguar, again with a clean CARFAX report, and later discovered it had sustained $16,000 in damage a year before (totallawyers.com). The Court of Common Pleas in Trumbull County, Ohio will rule on the proposed settlement on April 27, 2007. In agreeing to settle the case, CARFAX denied any wrongdoing.
The lawsuit cited several drawbacks to CARFAX:
<DIR><DIR>Only two insurance companies provide information to CARFAX, and the only information they provide is total losses.
CARFAX does not access DMV or law enforcement records from more than 20 states.
Most of the information reported comes from mechanics and body shops.
</DIR></DIR>According to Consumeraffairs.com, as part of the settlement, CARFAX will now provide a warning in its marketing materials that its reports may not be complete. Remember: you are responsible for knowing the history of your vehicles. Just running a CARFAX isn’t enough - get a Damage Disclosure Statement, consider using additional resources for vehicle histories, have vehicles inspected by a mechanic, and offer your customer the opportunity to have their mechanic check it out as well.