Last Updated on April 20, 2018 by Jason Mason
Every dollar counts. So nobody can blame you when you find it hard to part with your hard earned money for something you are not even sure is worth it. Having a car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) checked has repercussions that you can prevent to avoid spending much more than your car’s purchase price.
Title History
A Vehicle History Report (VHR) or otherwise known as a VIN check contains a car’s vital statistics. Most vehicle history reports prioritize title information. The latter shows if the car’s title has a bad reputation, meaning, it has previously been reported to have been issued a negative title like salvage or junk which means that the car was previously totaled. It also tells you its ownership history as well as which states it has been registered in. It can also indicate whether the car was previously reported stolen or was the part of a fleet, or was a taxi, which means the car may have been overworked in the past.
Odometer History
The second most important consideration is the odometer reading. The higher, the cheaper the car gets. The vehicle history report can show you if the odometer has been rolled back to show a lower mileage and a better price for the car. A rolled back odometer smells fishy and fraudulent.
Lemon Check
A vehicle history report can also show if the car has been reported as a lemon. When it comes to insurance, a VHR can show whether insurance was claimed for an accident or if the vehicle has been reported as a total loss by an insurance company. You don’t want a car reported as a total loss. Of course a vehicle history report can also tell you the car’s accident history, whether it has been involved in a major accident. However, when the car is not covered by insurance, there is a slim chance that the incident may not have been recorded.
Maintenance History
Meticulous vehicle history report providers even have a maintenance history of cars which is a good place to start thinking about when to have the car serviced if you decide to buy it. Emission tests can also be found as reported by the state. It can also show you if the car is still covered by a warranty. Perhaps one of the most important items in a VHR is the airbag deployment. You might be buying a car which claims to have an airbag but has been previously deployed. It will not be safe to drive it on the road. Airbags have to be checked every few years, just so to know if the mechanism will still work when the need arises. This is particularly important when it comes to old cars. For convenience, a VHR may contain an auction history. It can also indicate if it was posted in salvage auction websites.
