Buying a used car without first checking the vehicle history is a bit like letting your partner move into your life after the first date, with bags and baggage. In short: a bit of an unrealistic fairy tale.
But we don’t always ride through life in our dream carriage. Before moving the car into your garage, it is essential to check a few things:
- Is the mileage listed correct?
- Has the vehicle been properly maintained?
- Was the car imported?
To uncover this and much more information, you will first need the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). The VIN is your key to unlock the vehicle history with CARFAX before buying the used car.
Reveal the facts with CARFAX
At CARFAX we give you facts, so you can make a better decision on your next used car.
How you get a free CARFAX
There are three ways to obtain a free CARFAX vehicle history report:
- Ask the seller
- Ask the car dealer
- Search through our partner sites
For our vehicle history reports, we search over 28 billion historical records from 20 European countries as well as the USA and Canada. In total, we know more than one billion vehicles worldwide. These three tips outline how you can get the preliminary check for free!
1. Ask the private seller
It’s possible that the private seller’s desire to sell the car is even greater than your interest in buying the car. So just ask directly for the CARFAX. In the best case, the vehicle history will show exactly what was mentioned in the sales conversation, thus creating a mutual basis of trust. This is the best foundation for an eye-to-eye negotiation that will make both parties feel good.
2. Ask the car dealer
The most reliable dealers will have no secrets and already know as much as they can about the cars they are selling. In our experience, dealers are very responsive when a potential buyer asks for the CARFAX on a vehicle. After all, the dealer themselves have a vested interest in selling vehicles in top condition.
Ideally, they will have done all they can to find out as much as possible about the car’s history before the sale and may have purchased a CARFAX Vehicle History Report themselves. If the dealer refuses to provide a CARFAX, you should be alarmed.
3. Search through our partner sites
Sometimes your dream car isn’t next door – it may be out of the country. If importing a car is an option for you, then you will likely find CARFAX through online marketplaces. For example, the following marketplaces have partnered with us to offer their buyers a free CARFAX.
- Sweden: On Blocket.se you can filter in the search box for car ads that offer a free CARFAX ✔ https://www.blocket.se/
Always free of charge – data availability check on our website
Before you decide to buy a CARFAX, you can always enter the VIN to see whether we have information about the car – this is completely free. If data is available for the vehicle, you will see, again for free, how many entries are available in our database and from which countries. A comprehensive look into the vehicle history is then highly recommended.
Looking at the vehicle history before you buy can protect you from costly mistakes. So don’t be afraid to ask the seller or dealer for the CARFAX in the beginning. If they refuse or provide a questionable document as an alternative, you should take the offer with a grain of salt.
