Even for people who do not ride motorcycles or are a big fan of two-wheelers, it is clear that Harley-Davidson is not just a motorcycle brand. Like hardly any other brand, it stands for freedom, independence and a very special lifestyle. Accordingly, used Harley-Davidson models are also valuable.

CARFAX customer Stefan wanted to buy exactly this lifestyle, the motorcycle would have been included for free. But thanks to CARFAX, he found out in time that he almost lost a lot of money on the purchase. After researching on various online portals, he finally found a Harley-Davidson that he liked, the model was a Softail with some modifications that made the bike unique.

According to Stefan, the contact with the seller was positive:

“The seller was very nice, on site as well as online, I actually had a good feeling“.

The two parties quickly came to an agreement, Stefan even paid a deposit of 100 euros on the spot to underpin his intention to buy. It was supposed to be at the end of October 2022, when Stefan wanted to pick up the Harley-Davidson in Bochum the day after the inspection.

The seller, who had only top ratings, promised a perfect machine, which he only wanted to give away due to a model change. The Harley-Davidson allegedly only had one owner with him, there was no talk of prior damage or an import. Despite all arrangements and the agreement on the pickup, Stefan sat down at the computer once again before the final purchase and came across CARFAX.

When he bought a CARFAX as a backup, he was immediately glad that he made the small investment before buying the Harley-Davidson. Thus, he found out that the offered Harley-Davidson had not driven scarcely 29,000 km as promised, but must have run approximately three times as much. The seller was also not the first owner, the Harley-Davidson was first registered in the U.S. and had there not only already 62,000 km on the clock, but there also such a severe accident that the machine got a Total Loss and Salvage Title. The Harley-Davidson was then exported via Germany to Poland. There the mileage must have been manipulated for the first time. During further export to Germany, this probably happened again, so that the odometer now showed only a fraction of the actual mileage.

Shocked by the history of the Harley-Davidson, which he had found out over CARFAX, he resigned directly from the purchase. The seller did not want to believe the information Stefan shared with him about the bike. Whether out of ignorance or deliberate deception, Stefan could not say. However, he was glad that he did not pay the approximately 12,000 euros for the Harley-Davidson.

Fortunately, however, that was not the end of his desire to ride a Harley-Davidson. His next trip took Stefan to an official Harley-Davidson dealer. There he found a checkbook-maintained Harley-Davidson, with which he will cruise the streets from now on.

“I would definitely use CARFAX again if I was unsure. I can recommend CARFAX 100 percent, it saved me from making a big mistake and losing a lot of money,” Stefan says.

If he had sold the original machine again, Stefan would have made a lot of loss on a model with this history – and possibly even run an unsafe vehicle on the road.

Are you planning to buy a used car or motorcycle, too? The vehicle history can help you, like Stefan, to prove the authenticity of the vehicle or to inform yourself about possible risks at an early stage. By the way, reputable dealers and sellers provide you with the CARFAX vehicle history directly, so that you get the most comprehensive impression about a vehicle.