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I would like to buy a plug in hybrid (yes I know what I am going into). I've been looking at Chevy Volts. I have a charger near work and near my home. Anyways prices vary and I know miles can be high since so much can be on the electric. But lately some information keeps changing.
True car says no damage, Carfax says three accidents (not necessarily a car crash)
So I guess my question is this. Is this a decent car? I'm leaning on no. But I have to ask though why would there be so many sites that say no accident when there clearly was a record.
I would like to buy a plug in hybrid (yes I know what I am going into). I've been looking at Chevy Volts. I have a charger near work and near my home. Anyways prices vary and I know miles can be high since so much can be on the electric. But lately some information keeps changing.
True car says no damage, Carfax says three accidents (not necessarily a car crash)
So I guess my question is this. Is this a decent car? I'm leaning on no. But I have to ask though why would there be so many sites that say no accident when there clearly was a record.
The discrepancy is because reporting to Carfax or any similar service is not mandatory. Autocheck has no way to say there is "NO accident." They can say there is NO accident that we know of -- big difference.
My wife car was ran of the road by a deer. It bottomed out badly and broke the transmission case and the electric power steering rack & pinion assembly. I was getting everything fixed with the help of a body shop owner friend. It wasn't all that hard to fix but before we discovered the transmission and steering rack The estimate from Farmer's Insurance was so close to $7500 at which point it would be totalled that I didn't tell them about the transmission and rack which I was able to purchase low mileage used for a very low price.
Car was sold with full disclosure about the accident and A CLEAN CARFAX.
You would be out of your mind to buy this based on history/records reports alone. This vehicle needs to be examined by someone at a reputable independent shop.
The discrepancy is because reporting to Carfax or any similar service is not mandatory. Autocheck has no way to say there is "NO accident." They can say there is NO accident that we know of -- big difference.
My wife car was ran of the road by a deer. It bottomed out badly and broke the transmission case and the electric power steering rack & pinion assembly. I was getting everything fixed with the help of a body shop owner friend. It wasn't all that hard to fix but before we discovered the transmission and steering rack The estimate from Farmer's Insurance was so close to $7500 at which point it would be totalled that I didn't tell them about the transmission and rack which I was able to purchase low mileage used for a very low price.
Car was sold with full disclosure about the accident and A CLEAN CARFAX.
You would be out of your mind to buy this based on history/records reports alone. This vehicle needs to be examined by someone at a reputable independent shop.
Yes, there is no magic - these companies aren't omniscient - they have a database composed of information they have been able to find, that they've organized into records in their system. They may not have access to all the information, which isn't necessarily being compiled by anyone either. While it's possible there is a mistake in the CarFax database (e.g. a transposition on human entry of a VIN gets data from another vehicle mis-attributed), I'd guess that instead, CarFax has a more complete record on this vehicle. They pretty much invented this used vehicle database and reporting service business and so have been at it quite awhile.
Last edited by OutdoorLover; 05-14-2023 at 03:58 AM..
Yes, there is no magic - these companies aren't omniscient - they have a database composed of information they have been able to find, that they've organized into records in their system. They may not have access to all the information, which isn't necessarily being compiled by anyone either. While it's possible there is a mistake in the CarFax database (e.g. a transposition on human entry of a VIN gets data from another vehicle mis-attributed), I'd guess that instead, CarFax has a more complete record on this vehicle. They pretty much invented this used vehicle database and reporting service business and so have been at it quite awhile.
Exactly.
Only information provided or information gathered is shown.
I always advise those with minor dents to not use their car insurance comany to get dents fixed. As most insurance companies will report "minor accident". Even if a small dent.
That is why to have car checked at a good independent shop. And even a body shop.
Body shop paint is getting better now. But those with a good eye can tell which parts of body have been repainted.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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None of those car checking sites ate 100% accurate. They can only report the information that is sent to them, and of course, is entered to their system accurately by humans or bots.
If someone gets into a wreck not involving another car, and pays cash to someone on Craigslist to fix it in their driveway, it's not reported anywhere. It only gets to Carfax and the rest if reported to the DMV, insurance or cooperative repair shop. You may see that there were no oil changes, or other maintenance, because the owner did it themself. For any used car, unless you are qualified, best to pay $100 to a mechanic to check it out. Start with the report, and there is anything negative in them walk away. If they all look clean, still verify with a mechanic.
Appears Autocheck just does not have the accident info, not that carfax is falsely reporting accidents.
Looks like it could have just been in a few fender benders as prior owner didn't turn around and sell it right after any of them. But yes surely have it inspected first if you wish to proceed.
Carfax doesn't know everything. I have a car in 2 accidents, nothing major but not shown on carfax. Sold it without any issues.
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