Carfax or VIN to inquiring prospect? (insurance, vehicle, auto, buying)
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I am trying to sell my car and thus have it listed on autotrader, craigslist, etc. I had someone email me and ask for the vin or carfax report. Is there anything I should be aware of before I give a complete stranger the vin? Just wanted to check - as I have never sold a car privately before so I am not sure if this is standard practice. Thanks
Your VIN is in a spot where it can be seen by anyone walking by your car so giving it to a prospective buyer poses no danger. You might want to spend the money on a Carfax report. It will show prospective buyers any insurance claims for repairs of damage.
I am trying to sell my car and thus have it listed on autotrader, craigslist, etc. I had someone email me and ask for the vin or carfax report. Is there anything I should be aware of before I give a complete stranger the vin? Just wanted to check - as I have never sold a car privately before so I am not sure if this is standard practice. Thanks
NO BIGGEE, ebs . . . the VIN is pretty much available to anyone and is necessary to do a "vehicle check" via CarFax or other vehicle history researchers.
If anything, it sounds like this buyer may be interested in buying your vehicle which is a good thing.
Auto trader usually requires you to list the VIN number. I know ebay does. No one can use the number to harm you, and it sure prevents guys from selling stolen cars.
You might want to spend the money on a Carfax report. It will show prospective buyers any insurance claims for repairs of damage.
Carfax does miss things though. 2yrs. ago i purchased a car with a carfax report. When my insurance bill came in, i said why the heck is it so high? I called my insurance company and had it straightened out. The reason why the premium for the car came back so high, was because there was a $1800 damage payout made(to the previous owner) on the car. My insurance company gave me the info and i was able to confirm with the previous owner's insurance company that a claim had been filed on the car. The report that the insurance companies use is called "C.L.U.E.". Ask your insurance agent to run a clue before you purchase a used vehicle.
Carfax only shows what's been reported to them. It does not show everything. So yes someone's car could have been in a flood, bad accident, etc....and if the owner never called the insurance to report it or if the cops didn't call it in, then it will not show up on a Carfax report.
With that said, a Carfax report should be a supplement to, but not a replacement for "buyer beware".
Carfax only shows what's been reported to them. It does not show everything. So yes someone's car could have been in a flood, bad accident, etc....and if the owner never called the insurance to report it or if the cops didn't call it in, then it will not show up on a Carfax report.
With that said, a Carfax report should be a supplement to, but not a replacement for "buyer beware".
Not technically correct. No one sends data to Carfax. Carfax instead "mines" public databases for VIN related information.
The reason Carfax data is spotty is VIN is not recorded consistently from state to state for various events. Some states require VIN records for emissions tests. Insurance records are generally not public so Carfax doesn't get them. Police activity (wrecks) are probably more consistent from state to state because titles are important everywhere.
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