A CARFAX report is a good start. CARFAX keeps a vehicle history database that contains over 6 billion records from over 20,000 sources. They get this information from the insurance company, auction houses, DMV, service facilities, dealerships and more. These records will let you know if the vehicle you are planning to purchase has had any major accidents, frame damage and/or odometer problems. A CARFAX keeps a pretty complete service record, it also lets you know how many owners the vehicle has had and if it was used as a rental vehicle or a lease vehicle. So far so good, but no system is perfect and there is no exceptions. These CARFAX reports simply can't tell you the whole story. There are thousands of auto repair shops that simply do not report work that is done. And with the economy in the state it is it seems that more and more car owners are attempting to do the work themselves. It has been documented that some accidents slip to the cracks and are not reported in the CARFAX report.
What you should do is have a professional at Auto Damage Consultants (ADC) give you a Pre-Purchase Inspection. A Pre-Purchase Inspection from Auto Damage Consultants (ADC) gives you hands-on inspection of the vehicle. Our experienced professionals will inspect the mechanical, safety components, the overall look of the vehicle and give you a detailed report.