Is Carfax really all that reliable?

I am a CarFax skeptic… I have been used-car shopping twice, and the CarFax reports can have holes in them. Even when my car was totalled recently, my insurance company’s own car valuation report (that uses a similar system to CarFax for tracking repairs) barely even mentioned the previous time I was hit – and there was over $16K in damages!

The car I just bought was leased in NE Philly for 4 years with no major issues reported. But in the year+ since then, the CarFax is spotty: another dealer had it for a few months; and then the dealer I just got it from bought it at auction. I have no idea what happened in-between. I only bought it because it was certified and has a warranty with it, so if I do find problems, repairs won’t be so pricey. Buyer Beware!

In St. Louis, you can take any prospective used car to AAA mechanics and they will check it out for free… if you’re a AAA member… of which any used car buyer should be. $50. a year buys a lot of security and is less than the price of one tow.

I’m leary of Carfax, and I believe that dealers will add it to the cost of the car.

Carfax, marfax. the only person i trust, when buying a used automobile, is myself. after 66 years of buying new and used autos, i consider myself to be a semi-expert in what to look for in a used lemon. i first look for water marks inside the vehicle and that water smell that never goes away. brake and gas pedals never lie. they tell the real mileage on a vehicle. hood and trunk paint is inspected for a repaint, which is never the same as the original. new paint is always on places it should not be, like on the tailpipe and radiator. gritty engine oil is another sign of engine wear. some people put sawdust in motor oil….beware of this! check the transmission fluid for a bright red color and not the smell of a burned transmission thats ready to be replaced. check the vehicles maintenance record yourself. if the vehicle has been well-mainted, the owner will keep a record in the glove box and never afraid to show it to you. finally, take the vehicle to a trusted mechanic and let him give it the onceover. once you are given the all-clear on this vehicle, then make the sale. this has been a tried and true method for me for many years. and, make sure all the vehicles papers are in order. john

Carfax gets its data from thousands of sources.

They are also very up front about what is not covered in their reports, namely any information that hasn’t been reported to them:

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We guarantee we will have information about the most severe accidents, ones for which the states or provinces have issued a branded title. We also have the largest publicly accessible database of less severe accidents which we have compiled from thousands of sources.

However, we do not have all accidents as many have never been reported, or may only have been reported to a source to which CARFAX does not have access. We recommend that any car be inspected by a qualified mechanic prior to purchase to make sure the vehicle is functioning properly and check for signs of unreported damage.

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So, it’s good you’re asking how Carfax works. And the answer is: only as well as they have information reported.

The only guarantee they offer is that if the vehicle you buy was somehow damaged so badly at some point that it was branded as “Salvage (excluding Salvage brands issued due to Theft), Junk, Rebuilt, Reconstructed, Dismantled, Fire, Flood, Hail, Exceeds Mechanical Limits, Not Actual Mileage or Manufacturer/Lemon Buyback” and that information was not in their report, then they’ll buy it back from you.

Other than that, take the advice of my esteemed jellies above (and Carfax) and ensure that you have any used vehicle inspected prior to purchase.

I didn’t find it to be accurate. I signed up when I was in the market for a “new” used cars so I looked up my parent’s cars, cars I knew the history of and there was no mention of the accident my mother’s car was in, when she was sideswiped pretty seriously by a big panel truck. A lot of damage was done to that car and Carfax had absolutely no mention of it. Or the two minor damage accidents that my dad’s truck was in. It didn’t exactly make a believer out of me.