The Value of Vehicle History Reports

If you are planning to buy a used car, there are a number of things you can do to make sure that your investment continues to pay off for years to come.

One of the best things you can do is to get a vehicle history report done, allowing you a chance to take a close look at the car's past and offering you a glimpse of the car's future performance. When buying a car, every bit of knowledge, from the blue book price to the statement of a good mechanic, gives you a significant advantage in bargaining with the car's owner. Similarly, a vehicle history report will further shape your decision of whether you want to pursue the sale at all.

To get a vehicle history report, all you need to do is the get the Vehicle Identification Number, known as the VIN, from the car. Typically this is located on a metal plate, and can be viewed in the lower corner of the windshield, plated to the dashboard. The VIN is a number that is unique to every car, and a good vehicle history report will turn up every major incident in the car's past.

One thing that a vehicle history report will do is tell you if the car has ever been in any major accidents. A car that has been in accident will be predisposed to certain weakness and have a tendency to fail in the places where it had to be repaired. This does not necessarily make the car a bad choice; all it means is that this is something to consider, and something to bring up to the seller, especially if they have not disclosed this fact themselves.

A vehicle history report will also give you location information. One thing to keep in mind is that if you notice the car has a history of being in cold wet climates, like Wisconsin or Minnesota, you might want to check for things like rust damage.

There are a number of places to get a vehicle history report. By going online and searching for the term "vehicle history report," you will turn up all sorts of places where you can enter the VIN and get a detailed report. Many of these places are free, but keep in mind that you often get what you are paying for!

Most of them are also only free up to a certain point. They will provide you with a limited amount of information and from there, you can buy the rest of the report or sign up for a subscription that will let you enter as many different VINs as you like and pull up detailed information on each one.

The search for a good used car can be a tiresome and exhausting experience; just keep in mind that there are great tools at your very fingertips and one of them is the vehicle history report.