Before purchasing a used car, however, one must perform due diligence so that the car doesn't become more of an expense than expected. There are several organizations that provide detailed information on used cars, but before spending money on those services it's best to get as much free information on the car as possible. Once the preliminary information checks out, consumers can take the investigation to the next level.
Preliminary Vehicle Information
In order to find free information on the pre-owned car, consumers must first obtain the used car's vehicle identification number (VIN number). The VIN number is the vehicle's serial number and usually consists of 17 characters. When obtaining the VIN number be sure to double-check that the characters are written correctly. Using an incorrect VIN number may either lead to a dead end or information on the wrong vehicle.
Free Vehicle Information from the Department of Motor Vehicles
The Department of Motor vehicles is a source for free information. Since most DMVs have an online presence, visit the DMV website and navigate to the section of the site that provides information on vehicle titles and liens.
By inserting the used car's vehicle identification number, a consumer can find out the legal owner of the car and how many liens the car has. Unless a consumer is taking over an old loan, it's best to purchase a used car with a free and clear title. There are circumstances, however, when an existing lien is perfectly acceptable.
Free Car History Reports
There are several websites that offer free used car history reports. Sites such as Its-a-lemon.com and Carfax.com provide free information such as number of records found on a vehicle. Unfortunately, the free version does not give consumers specific information as to what each record involves, but it is an indication of the used car's history activity.
It's best to use more than one free car history report. Used car buyers may find that one service may list 8 records on a vehicle while another service lists 12 for the very same car. When this happens, be sure to confirm that the information is indeed for the correct vehicle. Review the make, model number and year of the vehicle to ensure the VIN was inserted correctly.
Purchase a Car History Report
After using the free information to weed out potential lemons or pre-owned cars that just have too many red flags, it's time to take the next step. If the preliminary information checks out, then it is wise to actually order a car history report to find out the details of each record on the car's history report. Opt for the history report that displayed the most records.
Additional Free Car Information Tools
In addition to obtaining free car history information, be sure to include the following (available for free) when making a car purchasing decision:
Car Safety and Reliability Ratings
After making the purchasing decision, don't forget to look into the used car's extended warranty.
Felicia A. Williams - Felicia A. Williams is a full time freelance writer with over 20 years of business writing experience.
