Carfax false sense of security....

Yeah, I know, I've used it too and thought it was a comprehensive listing of anything we all could rely on as gospel. Well at least I did.

But it just ain't so. When I got my monthly Carfax access for the Z I was looked at, I decided to run my own vehicles as well just to see what the database showed me. Well when I ran the check on this old 94 Chevy Astro I had at the time, I was pretty astonished to see that it did NOT list the accident my wife had with it. Messed up the front end to the tune of $2500 in damages which WERE filed with the insurance company, btw. So it should have definitely been on the record books. If that incident were missing, what are the odds that this was a one in a million situation that just happened to be the one I checked out?

So for what it is worth, don't place all your stock in what the Carfax says. It is very obviously incomplete and maybe significantly so, in my opinion.

A carfax is worthless IMHO...

Jack

I have run a ton of them and have yet found anything derogatory.

Its a scam

It seems to me I recall their guarantee saying that if you buy a car based on the info they provide and you later find out that there is a discrepancy that is significant that they will buy your vehicle back from you. Has anyone heard of anyone actually doing this? Or is there some sort of "wiggle out" legality that they use to get out of it?

I had a buddy (a lawyer) who ran a carfax on a 300ZX. Came back "clean" but there was an unexplained gap in the mileage.

I looked into it further and found the vehicle had been salvaged in Tx and reissued a clean title in Florida:hehehe:

So much for Carfax' reliability.

Not to mention that even if they do report damage thats reported to the insurance companies and police reported incidents, thats all they report. IF you DIY, then there's no paper trail:thumbsdown:

I ran a CarFax on my car before I bought it and it showed no accidents. After I bought it and inspected it closer, it seems to have a "new" hood and front bumper cover. Why?
David.

Carfax relies on VIN number participation from dealers mainly, and then maybe
insurance claims.

If you, your buddy or some 'shop' does major repairs like body work or motor
there is no way for Carfax to know that.

In the case of my van, it was repaired via an insurance claim with State Farm, so I would have thought it would have showed up in the system.