Are you planning to buy a second-hand car? If so, you have probably encountered a situation where a vehicle, described as perfect and accident-free, had obvious defects.
Sellers are repeatedly misrepresenting the adverts, hoping to find a buyer who will not check the actual condition of the car. Dishonest traders operate all over the world - including overseas. We will give you tips on how to verify potential scammers. See how to check a car by VIN.
How and where to check a vehicle's history?
Distance transactions involve a lot of risk, so before you pay for your order, check publicly available databases ofUS cars registered in the United States. The most reliable sites are Carfax and Autocheck, which use data provided by the authorities, insurance companies, car dealers or vehicle repair shops. These are reliable portals publishing information from more than 20,000 sources.
How do I check a car by VIN abroad?
Not sure how to check a car by VIN for free? Don't worry, you don't need to sign any documents or ask the owner for permission. Checking a vehicle's history by VIN is done from the online service.
How to check vehicle historyby VIN number - step by step:.
- Checking a car from the US requires knowledge of the vehicle's VIN number. This is a combination of 17 characters that you can find, for example, on the nameplate, the dashboard and even the windscreen. If the VIN number is not included in the ad or you cannot find a photo on which it is clearly visible, ask for it to be made available..
- Go to one of the aforementioned websites that offer free US vehicle history checks. As a reminder, verification is completely free.
- Enter the VIN number in the appropriate field on the form. Then select the command "check mileage by vin" or a similar sounding command.
- Wait a while - obtaining a VIN report may take a few minutes. During this time, the service processes information from various publicly available databases, such as the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), etc.
Checking a car by VIN is a surefire way to get reliable information about a vehicle. Using free databases, you can verify that the seller has not falsified the number and hidden important information about the car..
Vehicle history by VIN - where to check a car by VIN?
Where is the best place to check the VIN? Is car history available at no charge? Yes, but you need to know the VIN, or body number. To obtain a full VIN report (free and verified), simply enter the number in the appropriate box. Every car registered in the US and Canada should be in the system. The Vehicle History VIN contains information about the condition of the car, such as whether it is a post-complaint vehicle (repurchased due to unmanageable defects).
Vehicle History Check will reconstruct all road events, collisions, inspections or sales transactions. The database also includes information on the number of owners, odometer status and even sensitive data such as bank liens..
Checking a car by VIN - what to look for?
The history of a vehicle from abroadcan be successfully verified, but it is a multi-step process. Buyers who are inexperienced in foreign transactions may feel anxious before finalising the purchase. If you want to be sure that the technical condition of the car is as declared by the dealer, pay attention to a few details.
You already know how to check a car by its VIN number. Let's now move on to analyse the information that the VIN report for free contains:
- Year of sale of the vehicle - this is the first thing you should look at. Older vehicles can be more problematic (difficult access to spare parts, expensive system replacements, etc.). .
- Owner of the vehicle - if the vehicle belonged to a person engaged in passenger transport or using the vehicle for professional purposes, it is worth considering the viability of the purchase..
- Number of owners - ideally the owner of the vehicle should be one person. If it has changed hands, it is likely to have created operational problems. The Car Report contains information on this..
- Current Mileage - do you get the impression that the car is being sold for a suspiciously low price? Checking the car by VIN will allow you to verify whether the car has had the odometer wound up. It is absolutely unprofitable to import a vehicle with a mileage of over 100,000 km and involves the replacement of parts that are subject to natural wear and tear after such long distances..
How to check a car's equipment for freeand other important information about the vehicle being imported?Car history by VIN also includes information on whether the car has suffered serious damage and required a rebuild. It is good practice tocheck the vehicle by vin number to verify what state the car came from. Take into account that some areas of the US are more prone to natural disasters, such as floods and hurricanes. If the car has a "rebuilt car" status, it is absolutely unprofitable to import it..
How to check a car by its VIN number - this is what you need to know!
Did you know that every week several thousand flood-damaged vehicles enter the used car market?
More than 17,000 water-damaged cars enter the used car market every week. This is particularly true of vehicles imported from the states of Florida and Texas. If the car report VIN contains any inconsistent information about the car and the resale price is suspiciously low, give up!
Remember that checking the vehicle's history by VIN does not oblige you to buy the car or make you have any obligation to the owner. It is a routine action that you should always perform if you are considering purchasing a second-hand vehicle from the USA.
