How much weight do you give CarFax when buying a used auto? (from a dealer)

[Jstpssng]

After several months of looking for a better vehicle I finally decided that I had to do something-after the brakes failed on my Ranger. Trying to find a truck of any size or vintage has been a challenge, and I gave up on Ford after driving 50 miles to the dealer... only to find that contrary to what I had been told an hour earlier, they did not have the style Ranger that I'm looking for on the lot.
Yesterday I drove 170 miles and put a deposit on a slightly used 2018 Colorado, then decided after the fact to run a Carfax which indicated "Damage Report to passenger side in April 2019".
I asked the salesman about it and he said CarFax really isn't that accurate, and geared more toward private sales.
I'm still going through with the deal, I like the truck and have better things to do than drive all over trying to find something to buy. I was just wondering what other's experiences are.

 

[RickB]

Carfax information may be incomplete, but anything on the report is likely to be accurate.

 

[RalphVa]

On my Miata that I bought in 2016 (it's a 2013), I did not run a Carfax. Bought it from a dealer.

Turned out it probably had some sort of work done on the front because there is some overspray when you open the hood, right in front behind the painted front. Obviously, they fixed it well because absolutely no issues other than the usual one of a bolt coming out of the top attachment above the windshield, a common problem with them. Mazda apparently never used any thread locker for those bolts.

Ralph

 

[shovelmike]

Carfax information may be incomplete, but anything on the report is likely to be accurate.

Hopefully it was fairly minor sheet metal damage.

 

[Richard]

I don't know anything official and, you can call me cynical....

I've always felt the Carfax thing is just a gimmick thought of by thoughtful dealers as a way to give you an "independent" review... maybe it IS independent...maybe it's funded by them, therefore it's got an angle....

I don't know.


I looked at a rental car place recently....I'm considering buying another Camry. Looked at National. I've not yet looked at their pricing compared to others but, every time I've rented one of their cars, it's always been in good condition.

 

[chevy]

Carfax information may be incomplete, but anything on the report is likely to be accurate.

This is true. We bought a car years ago, only to later find out it had been totaled. The owner had rebuilt the car, then did not disclose that it had been totaled when he traded it in to a dealer. Insurance was not involved, so it did not show up on the clean CarFax.
We did get our money back. I have never looked at a CarFax the same way since.

 

[Jstpssng]

This is true. We bought a car years ago, only to later find out it had been totaled. The owner had rebuilt the car, then did not disclose that it had been totaled when he traded it in to a dealer. Insurance was not involved, so it did not show up on the clean CarFax.
We did get our money back. I have never looked at a CarFax the same way since.

They do claim they will buy it from you with that kind of oversight. On the truck that I'm looking at it states that "Damage may not be the result of an accident." I'm buying from a GMC dealer so if they state that there has been no damage and it turns out there was, I should have some recourse if it leads to problems.

This new way of buying has me befuddled... I have a basic description of the vehicle but haven't signed a purchase agreement yet. I wrote a check for a down payment yet didn't even get a receipt. It isn't a done deal though until I sign the papers. Unless things have changed since the last time I bought a truck (in this state) I still have 3 days afterward to change my mind.

 

[Peter 315]

I had a pickup that I sold never in a wreck but a cop filled out a report and transposed the plate number to mine so when it went to sell it it showed up being in a wreck.....

 

[dodge man]

I have no exact data but figure a Carfax woukd show about half the stuff that actually happens to a vehicle.

 

[Jstpssng]

I have no exact data but figure a Carfax woukd show about half the stuff that actually happens to a vehicle.

They're showing something which the dealer (allegedly) is unaware of. Yet their "retail value" is a few hundred over what I'm paying. Although the report shows this, it rally doesn't raise any red flags; heck, my company truck has damage on the same side from when I slid into a woodpile last winter. That's why I'm still going forward with it, yet still considering other opinions.

 

[oosik]

I have never used anything like Carfax. I've never bought a used vehicle. How far can you toss a pink elephant. That's more than twice as far as I would trust them.......

 

[chevy]

They do claim they will buy it from you with that kind of oversight. On the truck that I'm looking at it states that "Damage may not be the result of an accident." I'm buying from a GMC dealer so if they state that there has been no damage and it turns out there was, I should have some recourse if it leads to problems.

This new way of buying has me befuddled... I have a basic description of the vehicle but haven't signed a purchase agreement yet. I wrote a check for a down payment yet didn't even get a receipt. It isn't a done deal though until I sign the papers. Unless things have changed since the last time I bought a truck (in this state) I still have 3 days afterward to change my mind.

That is only true if they miss public information. If the information has not been reported, they do not pay.
I am not saying to not trust a CarFax. Also have the vehicle inspected by an independent mechanic.

 

[om21braz]

IMHO, Carfax is just another piece of information to use when evaluating a vehicle for purchase. As it cannot show any service done by any previous owner himself/herself, it also - as others have mentioned - any repair work done by an owner. On the new side, a local dealer had a disgruntled customer I expect come on their lot one night and took a 12 gauge to several new vehicles. They had them repaired offsite at the shop of a fellow I know. He repaired them well, but I expect they never showed these repairs on a Carfax. Caveat Emptor and good luck in your search for a vehicle.

 

[Oaktree]

I have never used anything like Carfax. I've never bought a used vehicle. How far can you toss a pink elephant. That's more than twice as far as I would trust them.......

And I never buy anything BUT a used vehicle. Glad other people do, but to me it's throwing money away paying $$$ for something that loses 25% of it's value just by driving it off the lot. Not to mention the high cost of registration & insurance on a new vehicle. I've never gotten burned (yet..:laughing.
As om21braz noted, Carfax is just another tool in evaluating a used vehicle. Carfax is only as good as the info they have, and other than dealerships or maybe big chains I'd imagine few repair shops report to them.

Congrats Jstpssng on your new truck. I test drove the GMC version a couple years ago and it seemed a very nice truck. Definitely high on my "to consider" list when my Dakota reaches the end of the road.

 

[Jstpssng]

I always questioned how much you really do lose when buying new. Whenever I buy used it seems to start costing money immediately; I once kept track of a truck I bought with 56K, and over the next 150k miles the repairs including 2 fuel pumps and a transmission were considerably more than the depreciation the previous owner took... and that's not counting the money lost because I couldn't work while it was in the shop. Even this truck will need tires before winter. At 25% depreciation I would be paying a lot less than I am for this 3 year old truck.
Besides, anybody who drives a car off the lot and tries to sell it deserves to lose money.

 

[RickB]

I I've never bought a used vehicle. ...

Many are not so fortunate as you.

 

[RickB]

After several months of looking for a better vehicle I finally decided that I had to do something-after the brakes failed on my Ranger. Trying to find a truck of any size or vintage has been a challenge, and I gave up on Ford after driving 50 miles to the dealer... only to find that contrary to what I had been told an hour earlier, they did not have the style Ranger that I'm looking for on the lot.
Yesterday I drove 170 miles and put a deposit on a slightly used 2018 Colorado, then decided after the fact to run a Carfax which indicated "Damage Report to passenger side in April 2019".
I asked the salesman about it and he said CarFax really isn't that accurate, and geared more toward private sales.
I'm still going through with the deal, I like the truck and have better things to do than drive all over trying to find something to buy. I was just wondering what other's experiences are.

I recently bought a new Canyon, the cousin to your Colorado. I would have bought a low mileage late model truck, and I actually found one about an hour away that suited me. The selling dealer posted the Carfax report which revealed the truck had been titled in NY for two years. Having just retired an 82000 mile Sierra with terminal rust issues from when we both lived in NY I immediately crossed that Canyon from consideration. After searching around more I finally pulled the trigger on a new unit.

 

[cqaigy2]

All my vehicles, but one were used. Like as has been said prior to this post, all the reported stuff is in carfax report, so that part is accurate. If i bought a vehicle, right now, get the carfax report and if it doesn't turn you off of the vehicle, on to the mechanic to check it out more thoroughly.

 

[Cat_Driver]

Here are two true stories from ME not from someone I know, somewhere I read on the internet etc.

I was selling a perfect condition Jeep Rubicon with only 12 miles and it was 5 years old. As normal I posted the VIN number online. A guy called and said "Oh I see it was in a wreck according to CarFax" I replied it has never been in a wreck and I've only used it to go to snow country during ski season. I checked CarFax and sure enough, it showed an accident reported by the Ca. Highway patrol. I called the Highway Patrol to see what's up. They said they NEVER report accidents to CarFAx. I called car fax and they removed the false report.

The next story is I purchased the safest car out there for my daughter's first car a Volvo knowing sure as heck she would get in an accident. Sure enough, I got the dreaded call, she rear-ended someone. I rushed over, police, fire trucks etc. She was fine the Volvo entire front end was damaged plus what the firemen did to disconnect the battery by ripping the hood off when the batteries were actually in the read of the vehicle. I only gave 15K for the few year old 65K miles Volvo and she did about 10K in damage. Believe it or not, the insurance company didn't total it.

A few weeks later I got it back in "perfect condition" and I learned that my policy said they could use off-brand replacement parts rather than OEM parts.

I never trusted the vehicle after the accident with cheap Chinese parts. I pulled a CarFax a month later and it showed a CLEAN REPORT.

So, for me those reports aren't worth the paper they're written on.

 

[fried1765]

Here are two true stories from ME not from someone I know, somewhere I read on the internet etc.

I was selling a perfect condition Jeep Rubicon with only 12 miles and it was 5 years old. As normal I posted the VIN number online. A guy called and said "Oh I see it was in a wreck according to CarFax" I replied it has never been in a wreck and I've only used it to go to snow country during ski season. I checked CarFax and sure enough, it showed an accident reported by the Ca. Highway patrol. I called the Highway Patrol to see what's up. They said they NEVER report accidents to CarFAx. I called car fax and they removed the false report.

The next story is I purchased the safest car out there for my daughter's first car a Volvo knowing sure as heck she would get in an accident. Sure enough, I got the dreaded call, she rear-ended someone. I rushed over, police, fire trucks etc. She was fine the Volvo entire front end was damaged plus what the firemen did to disconnect the battery by ripping the hood off when the batteries were actually in the read of the vehicle. I only gave 15K for the few year old 65K miles Volvo and she did about 10K in damage. Believe it or not, the insurance company didn't total it.

A few weeks later I got it back in "perfect condition" and I learned that my policy said they could use off-brand replacement parts rather than OEM parts.

I never trusted the vehicle after the accident with cheap Chinese parts. I pulled a CarFax a month later and it showed a CLEAN REPORT.

So, for me those reports aren't worth the paper they're written on.

That must have been the world's shortest "ski trip" at 6 miles each way!