Never did a Carfax before, but am looking to buy a 'new' Suburban/Yukon XL. Been browsing a lot of them locally and on e-bay.

Before I buy the Carfax unlimited, what does the report actually show, and is it worth the money?

yes, it is.

Yes, I was in the market for a used Grand Prix, and it showed an accident that the dealership did not have any clue about, so they said. The car fax report listed the Accident report number, so I spent 6 bucks and got a copy from the local police department. With the carfax report in hand, and some autobody knowledge in my head I ended up getting them to come down $1500 bucks on the car, they did not know that according to the accident report it was just a fender bender. Also when I bought a brand new grand Prix back in 2001 the report came with a rebate sheet that listed all of the possible rebates that were on that car. That little paper ended up getting me an additional $1,300 in rebates that I would have had no clue about, but you can be sure the dealer knew about. So yes I have saved a total of $2,800 dollars in real cash and countless more on vehicles that I did not end up buying due to the reports.

if i had carfaxed my 98 corvette i bought in 2005 i wouldn't have bought it. it was in two major collisions. a friend of mine said he thought the car looked too good to be OEM original.

As a former dealer (mid-high line, used) I can say that for cars built within the last 15 years, in most cases YES Carfax is worth it. Obviously it wouldn't be of any use for cars built/used before the "computer age" as those data banks of most state motor vehicle depts. weren't put on computer file. It wont show you minor stuff like a quarter panel touch up as a result of a grocery cart accident. But in most cases if the car was severely damaged and repaired then yes, in most cases it's there. Most of information comes from insurance reports/activities as well as state DMVs regarding accident reports, ownership title changes/issues. Etc...

Most decent dealers will gladly provide a copy, I used to run them on EVERYTHING I offered for retail and would then leave the copy in the filework of each vehicle. For most dealers with an account they pay about half what the public does for most standard reports!

;)
RA

I bought a new Grand Prix GTP in 1997, and was involved in a major front-end collision in 2000...$8,000 to repair. The repairs were done at a Pontiac dealership. When I sold the car in 2004, I ran a Carfax report to see what potential buyers might be able to learn about the car. The Carfax report turned up ZERO...no mention of the accident.

car fax is only good for cars that have reported accidents or damage. i recently had a wagon, it was a beater and bought for that reason. it was apparent that the car had several issues, but the carfax came up clean. most dealers around here have car fax on site, and will run a report for you, but make sure the dealer is reputable, because there have been instances of fraud.

think about it. you live in say la. and your car for some reason started and ran after katrina, and now the owner is selling it. if he didn't report any damage, it won't be on carfax. i think car fax is a resonable service, but is not the tell all of cars. you still have to do your homework.

good luck, i hope you find a bitchin ride....

by the way, the wagon had no crash bags, had several body repairs, and various issuses including being a smog hog. the car fax was clean as a whistle....

I bought a new Grand Prix GTP in 1997, and was involved in a major front-end collision in 2000...$8,000 to repair. The repairs were done at a Pontiac dealership. When I sold the car in 2004, I ran a Carfax report to see what potential buyers might be able to learn about the car. The Carfax report turned up ZERO...no mention of the accident.

Unfortunately such cases DO certainly exist, especially when you get a sheister like the above mentioned Pontiac dealer. A man with a body shop and "ways through the system" can cause all kinds of problems for the buying public. :sad: I bet that guys has a HISTORY of such abuses, if he ever gets caught you can bet GM will yank his dealership like a bad habit they just can't risk the negative publicity. I'm surprised an $8k wreck wouldn't have shown up on an insurance report? (Unless someone paid for it out of their own pocket. A claim must be filed for the insurance co. to know anythings goin on in most cases.)

As was said, NOTHING is full proof and you can't take ANY report as 110% gospel. It just gives you a good starting point. More than two or three un-answered questions would lead me to avoid any prospect!

:thumbsup:
RA

I know there's several of us here that can run a GM VIS to check on vehicle service history at GM dealerships. All we need is last 8 of VIN and type of vehicle.

Unfortunately such cases DO certainly exist, especially when you get a sheister like the above mentioned Pontiac dealer. A man with a body shop and "ways through the system" can cause all kinds of problems for the buying public. :sad: I bet that guys has a HISTORY of such abuses, if he ever gets caught you can bet GM will yank his dealership like a bad habit they just can't risk the negative publicity. I'm surprised an $8k wreck wouldn't have shown up on an insurance report? (Unless someone paid for it out of their own pocket. A claim must be filed for the insurance co. to know anythings goin on in most cases.)

:thumbsup:
RA

FWIW, State Farm (my insurance) paid for the repairs, and the Pontiac dealership in question has been in business since the 1940's.