Why a Vehicle History Report is Important

Buying a used car can mean a lot of research. You want to know that your car is safe, drivable and in good working order. One thing that many people who search for a pre-owned car want to know is the car’s history.

Your car’s previous owner or your car dealer might not know the car's entire history. It is important to know about where your car has been, if it has had accidents and how worthy it is to be on the road.

A great way to find out about your car’s history is to get a Vehicle History Report. Many used car dealers can provide Vehicle History Reports. You can also find these reports online. Online reports usually cost nominal fees depending on the service you use.

Most Vehicle History Reports track a car’s history through its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). A VIN is a unique code used to identify individual cars.

Vehicle History Reports can include the following information that you might find helpful:

• Previous owners and registration
• Liens and Title History
• Maintenance history
• Accident history and damages

Other helpful information can also come on a Vehicle History Report. Some reports contain insurance claims a previous owner made on the car.

Some reports can tell you about odometer rollbacks, which are fraudulent in many cases. Some report can even detect lemons. A lemon is a car that is seriously defective. Different states have different lemon laws. Many states define lemons as cars that mechanics can't repair after a reasonable number of attempts. 

Running a Vehicle History Report on a pre-owned car could likely help you. It might reveal problems that could cost you money for maintenance and extra insurance.