As Americans, we all have a number that helps government systems keep track of us and ensure that we get the benefits that we’re owed. The number, of course, is your social security number. Fortunately, there is also a number that cars have, through which we can keep track of them and what they’ve been through over time. That number is your vehicle identification number, or VIN. Seventeen digits long, it essentially holds access to your vehicle’s history and is the key through which you can access its vehicle history report, otherwise known as a VIN check. Now, you can use a VIN to process a title history lookup, and you can furthermore look up a lot of other different factors that further contribute to your car’s status. But many people completely bypass a VIN search when buying a car. Part of it, of course, is due to a lack of knowledge. If you don’t know that you can request a title history lookup, you won’t have it done. Part of it, however, is the fact that many people buy cars too impulsively. If a deal seems amazing, you probably won’t bother to run a VIN check online to ensure that it actually is an amazing deal. This is why many people end up with cars that aren’t as good as they seemed to be on paper, or even worse, end up being scammed in the long term.
A VIN check is not as complicated as you might think it is. Vehicle history reports are quite attainable. It’s really just a matter of learning about what title history lookups have to offer when you’re buying a car, and how you can access them in the most effective ways possible. With that being said, let’s look into what you need to know about VIN checks.
1. They Don’t Have To Cost Money
There are a number of reasons why people might not be interested in pursuing a title history lookup, or anything having to do with a VIN. One problem that might concern them is the fact that VIN checks can, but don’t always have to, cost money. But you can in fact get them for free; they just won’t be as comprehensive as some of the checks that cost money. One reason why people choose to pay for pricier VIN checks is that they can sometimes reveal more information. For example, they can reveal whether or not a car had a salvage title, which may likely indicate that it’s been totaled before. This is the type of important information that you need to know as a buyer.
2. They’ll Tell You How Many Owners A Car Had
A big reason why you should pursue a title history lookup is that it can tell you how many owners a car has had. Why should this concern you? Well, if a car has had two or more owners before you, this may signify that the car has something wrong with it, mechanically or otherwise. You need to be careful about buying a car under any circumstances, but if the title history lookup reveals a multitude of owners before you, it’s important to be especially skeptical.
3. They Can Reveal A Car’s Mechanical History
As long as an accident or incident that has troubled a car has been reported, it should show up on a VIN check. Obviously, you need to know about this as a buyer. While a car can be rehabilitated and restored, after a certain amount of damage it will always have issues running, This is why it’s important that you know exactly what a car’s been through before you buy it. For that matter, this type of check can expose a number of different forms of fraud.
There are a lot of issues that you need to be considerate of when buying a car. You need to do your research on whatever car that you buy, whether you’re buying it privately or from a dealership. But your research has already been done for you: a VIN check takes care of it that simply. So, take advantage of the process. You’ll be glad that you did.
