Saginaw, MI New and Used Car Reports

Well then, what about the repair shop you take it to? Unfortunately, not all repair shops report to Carfax, either. So, you could have a scenario in which a vehicle has been heavily damaged and extensively repaired. What about the "huge" database at Carfax? There is no evidence that any of this has transpired. You, my friend, are looking at a car that, according to Carfax, has a "clean" vehicle history report � but notsomething you'd want to buy.

Just as the name "Carfax" has become synonymous with the term vehicle history report (also a trademark of Carfax), their buyback guarantee has become legend in the automobile business. After all, if they make amistake, they'll buy your car from you, right?

Here is a second issue: Their simple claim of "We miss it ... We buy it!" has more than a few caveats. Even in the brochure, the guarantee states "you're protected from buying a vehicle that a DMV has reportedas having severe damage, mileage fraud or lemon history". In other words, the guarantee only covers"branded" titles and titles with mileage that is notated as "not actual". In case you're wondering, abranded title is a title that is issued to a vehicle that is declared a total loss (such as a salvagetitle or scrap title), has been damaged by water (a flood title), or used for purposes other than aprivate vehicle (taxi, police).

Since this status has to be reported by a DMV that reports to Carfax, the only thing the guaranteecovers is a mistake by Carfax in reading the DMV report. In fact, if you go to the Carfax web siteand navigate to the legal disclaimer section, you can read the following information:

"YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT USE OF THE SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. NEITHER CARFAX, ITS AFFILIATES, NORANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, THIRD PARTY CONTENT PROVIDERS, OR LICENSORS WARRANT THATTHE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE; NOR DO THEY MAKE ANY WARRANTY AS TO THE RESULTS THAT MAYBE OBTAINED FROM USE OF THE SITE, OR AS TO THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION, SERVICE,OR MATERIALS PROVIDED THROUGH THE SITE."

Doesn't exactly make you feel all warm and fuzzy, does it?

Here's what you should do: If you are buying from a Saginaw car dealer and the dealer offers you afree Carfax report, by all means don't turn it down. Although the information contained in the reportmay be incomplete, it may be helpful in forming a basis for your buying decision. But there are otherthings that you can do to finish filling in the rest of the car history puzzle.

The next thing you should do is to take the car to a certified mechanic � preferably one who is anASE certified master mechanic. This service normally runs between $100 and $200, but consider thatmoney well spent, as a car with hidden damage could cost you thousands of dollars in repair billsand lower resale value.

Finally, remember this: While a Carfax report can certainly be used as a tool in making a buyingdecision for a Saginaw MI area used car, it's only the first step in finding out if that used caryour thinking of buying is really a cherry or just a lemon.