Is Carfax Really Worth It?

Many times when we at BHPHPrices.com are called and asked about a carfax report for a particular car. This request is just a reaction to clever marketing by Carfax. Consumers have been bombarded with ads extolling the virtues of a Carfax report. So much so, in fact, that consumers assign a reliance on that method of vehicle examination as inviolate. When told that the vehicle does not have a carfax report, the caller, oftentimes, dismisses the vehicle for consideration. Is that fair to the car buyer and the car seller? We say that it isn’t. A carfax report is not gospel. A Carfax report is limited to accidents and repairs that are REPORTED. If a vehicle has been repaired without a centralized dealer based report, then the consumer will not know about it. Therefore, the price that you pay for the Carfax report is wasted. You see, most vehicles, especially the older ones, have local repairs done to the motors and body without any reporting. Does that mean that they did not take place, and that they do not impact the quality and the value of the vehicle in question? Of course not!

We at BHPHprices.com adhere to the old tried and true method of car choice. You know, the old fashioned way, i.e. asking questions,test drive, physical examination, belief in the dealer, warranty offered, price consideration, safety inspection, just to name the obvious.

The point here is, that relying on a computer generated print out about the vehicle is not the be all and end all of vehicle examination. Carfax is a for-profit company that solicits dealers to subscribe to thier service. They have successfully marketed themselves into making consumers believe that without using their service, then they are at a considerable risk in their vehicle choice. Use your own mind here folks. While we will admit that a Carfax report can be useful, it is not the Bible. Please do not dismiss what can be a great vehicle choice because it lacks a Carfax. Most dealers, when they purchase vehicles from auctions, have an Autocheck included in the purchase price of that vehilce. This renders a Carfax superfluous. Ask the dealer where the vehicle was purchased. If it is from an auction, then you can be confident that the vehicle is not salvage, and that the mileage is accurate and that it is not a lemon law recall