Hi there!
Looking for a new car rn (want to buy a used one). My previous one was the one from my family, so I knew all the history (well, my dad repairs everything lol), but right now I have read here that I need to use a VIN checker and look through the history.
Friends recommended me EpicVIN. Have you used this service? What is the quality of their reports? I’m not asking about the price. I’ve looked through their site and understand their subscription model, and that’s okay for me. My main question is about the info that they have in the reports.
Additionally, can you give some advice on what’s more important there? I know that most of the time people say mileage, but is there anything else that is crucial?
Not familiar with it. Is it like Carfax? The thing to remember these services rely on what is reported to them. A vehicle may have had every maintenance service performed on time, but never reported to one of these services. On the other hand a service might be reported, but that will not tell you if correct parts or fluids used. The general advice for a used car is have it inspected by a trusted shop. Mileage, hard to say. A car with 30K on it may have been abused, whereas a 100K car may have been gently treated. How about the car with 10,000 miles, but those miles were created 1/4 of a mile at a time?
Don’t waste your money on a “vehicle history report” from Carfax, or similar services. The ONLY thing that’s important is that the vehicle has a valid title with no hidden liens, and the way you find that out is by doing it “vehicle lien search” through your state’s DMV. Here in Arizona, that costs $5, money well spent. You would be amazed how many vehicles I called about, or looked at, only to find that there were hidden liens on the title for parking fines, criminal fines/court costs/restitution, child support arrearages, or online title loans. And of course the seller acted like there must be some mistake when I told them.