Used Car Buyer Guide
Check a Car's History Before You Buy
Private sellers are not required to disclose accident history, salvage titles, or odometer rollbacks. The only way to verify what you're buying is to run a VIN history check before you hand over any money.
A VIN report takes 60 seconds to order and delivers an instant PDF covering accidents, title brands, theft records, open recalls, and ownership history.
Always Run a VIN Check When You See These Red Flags
- ⚠The seller says it was 'never in an accident' — sellers legally can say this even if they don't know
- ⚠The price is significantly below market — salvage and flood titles often explain steep discounts
- ⚠Fresh paint or mismatched body panels — may indicate repaired collision damage
- ⚠The car is from out of state — title washing (cleaning a branded title) is common across state lines
- ⚠The odometer reading seems low for the vehicle's age and condition
- ⚠You're buying from a private seller you found on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or Autotrader
How to Run a VIN Check Before Buying
- 1
Locate the 17-character VIN
Find the VIN on the dashboard (visible through the windshield on the driver's side), the driver's door jamb sticker, or the vehicle title and registration.
- 2
Run the VIN check
Enter the VIN at BillOfSaleNow. Pay the $9 report fee and receive your full Experian AutoCheck history report as an instant PDF download.
- 3
Review the results
Check for accident history, title brands, odometer readings, theft records, and open recalls. Walk away from any vehicle with undisclosed issues.
- 4
Negotiate from a position of knowledge
Minor documented history at a fair price is better than "clean" history that a buyer later disputes. Use the report to confirm the price is appropriate for the vehicle's actual history.
What a Used Car History Report Covers
Reported collisions, airbag deployments, and structural damage from insurance claims and repair records.
Salvage, rebuilt, flood, fire, lemon law buyback — history that follows the VIN across all 50 states.
Mileage at every registration, service, and auction event — flags rollbacks where actual miles exceed displayed miles.
NICB and NMVTIS stolen vehicle database. A stolen vehicle purchase has no legal recourse.
Unrepaired safety recalls the seller isn't required to disclose. Liability transfers to the buyer.
Number of owners, rental and fleet use, states of registration — factors affecting long-term wear.
Get the Full Used Car History Report — $9
Experian AutoCheck powered. Instant PDF delivery. The same vehicle history data Carfax charges $45 for — available for $9 per report.
VIN Check FAQs — Before Buying a Used Car
What does a VIN check show before buying a used car?▾
A VIN history check reveals: reported accident history (collisions, airbag deployments, structural damage), title brands (salvage, rebuilt, flood, lemon law buyback), odometer readings across registration and service events to detect rollbacks, stolen vehicle records from NICB and NMVTIS databases, open manufacturer safety recalls, and ownership history including rental or fleet use. It pulls from DMV records, insurance claims databases, auction records, and NHTSA recall files.
Is a VIN check the same as Carfax?▾
Both Carfax and comparable services draw from overlapping data sources — DMV records, insurance databases, auction records, and NHTSA recall files. The underlying vehicle history data is similar. Carfax charges around $45 for a single report; BillOfSaleNow provides an Experian AutoCheck-powered report for $9.
Can I check a VIN for free?▾
The NHTSA provides a free VIN decoder at nhtsa.gov that shows recalls and basic manufacturer data. For complete history — accidents, title brands, odometer disclosures, ownership chain, and theft records — a paid report is required. The NHTSA free tool does not show accident history, salvage titles, or prior ownership records.
What is a salvage title and should I avoid those vehicles?▾
A salvage title is issued when an insurance company declares a vehicle a total loss — typically when repair costs exceed 70-80% of market value. Salvage-titled vehicles can be rebuilt and legally resold as 'rebuilt' or 'reconstructed.' They are often significantly discounted, but typically cannot be insured at full market value, may fail safety inspections, and are worth 20-40% less than clean-title equivalents. A VIN check will show if a vehicle has ever received a salvage title, even if the seller presents what appears to be a clean title.