Is It A Good Deal ?

So you’ve probably heard of Carfax, but have you heard of Autocheck? Autocheck gets exclusive data from car auctions… data that Carfax doesn’t have. Data that includes accident and frame damage data. Did I mention Autocheck is cheaper too?

Buying a used car makes a lot sense financially and you certainly can find plenty of bargains if you know what you’re looking for. The problem is that is what you’re seeing on the showroom floor (or someone’s backyard) really might not be telling you the whole story.

If you hire a good auto body specialist after a car has been in an accident or damaged, almost all cosmetic flaws can be disguised. That huge dent that was left after a deer hit the hood can be beaten out and painted over so that it’s almost impossible to tell that anything ever happened. That is until the rust sets in, or the car gets into another accident and it is revealed that the bargain price tag was not such a great deal after all.

The sensible thing to do is to do a little detective work of your own before you pull out your check book. Most auto dealers are used to customers requesting a vehicle history check, but will they give you right one? And if you’re considering a private sale it will almost always be up to you to do your own investigating.

Carfax may be a name you have heard thrown around a lot. It’s kind of catchy and the company has been around for a few years now. Another name you are also bound to be familiar with is Experian. You know, the guys who keep track of America’s credit and who, when you pull your credit report once a year seem to know everything about you (even stuff your mother doesn’t know).

Well Experian has their own vehicle history report called AutoCheck. If they bothered to uncover that you failed to pay off that Victoria’s Secret credit card a few years ago or that you pay your Netflix bill on time every month you can be assured that they investigate a vehicle’s history just as well. The fact that it is also cheaper than Carfax is almost just an added bonus.

Whatever the eventual pricetag buying a used car is a not a small purchase. Taking the time to find out exactly where that car has been is only sensible and choosing the report prepared by the real information experts – AutoCheck – is a small investment that you will never regret.

Here’s one of the biggest reasons why AutoCheck is better than Carfax…

According to new, quantitative analysis conducted by Pipal Research – an independent, custom research firm – used vehicle history reports from Experian’s AutoCheck® contain two times the number of reported accidents as vehicle history reports from Carfax, another vehicle history report brand. This means that it is more likely that a report from AutoCheck would show an accident in the vehicle’s past, giving car buyers more of the information they need to make an educated purchase decision.

I definitely recommend AutoCheck over Carfax… also did I mention Carfax charges $44.99 for 5 reports while AutoCheck charges $39.99 for 20 reports.

We think so!

Here is one quick reason: Carfax charges $39.99 for a 30-day unlimited report account. Autocheck charges $24.99 AND it’s for 60-days.

I think it’s clear Autocheck wins this battle

Recently I heard an advertisement on a local radio station for Carfax. From what I remember it was a girl saying she bough a car from her brothers friend and she found out the jerks car had flood damage and he just let it air dry and never repaired it and now she has tons of damage. Then the ad says how if she ran a Carfax report before buying she could have avoided a bad purchase.

What I don’t understand is how would a Carfax report know that the seller aired out his car after flood damage?

Being in the auto industry for so long I’ve never been a fan of Carfax, but this ad was really shady. I would recommend using Autocheck reports… no auto history report would have known the flood damage in this case, but Autocheck in my opinion is definitely a better vehicle history report.

Kbb.com’s Most-Researched New Vehicles of 2008

1. Honda Civic
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Camry
4. Toyota Corolla
5. Nissan Altima
6. Honda CR-V
7. Toyota Prius
8. Toyota Highlander
9. Toyota RAV4
10. Mazda3
11. Toyota Yaris
12. Ford Escape
13. Honda Odyssey
14. Honda Pilot
15. Honda Fit
16. Ford Mustang
17. Chevrolet Malibu
18. Toyota Sienna
19. MINI Cooper
20. Volkswagen Jetta

The top ten searched vehicles on Carmax for 2008 are:
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Toyota Camry
Ford Mustang
Nissan Altima
Chevrolet Tahoe
Ford F-150
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Tacoma
Nissan Maxima

I’m not a fan of Carmax, but it definitely shows you what people are looking for when they go to Carmax.

This winter before buying or selling your next car make sure to use Experian’s AutoCheck to get a detailed vehicle history report.

Many people ask about the advantages of AutoCheck versus competition:
1) AutoCheck offers a single report for $14.99 – Carmax charges $29.99
2) AutoCheck offers unlimited reports for $24.99 – Carmax charges $39.99
3) AutoCheck has exclusive Auto Auction data that Carmax doesn’t have
4) 95% of Auto Auctions use AutoCheck reports – Use what the industry uses!
5) Official Vehicle Report of the National Automobile Dealers Association (N.A.D.A.) Used Car Guide

If you’re looking for complaints about Carfax check out: This Site

Based upon Carmax’s first quarter earnings report Carmax makes an average of $2564 per car and they reported an average of $2,801. From my experience in the car industry I can tell you that recently dealers have been making less and less.

Our dealer generally makes anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 per car so with some research you can most likely get a better deal than you can find at a Carmax dealer.