VIN Search Tips

	VIN Search Tips
Try a free VIN Search on any used car to see if it has a clean history

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VIN Search Fact

Many vehicles enter the country as gray market vehicles. These vehicles were not manufactured for non-US distribution and did not meet US safety and environmental standards. A VIN Search may save you from getting in trouble for purchasing an illegal vehicle.

VIN Search Warnings

Automobiles displaying low mileage. Odometer readings may be rolled back. Its illegal in most state, but its easy. It is still a common occurance in used cars.

Seller will not or cannot show you the repair orders or identity of former owner(s).

Vehicle shipped from out-of-state or received in trade from another dealer.

About VIN Search

We are an association of consumer advocates that are sick and tired of the dirty business practices of used auto dealers.

We outline simple ways for hard working Americans to avoid buying a lemon, suffering financial loss and excess emotional distress at the hands of a greedy used car seller.

VIN Search Tips

A VIN Search can save you money

A car title search guide is the quickest and easiest way to research the history of a car. It gathers all of a vehicle's insurance and DMV records into one place. The title information is presented in an easy to understand format.

At a glance, you can tell if there are major accidents, odometer problems, flood damage issues or if the car is a lemon. With this info in hand, you can make an informed purchase decision. You can also use this valuable information to negotiate a better price for the vehicle in some situations.

A VIN number (short for "Vehicle Identification Number") is a seventeen-digit code that uniquely identifies a vehicle. Every car, truck, motorcycle, trailer, or other vehicle that is built is assigned a VIN number. DMVs and insurance companies use the VIN to keep track of every vehicle in America.

The VIN number encodes specific information about a vehicle, including country of manufacture, manufacturer, model, body style and even engine and other information. This was standardized in the early '80s and all major manufacturers follow the standard.

A lot of used car websites include a VIN number in their for-sale listings. When you're shopping online, find the vehicle number and cut and paste it into the vin search form above. Get the unlimited version of the report so you can review as many VIN numbers as you want.

If there's no vehicle identification number listed in the newspaper or website ad, contact the seller and ask for it before you go see the car. You could save yourself a lot of time by avoiding problem vehicles. More importantly, you won't get tempted by a smooth pitch before you have all the information.

You can also get the vehicle identification number from the car itself. A VIN number is visible on the lower right hand (driver's side) corner of the dash when looking through the front windshield. The car VIN is also printed on registrations, titles and proof of insurance cards.

Getting a Auto Title Search can protect you from odometer fraud. With the data in-hand, it's obvious if the mileage suddenly goes down between registrations or annual emissions tests. You can also protect yourself from odometer fraud by having a mechanic inspect the car: they will get a sense of how much wear-and-tear there is on the vehicle, which is more important than raw miles in determining the car's value.

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