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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.