Over the last few years actually buying a car on the internet via auction sites like Ebay has gained in popularity. Thousands of cars and trucks have changed hand courtesy of sites like these but there are some very real risks involved of course; after all bidding thousands of dollars on a vehicle you will probably never get to test drive or even physically see before buying it seems like a bit of a gamble to say the least.

However, if you have spotted a car in an online auction that seems to be everything you are looking for there are some ways a little research and a lot of caution can make the whole buying experience a good one:
Research the Car – Ebay lets (and encourages) buyers to question sellers about the car they offering for sale before placing a bid. Your first course of action should be to ask the seller for the car’s VIN number. If they will send you a picture of the car with the VIN number clearly visible even better. Once you have the VIN number order a car history report. Most professional used car dealers prefer Autocheck over Carfax these days as their results tend to be more accurate and extensive as well as being the less expensive option.

An Autocheck report will give you all the historical information you need about the car. The seller may have been less than forthcoming about the history of the vehicle in their auction description but this report will tell you exactly where it has been in the past and what repairs or problems it has had.

Some Ebay sellers offer potential buyers the chance to see a car history report that they themselves have ordered but since this is not a face to face deal if you are seriously considering making a competitive bid on the car order your own anyway, especially if the seller has had a Carfax report run instead of an Autocheck. A 2009 market study found that Autocheck reports tend to report about twice the number of accidents as Carfax reports. Autocheck also provides more vehicle history reports about cars from automotive auctions.

Research the Seller – Once you have your car history report and if it does indeed look good (or at least acceptable to you) do a little research about the seller themselves. Talk to them on the phone, request more pictures , check their feedback. This is not a small purchase so a good seller will be willing to accommodate these kinds of requests. Make sure you know before you bid how the car will physically change hands (do you have to go and get it or is the seller willing to come to you or even have it shipped?) Only once you have all of this information should you actually take the plunge and hit that very binding “bid” button.

Often the cars they sell are being offered by banks – repossessions – and car mechanics is simply not something that your average bank manager knows a lot about. To protect themselves and their customers 95% of car auction houses in the US order an Autocheck report.

What no Carfax? No apparently not. Autocheck is an Experian product (you know, the same guys who keep tabs on your credit history) and therefore highly reliable. If your livelihood depends on knowing what is really up with a car you are offering for sale you need all the help you can get, which is apparently what the auto auctioneers have figured out.

There is the matter of price as well. These auto auction guys (and girls) need to check out every car that comes their way, which can mean they need to order a lot of car history reports. The private buyer would do well to take notice of that, after all when shopping for a used car are you really going to go with the first one you see? You too may need to order several different vehicle history reports to make an informed decision as well. This is where Autocheck scores over Carfax reports as well.

Ask a Carfax rep if you can get unlimited reports and they will inform you that they offer five reports for $44.99, but no unlimited reports. An Autocheck rep will tell you “that will be $44.99 please”. Now that is a difference anyone can appreciate, auto professional or not.

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 – Carfax charges $29.99
2) AutoCheck offers unlimited reports for $24.99 – Carfax charges $39.99
3) AutoCheck has exclusive Auto Auction data that Carfax 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