Carfax lesson 2

2011-12-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

Does a Carfax showing an accident really hurt the value of your car? The answer is that it depends on the severity of the accident and quality of the repair. If you need a repair after an accident you must make sure that a strong warranty is included and check the reviews. The welds are what is important (basically how they put things together.) the one side shall look like the other side or take a picture of an unaffected one and compare it. gaps between body panels need to be consistent not 1/4 inch one place and 1/2 inch in another. The paint work shall be done under clean circumstances so that there is no dirt in the paint.

If you are a novice buying a car it is easily worth the $50 or so that it costs to have it checked out by someone that knows body and technical capabilities. That is about what we charge at Sims Car Mall Car Car Center for a car inspection, depending on the amount of detail.

Do buy here pay here car lots offer Carfax reports is a frequent question. Upscale ones like Revolutionary Car Credit do and Simscarmall.com is there website. Others that are selling branded title cars do not even thought they may know they are salvage or previous salvage at the time of sale. Whether you are going buy here pay here or have great credit always ask for that Carfax. If they are not offering one call me and we can sometimes get you one at no cost.

Reading a Carfax lesson 1

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

For someone that does not buy a car everyday this can be a challenge. Lets go through a pros drill:
1) Buy a car from a dealer that offers Carfax or Autocheck for free. To me this shows nothing to hide. Sims Car Mall offers Carfax for free, right online or in person.
2) Carfax does a great job of convincing the public that they are important. Is it merited? You let me know your opinion
3) What you are looking for is what maintenance was performed on the car. A carfax certified dealer like us shows that.
4) Accident report that is a great clue as to where to look for a previous repair. If it was done to factory specifications is it an issue. That is debatable. Is there a range of factory specs no. It is either right or incorrect. If it is a hack job them sooner or later in the Cleveland climate it could be compromised. But this report should help you know right where to look.
5) Can it be in a fender bender and no report on the Carfax? Yes.
6) Is a touch up of scratches likely to be on the Carfax? No because no emergency vehicles were called. The police report accidents not the body shops.

Shoot me any questions you have, I am happy to help all Clevelanders.

Mark Sims
Sims Car Mall