Looking for Free VIN check reports with specs? We have some advices for you and also some recommendations. Buying a used car can save you lots of cash compared to a brand new. Whether you’re after a cheap runaround or a dream machine you’ve lots of choice on the second-hand market. But with murky histories and hard-nosed salesmen, it can be a minefield. This guide is filled with top tips and checklists (we’ve created printable versions so you can bring them with you) to minimise the chance of any nasty surprises.
If you need to flog your current wheels, you’ve two options. You can either part-exchange the car at the dealership, where the dealer gives you a price and knocks it off the total cost of the car you’re buying. Or you can sell privately – where you list the car and get cash from the person who buys it. Part-exchange. This can save a lot of hassle, but it’s highly unlikely to be MoneySaving. Yes, it stops you having to advertise the car or deal with potential buyers, but, and this is a big but, you also won’t get as much as selling privately. Remember, the dealer will pay less than your car’s value so it can move it along at a profit. So weigh up offers carefully.
A vehicle identification number, or VIN, identifies your car. It’s made up of individual numbers and letters with special significance, and provides information about your vehicle. Each VIN is unique to the vehicle. Determine where exactly the car was manufactured. The eleventh digit tells which plant actually assembled the car. This digit is specific to each manufacturer. Decode the remaining numbers. The rest of the numbers provide the production or serial number of the car and is what makes the VIN unique to that specific car. To find out this manufacturer-specific information, you can check their website for a decoding sheet or ask a service repair shop if you can see one. See more details at VIN check.
If you like the car, consider having a mechanic inspect it before you buy. If you don’t have a mechanic, Google and Yelp are good places to read local shops’ reviews. A prepurchase inspection costs $100-$200 and can alert you to problems you may not find yourself. It’s a smart investment. A private-party seller will probably allow you to do this without much resistance. Most dealerships will let you borrow a car for an outside mechanic to inspect. You’ll be paying for this, of course. If it is a CPO car, there’s already been an inspection and the car has a warranty, so there is little reason to take it to an independent mechanic.