Hit a buck and totaled my truck.

[daddog]

Sounds like the title for a country song.

I am in the market for a new car.  Hit a nice size buck about 2 weeks ago and totaled my Toyota pickup.

I have been looking over AutoTrader.com and have come across some I am considering. I have noticed several adds for CARFAX.
http://www.carfax.com/
Anyone ever use them? Is this a worth while expense? Is there another company that would research a used cars history for a reasonable price? Should I even bother with this?

Thanks in advance.

[StarOfAfrica2]

No.  Carfax is a great idea, but it only works so long as there is something IN the system for them to find.  

Have a fender bender and get it fixed at the body shop?  Was it reported to insurance?   If so, Carfax has the report.  Didnt report it?  Probably no Carfax report.  

Know how many minor accidents are never reported to insurance companies every year so the rates wont go up (which they do anyway)?

Carfax is (at this time) a total waste of time and energy.  Great marketing gimmick though.

[rpm]

CarFax is hit and miss at best. Lots of stuff slips thru that never gets reported. But, if you happen to find something, it's worth spending a few bucks for a month.

[J_A_B]

Services like Carfax are pretty good for identifying VIN numbers which were written off as totalled.  It might not identify a car which was in a minor fender-bender, but it will generally tell you if your car was written off due to a flood or something like that.  If you're buying a used vehicle from a place that buys cars in mass bulk, it's an excellent precaution.  

On any used car you buy, check the VIN number in several locations--not only the one on the dash behind the windshield, but the ones under the hood and in the trunk at a minimum.  If they don't match, don't buy the car, no matter how plausible the explanation sounds.  It isn't worth the risk.

Keep in mind if you make use of Carfax most likely it'll return nothing more than the names of previous owner(s).  If you're okay with parting with $20 for what will likely be no result, by all means spend it.  Heck, talk the guy you're buying the car from down another $20 to pay for it.

J_A_B

[rpm]

Look on the bright side, you saved the $37 hunting license fee.

[Flit]

Carfax will report anything that requires a police report to be filed
 It's a good thing

[SunKing]

The interstate cruiser is gone?  

[beet1e]

Originally posted by daddog
Sounds like the title for a country song.

Sounds like a joke I once heard. I'll try to type it in a way that will minimise the chances of skuzzification...

A guy is driving through the country one day, when he pulls over to take a rest. A pretty girl carrying a duck happens by, and says hello. They got talking and things "developed". She was short of money and needed $1, so the guy agreed to give  it to her. She was so grateful that she agreed to let the guy have his way with her. Thing is, she enjoyed it more than he did, and wanted a second round. The guy agreed, but only if she would let him have the duck...

...and at the end of round 2, they go their separate ways. Just as the guy was getting back into his car, the duck broke free of his grasp, fluttered into the road and was flattened by a passing car. The driver of that car stopped and was hugely apologetic, and offered our man $1 in compensation. Our man then continued his journey, and at his destination was asked what sort of day he'd had: "Not bad at all", he replied. "I've had a ***k for a buck, a duck for a ***k, and a buck for a ***ked up duck!"

[daddog]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Look on the bright side, you saved the $37 hunting license fee.

LOL only if I got the buck. It was gone in an hour. I had to head to work with my thumb out. My truck was not running after I hit it so I did not toss it in the back. Someone else had some nice venison.

The interstate cruiser is gone?

LOL SunKing, she is gone. Miss ya bud! Thinking of you often. Hope you are doing well.

[capt. apathy]

pay for the carfax report.

you'll be finding a lot of cars that have been submerged hitting the market about now.

  they'll buy the salvage from the insurance company and pass the tittle through another state so you won't notice it being registered in LA or TX (for example), if they do it quick enough they can sometimes transfer it a few times and avoid having the title come up 'branded' (car fax should be able to detect it though).  it'll be great for a few months until it starts giving you all kinds of problems, especially in the electrical.

at the very least pull up a small bit of carpet on the floor, and look in a few other areas for any signs of silt or other indications.