Checking a vehicle’s history before purchase

Whether you are buying your first car or are looking for a car after several years, it is clear that purchasing a car can be a stressful experience. This is especially the case if you are purchasing a used car. While you may be able to obtain some valuable information from the used car dealership, a particular vehicle you are considering may have a history that you may not learn from the dealer.

Often, there is an information asymmetry when you are the buyer of a particular car. So what can you do to even the scales with the seller?

You can consider checking a particular car’s history through a VIN number check service.

Ultimately, using an online service like carVertical can help you find all the information you need—for whatever purpose. It can provide some valuable peace of mind as you are about to buy a car, which can be one of the most significant purchases in your life.

Examining a Vehicle’s History: The Basics

But let’s back up. What kind of history can you obtain by using a service like carVertical?

To put it simply, a wealth of information.

First, you can start by obtaining basic information like whether a particular vehicle is listed in a stolen vehicle database, detailed summaries of accidents or damage to the car, and manufacturing faults or recalls of the particular vehicle. But beyond that, a service like carVertical can even find the car’s odometer reading at certain times and a vehicle’s maintenance log.

If you are interested in finding out more information about a particular vehicle, you need to start by finding the car’s vehicle identification number (“VIN”). You can find the VIN on the car’s body—typically on the corner of where the dashboard meets the windshield. If it is not located here, you can often find it on the door post on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Once you have the vehicle’s VIN, you can insert it into an online car registry like carVertical. From there, the technology does the rest, presenting you with as much data as your subscription or package allows.

In addition to this information available to carVertical clients, carVertical recently announced that is partnering with GPSWOX to design OBD tracker devices that can fit in almost any vehicle. These new devices would check metrics like GPS coordinates or even battery level and send the data to GPSWOX’s servers which will act as a virtual odometer. Between this partnership and other partnerships in the future, the future is exciting when combining big data and automobiles.

Typical Scenarios

Understanding that you can obtain this information about a vehicle, in what circumstances will you want to obtain such detailed information?

There are several.

Most obviously, using a service like carVertical can be extremely useful when you are about to purchase a used car. If you travel to a dealership and find a vehicle that piques your interest, you can visit carVertical or a similar service while you are at the dealership or when you return home. Simply type in the vehicle’s VIN and you will receive a wealth of information about the vehicle. Armed with more information about the vehicle, you may decide to forego purchasing the vehicle, purchase the vehicle at the offered price, or purchase the vehicle after haggling with the dealer or seller. Simply put, having this information about your disposal could save you thousands of dollars.

You can also use a service like carVertical to confirm that an odometer’s reading is accurate. In the old days, anyone selling a car could illegally roll back the miles on a car so that it appeared newer than it really was. Those days are now over. A service like carVertical can ensure that no one has tampered with the miles listing on a vehicle that you may purchase.

Data At Your Fingertips

A VIN number check can be an extremely valuable tool as you are thinking of purchasing a vehicle. Instead of being in the dark about the vehicle, you can study and rely on verifiable information before making your purchase.

Whether you use carVertical or a similar service, we encourage you to leverage these services in the marketplace. Doing your diligence before purchasing your vehicle can save you from some