Car buyer's knowledge base

A Carfax report costs about $45, AutoCheck about $30. Compare cheap and free alternatives — VehiLeaks from $2 with damage photos, NICB, NHTSA, NMVTIS.

Carfax ($44.99) has the widest service records; AutoCheck ($29.99) has auction data and a score. An honest side-by-side — plus a $2 option with photos.

Look up a car's price history by VIN: every recorded asking price, price drops, auction sales and relistings across 125M+ tracked vehicles.

See a used car's listing history by VIN: past ads, asking prices, days on market and the actual photos from earlier listings — including hidden damage.

How to tell if a used car is overpriced: compare the asking price against the car's own price history, similar cars nearby and days on market — by VIN.

A branded title means the DMV permanently marked a car's title — salvage, rebuilt, flood, lemon buyback. What each brand means and how to check any VIN.

Salvage means the car was totaled and can't legally be driven; rebuilt means it passed state inspection after repairs. What that means for buying and insuring.

A lemon buyback title means the manufacturer repurchased the car under a state lemon law. What it means for buyers, pricing, and how to check any VIN for it.

A total loss means repairs cost more than the car is worth. What happens to totaled cars and how to check a VIN for a total-loss auction record.

Check if a car was in an accident by VIN — and see the actual damage photos. VehiLeaks holds auction and listing photos where Carfax only shows a flag.

After every hurricane season, flooded cars are dried out and resold across state lines. Check a VIN for flood history and spot the physical signs first.

NHTSA estimates 450,000+ vehicles are sold yearly with rolled-back odometers. Check a VIN's mileage timeline and catch rollback fraud before you buy.

VIN cloning puts a legal car's VIN plate on a stolen one — the buyer loses both car and money. The cross-checks that expose a cloned vehicle before you pay.

How to check if a car is stolen: run the free NICB VINCheck, then verify the VIN's registration timeline, cloning signs and title gaps before paying.

Check any car's open safety recalls free by VIN at NHTSA, see what recall repairs cost (nothing), and check the car's full history before you buy.

Find out how many owners a used car has had, why one-owner isn't automatically better, and which ownership patterns are red flags — all by VIN.

How to check if a used car was a rental or fleet vehicle: the registration signals, whether rental history matters, and what discount it should earn.

Check a used semi truck's history by VIN: federal FMCSA crash records, roadside inspections and violations, plus title, odometer and listing history.

Look up a truck's crash history by VIN: federal FMCSA records of DOT-reportable crashes — dates, states, severity — plus out-of-service violations.