Vehicle History Report Red Flags

Some alerts on vehicle record checks are harmless, while others are unquestionable deal breakers. Learn what red flags to watch for here.

Serious Past Damage

Evidence of past flood and fire damage can decimate the value of a vehicle, so if your vehicle record check indicates any of these types of incidents, you should walk away from the deal. Flood damage is especially hard to fix and can cause long-term problems with a car. Reports of past hail damage on the vehicle may also be reason enough to pass on a car. Almost all vehicle history reports include this information. Remember that car record checks can only prove the damage that was reported, so if the incident went unnoticed by a mechanic, insurer, etc., you may never know about it.

Discrepancies with the Seller's Story

You should confront the seller of the used vehicle if you find any discrepancies between his representation of the vehicle and that of your vehicle record check. If your report indicates a different model year, mileage, or number of past owners, you might even want to call of the deal. A seller that misrepresents a vehicle is not someone you can trust, let alone someone you want to do business with. Of course, there are rare occasions when the seller is genuinely unaware of a car's sordid past, but these instances are few and far between and can still warrant calling off the deal.

Title Skullduggery

When vehicle record checks show a car title changing hands frequently, it's usually a sign that something is awry with the vehicle or the sellers. A car with too many past owners or too many title changes is trouble waiting to happen. You should be especially concerned if the current owner indicated on your vehicle history report is not the person selling the car. All of these situations are typical red flags of deceit.

Don't Buy a Lemon

Vehicle record checks will let you know if the car you are about to buy has ever been used as a rental car or a company fleet vehicle. These cars are typically well-maintained and have verifiable service records, but the damage caused by the people using these vehicles is unknown and often times substantial. You may want to think twice about purchasing a car that has been abused for years by people on vacation - or joyrides.