What Do You Get With a Vehicle History Report?

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Here at Ultimo Motors, the premier Chicagoland area used luxury car dealership, we offer vehicle history reports with all of our used cars. But what exactly is a vehicle history report and what good is it to you? The answer might be more complicated than you think, so read on to learn more!

What’s a Vehicle History Report?

Once upon a time, before vehicle history reports, you had to simply trust the seller was telling you the truth. That might have been less of a stretch at a trustworthy used car dealer. But when buying from a small dealership or an independent party, you’d likely want more assurance of a vehicle’s quality. That’s where vehicle history reports came in.

Reports begin with a VIN, or vehicle identification number, which every vehicle has. This number is permanently attached to the vehicle – it is like the car’s fingerprint. On a side note, never, ever consider a used car with no VIN available – it was probably stolen!

The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) and independent organizations like CARFAX and AutoCheck, offer a comprehensive reports. All insurance carriers, junk and salvage yards are required to report to the NMVTIS.

When you get a vehicle history report from any of these systems, you find out information like:

• Ownership history: You can find out how many owners the vehicle has had and where it has been registered.
• Branded titles: If your vehicle has been labeled as a total loss with a salvage title due to an accident, flood damage, or other catastrophic event, it will be listed on the vehicle history report.
• Service records: Some reports will give you information about the service conducted on the vehicle so you can check that it’s up to date.
• Mileage verification: You can make sure that the used car you’re considering has equal miles on the odometer as it says.