I've heard from a few people and maybe on here as well that Carfax can be fooled. One way I'm told is if it was totaled by something like a flood, there was some way to get a clean title for it by taking it out of state and getting another title and something happens where it gets a clean title. I don't remember all the details so I'm leaving some stuff out.

So how can a Carfax be fooled and if it has actually happened, how can you find out before you buy?

 

If the person gets in an accident and doesn't report it to insurance then carfax will never pick up on it. That's the only way I know of.

 

Carfax only knows about changes to the title (meaning an accident doesn't have to show up). A car can't be titled in two states at once -- title is tied to the VIN.

 

I didn't mean titled in 2 states at the same time.

 

That's what happened to me. Saw a used Ap1 a while ago; clean Carfax. I took it to a dealership for a once-over, and turns out that it was indeed in an accident.

 

if it has a clean carfax and something really was majorly wrong and some how not reported you have the carfax buy back guarantee..

I hit a deer, made and insurance claim, fixed the car and it never showed up on carfax.. 3.5k in damage roughly..





CARFAX agrees to pay to the holder of a CARFAX

 

My old hand-me-down '92 Accord was involved in 2 accidents, which both went through insurance. When I had a Carfax account, I looked it up just for fun and noticed it was completely clean. I'm not sure if the accident's being in a different state then retitled in another years later had any affect, or that Carfax wasn't around back then, but boy did Carfax lose credibility there.

 

I've had a couple of cars in accidents that don't show on Carfax. Don't know why, but consequently I don't trust Carfax.

 

Carfax is one tool, but no excuse for not doing research. I don't know how, but I guess there's a way to clean titles in Florida.

Like other's have said, if it wasn't done by insurance it won't show up on Carfax.

 

and its appears that alot of times even if it was done by insurance it wont show up..