Is Carfax reliable???

[twin03]

I am not trying to make anyone upset or to say that Carfax is perfect. 1of328 owned a Blue Marauder that a co-worker of mines (An officer) had traded in for a Mustang. http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national
Now my friend took vary good care of the Marauder. Never been in an accident or had a ding. I was going to buy it, but I just had to own a black Marauder. 1of328 had been in several accidents with the Marauder. http://www.mercurymarauder.net/galle...6577&protype=1
Now my question is why Carfax is not indicating it??

[martyo]

Carfax is helpful but it misses plenty of stuff, especially if the owner self pays for the repairs.

[RoyLPita]

Have you tried Autocheck? There is a thread here with free access.

[Black Terror]

Carfax also makes errors. I had a 2000 Buick I was selling and it had never been in an accident. Carfax reported an accident against the Buick that was actually a 1996 Pontiac that got squashed between two other vehicles with front and rear damage. It took over 4 months to get this straightened out. They had VIN number of Buick instead of Pontiac VIN number.
They were both my cars at time of accident, Insurance Company had all correct information, don't know how Carfax got the numbers mixed up.

[ctrlraven]

CarFax only shows stuff on it's report when it has been reported to the police and/or insurance company.

[FreddieH]

In some states Delaware being one, to avoid suing for Decreased Value from a accident the vehicle crash report may not be sent to Carfax. I had an 05 Ford Freestyle that was literally pieced back together with $18,000 worth of damage and ran like a jalopy after it was fixed. The car was traded after recieving it back from a six month repair and was not reported to Carfax.

[LIGHTNIN1]

I have found out things on cars that were not reported on Carfax although I do use them. As previously reported Autocheck is another source and less money.

[Rocknthehawk]

CarFax only shows stuff on it's report when it has been reported to the police and/or insurance company.

exactly...Hot-Rauder bought his MM with a "clean" carfax. After looking it over, both quarters and the front bumper had been replaced. Also, the motor was replaced. None of this showed up.

[fastblackmerc]

Any report is only as good as the information reported to it.

[ctrlraven]

On my carfax for my MM it shows when I got a free oil change from a dealer at around 50k miles, just list it as Auto Maintenance.

[boatmangc]

Carfax is helpful but it misses plenty of stuff, especially if the owner self pays for the repairs.

I bought a GM with 13K on the clock, stole it I thought, then when I put it on the lift to do the exhaust mods I found all the shims between the body and the frame all the way down the passenger side.
The body man was a magician, I can usually spot any bodywork but not this time.
Car had a clean Carfax, and the guarantee was for squat.
Traded a 5 series Bimmer with 36K on it for this POS and cash.....Still lost

[ckadiddle]

Not everything is reported in carfax. But some info is better than none at all.