You see these commericals on tv, but I have to wonder just how reliable Carfax can be. I mean how does it get this information in the first place nevermind how it knows it to be accurate. Has anyone here used this service and if so how important was it in making your decision?
It depends on the place doing the reporting. We have been car shopping and I have noticed it is useful to note when a car changed colors, or when it didn't have an oil change for years. But who knows what the actual story is, you can only speculate.
We have purchased several vehicles from carmax without any problems. I don't know if they are any less expensive but it does give give you some peace of mind as opposed to the other places that look like they will be gone by the end of the week and God forbid you have a problem with the vehicle.
I think the Carfax reports are a really good tool to use when purchasing a used vehicle. Most of the information comes from the motor vehicle departments and dealerships. The report will show you exactly how many owner's the vehicle has had and where the car has been. The report will also show you if the car has had any major work done and service records. Before the Carfax reports were available to the public, there was no way to know this type of information. You basically were taking your chances on buying a used vehicle.
There's a Subaru dealership near me that uses Carfax. Though I've yet to buy, they have a varied selection of used cars and not only is the service good (they don't harass if you're not yet ready to buy) but they got high ratings on Yelp and similar sites. When I'm ready to buy, I'm sticking with lots that use Carfax.
