redEYEjedi

Moderator's please feel free to lock/delete this if this is not appropriate for this specific forum.

I am looking to purchase a C6 Audi A6 and would like to see if anyone would be able to help out with a Carfax report if they have a subscription or have an extra one they can spare.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Adam 3.0Q

See if the car is listed on autotrader. Many of their listings include a free Carfax report.

If you can't find it, why not just spend the 30 bucks? If you're gonna plunk down 20-30 grand for a pre-owned Audi, why not spend less than a tank of gas for some peace of mind?

redEYEjedi

Thanks. That is pretty true. So I was speaking to a person who has a Manheim dealer license and we had a 30 minute discussion about how much of a ripoff Carfax is. He says that there are MANY cars sold through Manheim, which are then purchased by MANY dealerships, that have "clean" Carfax reports but in actuality have been in accidents and/or have frame damage and repair.

Do you think he is telling the truth?

Here are some additional internet sources i pulled in regards to this issue:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...fax_facts.html

http://www.epinions.com/content_432881307268

He is basically saying that a lot of dealerships purchase damaged cars with the knowledge that these cars are damaged because they sell for 3-5k less, marking up their profits while Carfax shows nothing, since Carfax is only documenting what is "reported." He also has stated that he used to work/buy cars for a well known Audi dealership chain here in Socal named Ru***k and they are 1 of many that resort to selling these types of cars.

I actually believe him because I saw a 2006 Oyster Grey 3.2 A6 originally list for $24,900 with 36k miles 3 weeks ago. Each week it dropped down $1000 and in the last week it went down to $20,900 and sold the next day. As a major dealership, they would not sell the car unless they were making a profit.

What do you guys think?

Adam 3.0Q

I speak from personal experience. I traded an 03 BMW for my 06 A6, and a few dealers ran a Carfax that showed I was in a front end collision with structural damage with both airbags being deployed. This was complete BS and totally inaccurate information. What really happened was a I clipped deer and swung him around where he then bounced off my front fender. The pictures, police and insurance reports clearly prove what happened. It's unfortunate, but I was getting hosed on my trade because of this misguided faith on Carfax.

Chad T

PM me with your email and vin and I can send you an autocheck report (same as carfax).

pinkertonfloyd

Carfax = Joke... Car Auctions use AutoCheck, which is Experian (The Credit Guys), and has very complete information.

Link to a story on Carfax vs. Experian AutoCheck:

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/investigat...76/detail.html

Rory

Very interesting. I suspected Carfax was unreliable, but I wasn't aware of this alternative. Thanks for that.

Rory

FreddyS4

Hi, I too would like similar type of information for a car I am looking at. Could someone please check out this 2006 Audi S4 for me? The VIN is WAUGL78E96A141051. I would really appreciate it.

seckler17

I traded in a 2001 Jeed Grand Cherokee for my 2005 A6. The first dealership I went to ran a carfax on my jeep and it stated that I had been in an accident and that the hood had been replaced. Completely untrue. My Jeep had never been in an accident and no body work ever performed. Needless to say I did not buy from that dealership. I went to a different dealership in the Chicago area that ran a different history report on my Jeep and no mention of an "accident".

r1racer

Carfax is not always 100 percent accurate as only info that is reported cab be obtained.

I do know it is ten times better than auto check and I think it's worth it to buy the unlimited look up that last 30 days for 30-40 bucks.

The carfax on my car showed all the service records and dates whereas autocheck did not.