gautamssc21

Hi ,

I have a 2015 Q5 and also looking to buy a used accord as 2nd car .

I found this car looking good and also test drove it.

Everything looks good but the carfax starts from 78K miles as shown in the link..
Its a 2007 accord. I also called the Honda of america to verify the VIN and they did not find any record with that VIN ..can i still go ahead and buy the car if it runs good and in good condition.

2007 Honda Accord Sdn EX Cool Blue Metallic | Lynnes West Nissan Dealer NJ

4SallyPat

Carfax is not to be trusted - they don't have any data that is current nor reliable.

Case in point: whenever I sell my car, the dealer posts a Carfax on it and all the data is missing - no service appts at the dealership, no accident reports, incorrect titling, incorrect number of owners, etc....

Best thing to do: get a pre purchase inspection by a 3rd party mechanic who will work for your interests.

Actual PPI case that happened to me: a Mercedes dealer selling a 2007 "pristine" LR3 with low miles and no Carfax issues - immediately after purchase, my Euro mechanic did an inspection and found over $9,000 worth of repairs that needed to be done, entire suspension was shot, transmission was slipping gears, no traction control, 2 body panels were replaced (accident), and the electronics (ECU, TCU) were wiped clear so that I would not see any CEL or warnings.... Luckily I bought it under the Auto Club used car program and got my money back within 5 days.... Best $90 I spent for a mechanic to go over the car!

Deckardk

Dealers and consumers alike rely on carfax in the US, as do lenders. And the manufacturer has no record of that VIN?? Sounds like a stolen car, especially in light of the carfax report.

Biggest problem arrises when you go to sell. Take a pass.

dcl23

I was the sole owner of a mid-sized SUV that was in two front end collisions over the course of 10 years. The damage and subsequent repairs to the vehicle were material, and about a year after the repairs were completed, I traded in the vehicle. I was upfront with the dealer about the prior damage - I figured there was no reason to hide it as they would see the history when they conducted the CarFax, but there was no record of either accident on the CarFax! I was very surprised, but I learned to never trust CarFax again.

BarryT

I bought a new F150 in 2012 that had paint issues from the factory. It was repaired by the dealership and they never reported it to carfax.

cwrm4

In my opinion, Carfax is only good for ruling out cars...but not necessarily "approving" them.

I had 2001 A4. Shortly after I bought it, it was rear-ended by a guy going 45 mph (and I was at a stop). $17k in repairs, including rear frame member replacement, and I got a $5k diminished value claim.

Four years later, I sold the car to a flight attendant I knew though a friend. The accident did not show up on Carfax, but I disclosed it to her. This was one week before Hurricane Katrina. She had to take a flight out of New Orleans, and drove the car to her parent's beach house in Mississippi to leave it while she did her flights.

A photo of the car submerged up to the windows, in front of her parent's beach house, became an AP photo that was featured in a lot of news coverage. She told me the insurance company hauled it off and gave her a check.

A few years after that, I thought I'd check Carfax to see what happened to the A4. It showed the car sold by a used car dealer in Mississippi 3 months after Katrina, and had been registered each year since in Arkansas. NO MENTION of the fact that the car had been submerged in the Gulf of Mexico, never mind the accident I had in it!!!

Redd

If Honda could not find any record of that VIN, you would want paperwork tracing the title back to the original Manufacturer's Statement of Origin, as well as a formal guarantee from the seller. Who should be a business that is well-rated.

90% of all "personal ads" selling cars are some type of fraud by hucksters, according to every news media report I've heard in 20 years. Consistently.

If Honda says "no such VIN" it may very well be a total counterfeit, and it is time to ask law enforcement to examine the issue.

Carfax? Is like the weatherman. Sometimes, they get it all wrong. Except the weatherman will ADMIT that and apologize. Carfax won't do either.

Hockeymonkey

Think about the carfax and the dealership in this way. If the dealer is selling a car and it has a lot of history which is more than just oil changes then the customer will start to question.
In the dealership's mind, no news is good news! Also easy to say clean car fax even though it means nothing.
This is why no one reports anything outside of oil changes. Many accidents get under reported just for this reason and for sure do not report major engine repairs.

Redd

It isn't just omissions, CARFAX makes errors, or obtains bad information. I had them showing two titles were issued on my car--when in fact I was the sole and original title holder. They never even replied to the request to correct that.

Two titles with only one original owner, could mean a red flag to a buyer, and stop a sale.

gautamssc21

Thanks for the feedback guys..

i passed the car as Honda of America could not trace it.

Thank U