To Carfax or Not to Carfax ?
 

So Is it really worth throwing 40$ out the window for a carfax? I've driven the car it's in beautiful condition, had the 360 check at a Mazda dealership, not the in-depth one but still a 40 point check and a compression test. I've heard so much about carfax not having reported accidents on plenty of cases. So in reality I feel like I'm just going to get scammed opposed to peace of mind ( I already have with the car) what do you guys think?

Car fax takes two to three months for anything to show up.

And then only if it is reported.

You could still have an accident or problem that was repaired by the owner/ private auto shop and you would never know.

Only Items from dealers and DMV are reported.

It's really up to you. I know Carfax don't give all the information about the vehicle, but if you want peace of mind about the vehicle your buying, then i think Carfax is at least helpful about it.

Yup; +1 on that^. Stuff like auction activity, title transfers and title status.

Quick way to check for significant accidents: Look at the screws/bolts that attach to the hood hinges, door hinges, trunk lid hinges, etc. They should have most if not all of the factory paint intact. When they've been removed, tool marks are pretty obvious on heads. It's not fool proof, but I've spotted a few cars like this on dealers lots with clean car fax reports and on closer inspection you can tell that have had body work. No repair is ever perfect, and if you look closely enough you'll see it.

IMO, if you get a free car fax, great. I wouldn't pay $40 for it though.

Try asking the dealer for a carfax. I have been shopping recently and have done that with both Mazda dealers and others. In all cases they either had one ready or could print one for me.

At no charge of course.

private dealer.

CarFax & CarCheck can miss a lot of information. I've had both run on my vehicles. It missed two small accidents that have happened to my car. Mileage reports were missing on my Jeep.

I still think it would be good, if nothing more than to double check, to run one. The dealer may have already have one on file.

Do it.
I was test driving a decent 04 rx-8. The owner said he was the 2nd owner and there wasn't any accidents. Ran a carfax- He's owner #5 and it had history of airbag deployment.
It's a good investment to your purchase.

It's worth it. They won't show you everything about the car, but more knowledge is better than less knowledge.

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I too think its good, but don't assume it's all inclusive. On my miata it showed no accidents and the owner swore none as well. While inspecting it, I could clearly see respray on the rear and front and damage to the front rails. It turned out to be minor and I never had an issue, but it reminded me how Car Fax only shows what people reported.