Used-car buying guides
Short answers to the questions people ask before they buy, with the official sources linked on every page.
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Which history report should you buy?
- Carfax vs AutoCheck vs EpicVIN: which history report should you buy?What each report costs, what it's good at, and when to pay for which.
- Free VIN check: what you can find out for free (and what it misses)The free lookups worth doing, and what they can't tell you.
- Is EpicVIN legit? An honest review for used-car buyersWhat it is, what you get, what it costs, and who it isn't for.
Used models: years to avoid
- Used Honda Civic: years to avoid and what to checkCracked blocks, transmissions, oil dilution and A/C: which years and what to check.
- Used Toyota RAV4: years to avoid and what to check2006–08 oil burning, the 2013–18 battery recall and the 2019–20 Hybrid tank.
- Used Honda CR-V: years to avoid and what to check2017–18 oil dilution, the 2015 vibration, and what to check on any CR-V.
- Used Toyota Corolla: years to avoid and what to check2005–08 stalling recall, 2009–10 issues, and what to check on newer CVTs.
- Used Ford F-150: years to avoid and what to check5.4L spark plugs, the downshift recall, EcoBoost phasers and the 10-speed.
Scams and title problems
- What a vehicle history report shows, and the free checks to run firstWhat's in a report, what it misses, and the free checks to run first.
- Facebook Marketplace car scams: 7 red flags and the safe way to buyDeposits, fake report links, cloned VINs, and how to buy safely.
- Salvage title explained: what it means and whether to buy oneSalvage, rebuilt, flood and junk brands, and how to check them by VIN.
- Title washing: how a damaged car gets a clean titleHow salvage and flood brands disappear between states, and how to catch it.
- Odometer rollback: how to tell if the mileage is fakeWear that doesn't match the miles, records that go backwards, and what to do.
- How to spot a flood-damaged car before you buyNine checks you can do in ten minutes, and the VIN history.
- How to read a VIN: what each of the 17 characters meansCountry, model year and the check digit that catches fake VINs.