Can not get carfax report?

[skate1968]

Hi folks,

I would like to resolve this quickly, ASAP, if anyone is interested and willing to advise me. thanks very much.

A fellow is describing a very low priced, very low miles, very well reviewed car which is basically a "holy grail" -- it's almost the "grandmom selling" her low miles honda civic situation that we honda civic phanatics dream of. It's actually a guy with four kids looking to sell his two door honda -- darn close enough, imo.

But Carfax shows the car as a 97 instead of a 98. It also shows the car as 188,000 miles instead of 118,000 miles.

CARFAX: "Odometer Check, Inconsistent mileage indicated. Mileage Inconsistency [Inconsistency occurring under "Owners 1 to 2" -- four owners in total]"

"The mileage reported here conflicts with this vehicle's odometer history. Ask a mechanic or the seller to confirm the actual mileage - this entry may just be a clerical error."

The carfax DOES show the correct location of where the car would have been last sold -- address of DMV where title was transferred.

Carfax's report of the present owner's ownership does seem to jibe with what the owner can remember.

How do i deal with this? Can i run the title number somewhere?

It does not APPEAR as this friend of my mechanic is being dishonest. It does not APPEAR that this fellow belonging to the same ethinic group of my beloved and trusted mechanic is trying to pull one over on me (or my mechanic).

Maybe it's possible that there could have been some monkey business with the odometer and/or other misinfomation BEFORE this fellow owned the car?

Background: If this car turns out to be older and higher miles than what this seller is telling me it is STILL lower than the local market rate. No longer quite the fire sale bargain, but still good.

Honda civics are soooo in demand here that i'd like to snatch up the low miles car before someone else gets to it. If this guy went to craigslist the car would be gone in a matter of seconds (i'm almost hesitant to talk about this potential deal publicly on this forum).

thanks again for all that i've recieved here. great forum. glad that you'll have me

 

[skate1968]

"Can not get carfax report?"

In hindsight i should have titled this thread "Can not get carfax report to match seller's listing"

Because i'm not sure where the error is. If it were just an odometer discrepancy i would fault the seller's listing. But as the YEAR is wrong i'm not sure what to think.

all advice is appreciated. thnks

 

[eljefino]

10th digit of the VIN shows year.

My uncle got an RV where the VIN said it was a 2004 but the coach maker insisted it was a 2005. He was able to convince the DMV to title it as an 05 (better resale value.)

 

[skate1968]

Hi ElJef,

Thanks for the quick response.

Originally Posted By: eljefino
10th digit of the VIN shows year.


that gives me the year of "V"

roman numeral for 5????

the more i learn the more confused i become

Again, ElJef sincere thanks for the help. my frustration certainly not caused by you or anyone else who's helping me.

 

[rshaw125]

Goggle 'VIN decoder' enter the vin number and it'll reveal all the info. If the odometer has been tampered with the DMV will know when you transfer title. The current owner has to sign and verify the mileage.

 

[skate1968]

hi rshaw,

thanks for responding

i googled this site

http://www.decodethis.com/Default.aspx

and that site didn't show me anything that i didn't already see

regards

skate

 

[skate1968]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
10th digit of the VIN shows year.


To further complicate matters....

The owner says it's a 1998 honda. Carfax says its a 1997 honda.

But there is neither a 7 nor an 8 anywhere in the VIN number. They VIN which he and i have double checked.

I'm looking for a place to run the title number to see what that will say.

thanks again for all the help

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: skate1968
Originally Posted By: eljefino
10th digit of the VIN shows year.


To further complicate matters....

The owner says it's a 1998 honda. Carfax says its a 1997 honda.

But there is neither a 7 nor an 8 anywhere in the VIN number. They VIN which he and i have double checked.

I'm looking for a place to run the title number to see what that will say.

thanks again for all the help



Take it easy. The letter V in the 10th place means it's a 1997 model year vehicle. They didn't switch to arabic numerals until MY 2001 and back to the start of the alphabet for 2010.

That site you posted earlier is garbage. Here's a much better primer on the VIN system.

 

[JTK]

I've never tried to run a Carfax report on a 14-15yr/old car, but I'm not surprised there's discrepancies given the age.

IMO, the only value those reports have is to give you an indication of how many owners the vehicle has had and if it was a rental at any time.

Joel

 

[eljefino]

B = 1981 G = 1986 M = 1991 T = 1996 1 = 2001 6 = 2006 =2011

C = 1982 H = 1987 N = 1992 V = 1997 2 = 2002 7 = 2007 =2012

D = 1983 J = 1988 P = 1993 W = 1998 3 = 2003 8 = 2008 =2013

E = 1984 K = 1989 R = 1994 X = 1999 4 = 2004 9 = 2009 =2014

F = 1985 L = 1990 S = 1995 Y = 2000 5 = 2005 A =2010


Sorry about the formatting. V= 1997.

You could also check the emissions label under the hood; will say the model year.

 

[Colt]

With the mileage and year issues,why buy this car?

 

[skate1968]

Hi Scurvy,

Thanks for responding,

Originally Posted By: eljefino
10th digit of the VIN shows year.


Originally Posted By: skate1968

To further complicate matters.... [i'm confused]


Originally Posted By: scurvy
The letter V in the 10th place means it's a 1997 model year vehicle....
That site you posted earlier is garbage. Here's a much better primer on the VIN system.


Thank you!!! Much better!! I now understand. i "have a clue," so to speak.

Originally Posted By: scurvy
Take it easy.


sorry

it'll be easier for me to relax after i get this civic before someone else. i should lay off the coffee for a bit also.

 

[skate1968]

Originally Posted By: Colt
With the mileage and year issues,why buy this car?


Answer: Because either way it would still be a honda going for at least a $800 below local market value. very much worth looking at.

worse case scenario: i decide no after finding out other problems. but i'm all the wiser and more prepared for further car shopping -- better enabled to make an informed decision in the future

Originally Posted By: skate1968
A fellow is describing a very low priced, very low miles, very well reviewed car which is basically a "holy grail" -- it's almost the "grandmom selling" her low miles honda civic situation that we honda civic phanatics dream of. It's actually a guy with four kids looking to sell his two door honda -- darn close enough, imo.

It does not APPEAR as this friend of my mechanic is being dishonest.

Background: If this car turns out to be older and higher miles than what this seller is telling me it is STILL lower than the local market rate. No longer quite the fire sale bargain, but still good.

Honda civics are soooo in demand here that i'd like to snatch up the low miles car before someone else gets to it. If this guy went to craigslist the car would be gone in a matter of seconds (i'm almost hesitant to talk about this potential deal publicly on this forum).

again, thanks to all

 

[45ACP]

I coulda sworn we had a 1982 vehicle that did NOT have the standardized 17-digit VIN? What year did this system start? And how do older cars (from the 70s and earlier) get titled without standardized VIN?

 

[CharBaby]

I didn't read all RE: so, if this was discussed already, sorry!
I don't know exactly how my buddy does this but he says, when shopping for a used vehicle, he buys(something like 10 CarFax)for "X" amount of dollars( Lets say, $100.) Instead of one CarFax for $30.

This way when he sees a vehicle he is seriously interested in, he'll run a CF(or which ever company that he uses). There are others to choose from, not just "CarFax"

 

[skate1968]

UPDATE:

Seller confessed and apologized that he was selling a 1997 and NOT a 1998 as he originally stated. He stated this in a telephone conversation.

Now i have a whole new question for you all and i'll start a new thread.


(thanks to all for tolerating my never ending concerns. i'm having a "bad hair day.")