After you have found a vehicle you are interested in buying, look at a printout of the vehicle’s history, have the vehicle checked by a good mechanic, and look at the vehicle’s service records.

Vehicle History. Before you purchase the vehicle, get a printout of the vehicle’s history. The vehicle history is a record of every time a different owner has registered the vehicle with the state; the vehicle history lists all past owners and their locations. You can get a copy of a vehicle’s history for a fee by going to www.Carfax.com and typing in the vehicle identification number (VIN). A vehicle history shows when a vehicle was registered with any of the state motor vehicle departments. This record is important because you can see where and when a vehicle was registered, the type of title the vehicle has (i.e., was it salvaged or not), and the mileage listed on previous registrations. Generally, the more times a vehicle has been sold, the more likely it is that one or more of its owners has not done the maintenance required to keep the vehicle in good operating condition.

Inspection by a Good Mechanic. After you have found the vehicle you think you may want, get the vehicle checked by a mechanic. Take the vehicle to a qualified mechanic, preferably one from a dealer; the mechanic will do a major checkup to make sure there are no hidden problems. While it may cost between $80 and $250, the expense will be worth it if the mechanic finds problems that you may not have found out about otherwise.

Service Records. After you have found a vehicle you are interested in, review the service records of the vehicle. Ask the seller for a copy of all service records. Sellers should have kept a record of all services performed, including repairs, oil change places, tire rotation, etc. It is likely that vehicles with good service records were better taken care of than vehicles without such records.