Are you fond of driving or thinking of changing your car? Of course, but buying a new car is not a piece of cupcake. You must do some proper research and check very credibility before selecting the right choice for you.
Run the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to ensure your car is free from any case of theft or something like that. VIN is a specific 17-digit alphanumeric code allocated to every new vehicle since the 1950s in the United States.
What is a VIN Number?
A particular vehicle identification number (VIN) is allotted to all motor vehicles when it is manufactured. This code consists of several information related to the model and the car itself.
Information like country, year, manufacturing factory, model, and serial number are included in this VIN number. Generally, VINs are printed in a single line.
How Can You Find the Car’s VIN Number?
Don’t know where you can find the VIN number? The simple way is to look on the front of the dashboard on the driver’s side in the passenger cars. You can look through the windshield outside the car or on the door pillar of the driver’s side.
Sometimes, you may be unable to locate your VIN number on the vehicle. In such a case, contact the factory or the broker form where you have bought the car or check the insurance documents.
How to Check the VIN Number?
Checking the VIN is sometimes too easy, and sometimes it takes a long time to cover the information you are willing to have. However, there are many websites that offer their services. You can avail of them either free or paid and can have your desired results.
Generally, you enter your VIN number and your credit card details on the website, and then the website presents you with a detailed report regarding your vehicle in a few seconds. Among the several websites offering you the VIN number providing services, some of the best choices include:
The National Insurance Crime Bureau
The National Insurance Crime Bureau offers the users free VIN to check for free even if their car was damaged or reported stolen. You can collect up to five free VIN checks from the NICB website with one IP address within 24 hours.
Carfax
Carfax is a paid website that offers you access to the VIN number, but you have to invest some budget to have precise information. It provides both free and paid reports. The budget package is $39.99 for a single report or $59.99 for five reports. Even you can also go with a $99.99 package that offers you six reports.
AutoCheck
AutoCheck is another paid website that you can use for collecting basic information like the country where the car is manufactured, model, serial numbers, and others. But the paid reports are more detailed, like theft or any damage incident.
In the paid version, the single report costs $24.99, while if you are thinking of the premium version, you can go with the subscription of $49.99 to access within 21 days for accessing 25 reports. For accessing about reports in 21 days, the subscription package is $99.99.
Badvin
Another website that offers you accessing the car’s VIN number is Badvin. In the same way as others, it provides both the basic and premium versions. With Badvin, you can access the maintenance and sales history records of vehicles. Even the sale prices, car condition, owner’s information, any damage to the car, and odometer readings are included in Badvin’s VIN number report.
Why is VIN Number Important?
There are times when you’ll want to look up a vehicle’s VIN since various data registries utilize it to keep track of the vehicle’s history. For example, if you’re looking to purchase a used automobile, you may use a VIN search to get a vehicle history report and details of past owners, accidents, and repairs.
You may also find out whether the car was ever recalled by the manufacturer and whether or not the repairs were completed. Finally, law enforcement organizations use VIN checks to identify stolen cars.
Wrap Up
A VIN report is just the first step in investigating a used automobile you may be interested in purchasing. Before you give over your cash or take out a car loan, make sure you test drive the vehicle and get it examined. Buying a secondhand vehicle may be stressful, but completing your research might help you avoid buying a lemon.