This can be a recipe for disaster if the title has a checkered past.
Purchasing a car or motorcycle is a big decision. Aside from your house, it is one of the most costly expenses that you will acquire. Unfortunately, many people buy exclusively used vehicles, and for a good reason. According to Kelley Blue Book, the car loses about 20 percent of its value in the first year and is down 60 percent over the first five years. With an average of around 13,500 miles driven per year by Americans, this means you can get into a five-year-old car with under 100,000 miles for under half of its showroom sticker price. But how much does that dealer know about its history? Especially as you get into cars over a decade old, and the title may have traded hands a few times, you need to know the actual, bona fide history of that vehicle. A vehicle identification number (VIN) check is the best way to get started figuring out the history of your vehicle.
What is A VIN Number?
So what exactly is a VIN? It is a unique combination of numbers and letters identifying a specific vehicle. Not a specific model, but a specific, individual vehicle. The VIN is distributed across the vehicle in several places: it is the primary tool used to identify stolen parts when a car is stolen for parts. While it certainly does not assist the owner in assimilating their vehicle, it allows the authorities to identify parts being sold as being associated with a specific car or truck that was reported as stolen; it becomes evidence for prosecution.
The VIN is a very old component of automobile assembly, dating back to 1954. However, there was no standard VIN format until 1981, when the National Highway Safety Administration required that all over-the-road vehicles be standardized to have a 17-character VIN.
Beginning with the model year 1987 autos, the DOT mandated that auto manufacturers mark designated high-theft car lines with the VIN on its major components. This was, again, an effort to aid local law enforcement agencies in tracking and recovering stolen parts and prosecuting the guilty parties accordingly. Okay, but we all know that “theft recovery” does not mean that the owner is getting the car or their parts back; those will all go into evidence for some trial many months or years down the road. Justice at work. This is why you should always make sure that your insurance coverage is adequate and has provisions for theft replacement, mainly if you fall in that category for high-theft car lines.
What Can the Number Itself Tell You?
The composition on a VIN is pretty vital to the prospective buyer (you) because armed with a little bit of knowledge right off the bat, you will know if you are dealing with a fraud immediately or not. For example, all vehicles of origin in the United States will begin with a 1, 4, or 5. The second character will be a letter that designates the brand. ‘B’ is Dodge, ‘C’ is Chrysler, ‘F’ is Ford, etc.
The first characters are the best way to quickly identify if they are correct on the surface. A more subtle giveaway is the 10th digit, which determines the year of manufacture. If you are looking at a 2004 vehicle for purchase, which would be the number ‘4’, and you find one of the VINs on the car with a ‘1’ (2001), or anything other than a ‘4’, you will immediately know that some part of that vehicle is not original.
VINs can also reveal additional details about specific cars when run through a VIN Check, like when the car was initially manufactured and what options the car came with. But the most potent aspect of a VIN is its ability to reveal a history of crime and wrongdoings.
Why You Need to Request a VIN Check
So, assuming you have done your cursory check on the VIN and are satisfied that the VINs match, you need to request a VIN check to see about the vehicle as a whole. There are a lot of different events that can transpire that may or may not be reflected in the title branding, but the VIN is always recorded. Here are some of the things a VIN Check can reveal.
Active Thefts
Stolen vehicle reports are tied to VINs. So if the vehicle you’re looking to buy is hot, a VIN Check will tell you that and save you from getting into a load of trouble by purchasing a stolen car.
Title Washing
For example, you may find that the title is clean, but the vehicle was in an accident that did not deem it a total loss. That will not go on the title, but it will have been recorded. It does not mean that the vehicle is not worth owning, but it certainly might make a big difference in the relative value of the car, truck, or motorcycle.
Odometer Tampering
“So…this thing has never rolled over?”
But there are many other reasons to have the VIN checked. For example, you might be looking at a truck, and the wear and tear on the truck do not seem to match the odometer reading. So a VIN check is your first line of defense in determining odometer accuracy.
Hidden Liens
You also need to know about open liens, which can be a real headache in transferring a title. I have dealt with this abject horror trying to get a replacement title for an old truck from my parents. Even though I purchased the truck over two decades ago with cash, this old Toyota still shows a lien against it. Let that sink in.
So before you go off plunking money down on your dream car, conduct due diligence in getting a VIN check done to make sure there are no outstanding liens against the title because it will come back to haunt you when you try to transfer the title to your name.
Past Ownership Changes
You also should want to know about the past sale listings of your vehicle. Why does this matter? A couple of reasons. First, it is essential to know if it was a rental or fleet vehicle along its life journey. There is nothing wrong with buying a used fleet vehicle; they can often be snagged up for a bargain if you play your cards right. But they also tend to be subject to abuse. Or if this car or truck originated or lived for a time in the North, where roads are heavily salted. Salt wreaks havoc on the chassis with corrosion that may not be visible on initial inspection.
If you notice a pattern where each seller only owned the vehicle for a few thousand miles, you might be looking at a lot of deferred maintenance from those owners passing the buck down the line.
Maintenance History
Some VIN Check services would return a car’s maintenance history if maintained by established shops instead of home mechanics. Of course, it might cost extra to get this level of detail above a standard check, but even then, it’s worth having for peace of mind.
Title Problems
“No, it’s not a salvage title. Why do ask?”
Title problem checks are another issue that you need to be aware of before you go all in. Just because the title appears clean does not mean that the treasurer or DMV will not discover a hidden problem with the title when they process it. If you bought it from a con artist who potentially washed the title, you would get stuck holding the bag on this deal with a lame-duck car that you can’t register and can’t sell.
VIN Checks are the best money you can spend when buying a new car, truck, or motorcycle. To that end, we offer a VIN Check Service that’s fast, affordable, and informative to help you make the best decision on your next vehicle purchase. A few dollars spent now could save you thousands down the road. Learn more using the button below.
John McCoy is a lifelong car and truck enthusiast and has a strong mechanical background off the road. He spent over 13 years in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief, assigned to the B-1B Lancer, affectionately known as the Bone to those in the community, and the KC-135R Stratotanker. He resides on a small farm in Eastern Kansas where he (sometimes) enjoys fixing ancient farm equipment.