What Are Red Flags on a Carfax?

Checking a car’s Carfax is extremely important in making sure you are getting your money’s worth out of buying a car when searching for the right used cars.

The best way to know a car’s quality and whether it is worth buying without having a mechanic look at it for you is by checking its Carfax. Carfax is an amazing tool that allows consumers to look at a car’s history. This includes maintenance history, accident reports, previous owners, and more about used cars. It’s very important to check these things without buying a car. Failing to check a car’s Carfax may result in buying a car with potential issues. With the right information, you should be able to find a used car you want to buy. That said, Carfax reports should be able to show you some red flags on a car.

In the process of buying a car? Keep reading to learn more about the red flags on a Carfax.

The Best Green Flag

Before we get into the red flags, let’s cover some of the basic green flags in a Carfax report. There are many things to look out for when buying used cars. That said, the first thing you should look at on a Carfax is its accident reports. If there are no accidents reported, this is a good sign that you should keep reading the Carfax.

Accident Reported

The first red flag to look out for when buying used cars is an accident. Often, if a car has been in an accident, there is damage to the vehicle that can never truly be repaired. You’ll want to avoid buying a car with an accident on the Carfax. That said, some cars have been in very minor accidents and the damage done was very minimal to the car’s overall performance.

Tons of Repairs

If a Cafax shows that a particular car has undergone an overwhelming amount of repairs, this might show that the car experiences frequent mechanical issues. Good used cars should not have to have so many repairs.

Too Many Owners

Another red flag on a Carfax is when a car has too many owners. A typical amount of owners might be 2 or 3, but anything more than that should be concerning. Ask yourself: Why does this car have so many owners, and why did none of them want to keep the car? Most likely there is something wrong with the car.

Lack of Repairs

Used cars need repairs, that is totally normal. Just like if there are too many repairs, if there are too few that can also be a red flag. A healthy amount of repairs is evidence of consistent maintenance, showing that the car is in good standing.

Water Damage

Another basic red flag is water damage. Cars such as convertibles might see this more frequently. If a car has water damage, this might have affected the car’s engine or interior. As for used cars, you want to keep damage to a minimum.

There are many other red flags to look out for on a Carfax. These are just some of the basic ones you should look out for. Keep your eyes peeled for any other red flags, and good luck!