1999 Lexus ES300 119,154 miles 6 cyl automatic
I was trying to run a free car history report on carsforsale, but got a message that said "No information was found for this VIN." I'm thinking maybe the car is too old? Or is this a sign that something is wrong with the car; either it's stolen, modified illegally or has title problems.
I'm just doing a precheck on cars, so I don't want to pay for any reports (like Carfax) until I'm serious about buying the car. The dealership for this car doesn't provide free Carfax reports for their cars.
Can you recommend other websites that provide detailed free car history reports?
The dealership for this car doesn't provide free Carfax reports for their cars.
Not that Carfax is all that great but that's still a red flag saying you may want to rethink whether you want to buy from that dealer. Not to mention that most dealers that carry 25-year-old cars on their lots tend to be bottom-feeders of the worst kind.
I know that Carfax doesn't have all the info on a car; is there a car history that is better to use?
The dealership for this car doesn't provide free Carfax reports for their cars.
which is kind of a red flag if you ask me.
All dealerships have wholesale car history accounts (obviously , since they're buying cars), which means they could print it out for you. So why aren't they?
I am not sure exactly what category of history you are looking for, ie maintenance or accident/theft/salvage, etc.?
bumper.com has either a $1 or a $5 7-day trial membership. But you would need to remember to cancel before the 7-day period ends or you will be charged $22.99/month plus applicable sales tax for continued use of their site.
You mentioned vehiclehistory.com but did you check their site? This too, as did the autocheck that @imperator referenced, has the vehicle listed.
https://www.vehiclehistory.com/vin-report/JT8BF28G5X0159609#detailed-records
what's the VIN?
VIN: JT8BF28G5X0159609
VIN: JT8BF28G5X0159609
The 'J' means it's from Japan, which might explain why some searches won't turn up anything.
But autocheck.com does claim to have records ...
This is good to know; the car does have records. Autocheck requires you buy their report. I like to use carsforsale.com because their reports are free and have details on possible problems. I also use vehiclehistory.com which is also free and gives info on the vehicle's engine, manufacturing plant and other specs.
Are there any other free car history reports you may know of? I like to use multiple sources.
Appreciate your help.
I don't sorry. My current vehicle came with a binder that had hard copies of all the records. Before that, I didn't really care.
$25 doesn't seem like much for peace of mind. Much better than ending up with a dud car.
I will pay the cost and a prepurchase inspection, if I'm serious about buying this vehicle. Thank you for your advice.
I know that Carfax doesn't have all the info on a car; is there a car history that is better to use?
None of them are going to be complete because not everything is reported. (Why would you expect otherwise?) A flood car could be "rebuilt" in someone's back yard and no one would be the wiser.
I went to look at this 1999 Lexus; it was really well kept on the outside and interior. But under the hood, the engine area had oil sludge/gunk . So that was that.
I usually do research at home, before I actually go see the car.
Thank you for your advice.