Carfax Ain't Perfect

[kc92hatch]

Hi all,

Well, I'm still on the search for a GS400 or LS400. I looked at a pretty clean '98 LS recently.....prior to looking at it, I contacted the dealer and it had a good service history.....ran a carfax which came up good also. 3rd owner said no history of accidents, etc.

When I looked at it, the right two doors had different VIN numbers than the rest of the car. When I looked really close, I could tell that the doors were just slightly off alignment & there was a little light rust below the rocker panels. So.....something had happened on that side at some point in the car's life.

So, onto the next one! Check those VIN's!!

[RFeldes]

Nice work!!!!!

[eatingupblacktop]

What you did is exactly what should be done. Read, discuss, then inspect for yourself. As Carfax themselves state:

"A CARFAX Vehicle History Report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX. Other information about this vehicle, including problems, may not have been reported to CARFAX. Use this report as one important tool, along with a vehicle inspection and test drive, to make a better decision about your next used car."

I think too many people skip this disclaimer and treat the report as gospel to find out later much to their surprise that the report was incomplete. Good on ya.

[TA in KC]

If you ask me, the only information I would use Car Fax for is owner's history/maintenance records. Even those are not all correct sometimes. I have come across several known-wrecked cars that have not shown up in Car Fax as being involved in an accident.

When I look at used cars, I look at how the body panels line up, evidence of paint work, and VIN stickers, just like you did. Doing that will almost always reveal an accident that was serious enough to be concerned about.

On a side note, I see you are in Kansas City also. Have you found another car yet? I do know of a good used dealer here that gets Lexus cars very frequently, if you are interested I would be happy to give you their information.

[kc92hatch]

On a side note, I see you are in Kansas City also. Have you found another car yet? I do know of a good used dealer here that gets Lexus cars very frequently, if you are interested I would be happy to give you their information.

Hi Thomas,

I am still looking. I'd be grateful if you could pass along the dealer info.

Thanks!

[cjmeyer]

As with any car "Buyer Beware".I use Carfax as a guide but don't rely on it as "The Last Word".