Date:         Tue, 16 Feb 1999 17:51:34 -0500
Reply-To:     Bob Stratton <rslist@SDII.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bob Stratton <rslist@SDII.COM>
Subject:      Trust but Verify (was Re: 4SALE ,91 VW WESTFALIA)
In-Reply-To:  <009d01be59cb$dd46f240$6032a2d1@dell>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 08:46 AM 1999-02-16 -0800, Davidson wrote:
>Not intending to offend Roy or his friend that is selling a 91 with only 14k
>miles.
>But keep in mind that it is possible to install a new odometer in any
>vehicle.
>I just recommend to Trust But Verify.

Truer words were never spoken. I have had a couple of good experiences with
a service called CarFax, which pulls title and recall records from all over
the country (I don't know about non-US titles, sorry.).

You can bang a VIN and credit card number into their web page, and
out will come a history with things like California Smog Inspections (with
pass/fail results), salvage titles, flood titles, lemon/manufacturer
buybacks, and the like.

It's not too bad for a little piece of mind. The worst that'll happen is
you find your vehicle has had a boring but healthy life, and the report
will be a little light.

It's about $20 for one report, but the per-report price drops precipitously
if you order more than one. I think they're at http://www.carfax.com. And
no, I don't own stock in them or work for them or anything.


--Bob, KE4GDC
89 Westy Syncro