Does Carfax Show the Current Owner? (Must Know Info)


Shopping for and owning a used car can be an uphill task, especially when you don’t have the maintenance records. You need to know whether the car has underlying issues before you buy it, and only the previous owners can help you. Therefore, it is essential to find a service that gives the previous owner’s information to contact them for such cases.

So, does Carfax show the current owner? Carfax will give you a complete history of your vehicle’s current and past owners using its VIN. Unfortunately, it may not disclose the person’s names or provide a way to contact them. You can only obtain the specific details if the owner’s identity is necessary for legal actions. If your reasons for finding your car’s previous owner are invalid, then your efforts to find them would be futile.

If you are purchasing a second-hand car, you should consider using Carfax to help you with the verification process. Read on for all the must-know info about how Carfax works and how it can be helpful to you.

How Does The Carfax Report Work?

The Carfax report provides the information you need about the car you want to purchase to prevent you from dealing with pre existing issues related to cars bought from a third party. The report also aids in price negotiation, assuring that your money is worth the investment. If you are new to car ownership and are not familiar with what Carfax is all about, we will break it down for you.

Carfax uses an elaborate system to store all the information you need before buying a used car. They have all the data from the current and previous owners and store it in the database for use by interested parties. Once you enter the VIN (vehicle identification number), you can obtain the Carfax report.

Thus, if you need to purchase a used car, you only need to provide its VIN then pay Carfax to get all the information you need. The report includes the car’s previous owners, mileage, and any other damages involved, such as accidents. The most valuable section of the record is the title information, which ascertains that the seller is the same owner according to the Carfax report.

To obtain the Carfax report, you need to locate the car’s registration number. You can find it from the dashboard, driver’s door frame, or the car insurance policy sticker. If the car is from a private owner, you can establish the owner’s details from the title, but it would not be accessible from a car dealer.

Secondly, you can visit the Carfax website specializing in such matters and run the car’s history report at a small fee. The records contain information about the car’s mileage reports, as shown by the previous odometer indication.

The used cars’ prospective buyers want to know the type of vehicle they are about to invest in, and the Carfax report comes in handy to provide the details they need. If the car has exchanged several hands, it would be a red flag that something is amiss. Otherwise, if it has few previous owners, it means that the driver has had it for a long time, and the vehicle is likely in good condition.

Secondly, you can use the report to know how the previous owner used the car for personal or commercial use. Generally, a commercial car is likely to wear out more due to frequent use. Without the report, you would be purchasing the car blindly, not knowing whether it is worth your investment.

Does Carfax Show Previous Owners?

Knowing your car’s previous owners can help identify the risk involved in purchasing the car. If it has issues and needs regular maintenance, it will be a huge liability and significantly stretch your resources. Therefore, it is understandable to wish to know the kind of investment you are making.

Carfax and other vehicle database systems only show where the vehicle is registered but do not give the owner’s details. It is not easy to locate who the car belonged to because all drivers have their privacy protected by law; therefore, the DMV cannot publish their details. Consequently, you cannot find the owner’s name, telephone number, or home address. It is for the driver’s safety since some people can use the records to track the owner.

The states’ laws indicate that the DMV cannot give the owner’s records unless they obtain the driver’s permission first. The only exception to this rule is when the information is sensitive; for instance, a police investigation where the record is crucial. Therefore, unless the previous owner is valuable to an ongoing investigation, you cannot obtain the details for personal use.

Automated systems have made it easier to understand more about the used car. All you need is the car’s identification number and access to the Carfax website. Expect to find the car’s history and not the owner’s name. It might be easier to find the car’s owner if you bought it privately since the title is usually the person’s name. Also, dealerships cannot give you any records because the privacy statute restricts them.

How Many Owners Does Carfax Show?

Finding out how many owners the used car had is vital because it helps you understand the type of vehicle you are buying. Usually, you would avoid purchasing a car that has had many owners within a short time because; in most cases, it has a lot of issues, and you would have to pay handsomely for regular maintenance.

Using the vehicle’s registration number, you can get valuable information from Carfax about how many times the car has exchanged hands and details about its mileage and incidents such as accidents. Prospective owners are particular about the number of owners registered under the car since it directly connects to the car’s physical state. It is also essential to understand how long one owner had the vehicle since long-term ownership also indicates that it received proper care.

It is important to note that Carfax reports may not give accurate details regarding the used car. Some information may be missing since it entirely relies on the owner’s information as provided to the relevant authorities. A car may have serious mechanical problems, but the owner failed to release such information to the Carfax. Unless the matter is registered, the following user wouldn’t know the car’s actual state.

If the report gets into the hands of corrupt officials, then it is highly likely that there will be no records to submit, and the vehicle’s history will remain clean, which contradicts the reality. Another limitation is that auto shops will only register what was fixed rather than what led to the event. Therefore, the data on the Carfax may show a different picture, and it is only through a thorough physical observation that you may notice the irregularities.

Before you decide to buy any car, ensure that you have a private car inspection specialist who will test and confirm whether the information you obtained from the Carfax is reliable. This way, you will be confident that what you are buying is worth your money.

Do Carfax Reports Expire?

Active car reports are vital for every used vehicle to inform you about what you are buying. A consistent and updated Carfax report will save you from frequent garage visits that would strain your resources.

Carfax reports expire within thirty days from the time of purchase, after which you cannot obtain the information about the car. To be sure, you can see each report’s expiry dates from your account. According to Carfax’s rules and regulations, you cannot share the information you obtain about the car. However, the vehicle reports packages, such as the five-pack, are valid for a whole year, during which you can redeem the vehicle reports left.

Interestingly, you may obtain free Carfax reports by liaising with car dealers near you; they can guide you on obtaining the report link from their website. However, it may not be as good as the one you purchased.

Remember, a reliable Carfax report is the best starter to buying a clean used vehicle, be it a car, an RV or even a semi truck. The vehicle reports availed by Carfax have a limited shelf life to prevent unscrupulous individuals from using such reports for personal gain. The local authorities can charge anyone using the records to perform criminal activities.

Summary

Obtaining a car owner’s details is an uphill task due to privacy protection laws prohibiting unauthorized users from obtaining such sensitive information. This is to discourage the inappropriate use of personal information. Therefore, the owners’ details are private unless there is an urgent situation that requires the information, especially for a legal course.

Carfax doesn’t avail the car’s previous owners’ personal information because it would violate privacy. However, the knowledge provided is vital to assist in crucial information such as its current physical state and whether it will be a liability. Useful data Carfax provides can sometimes include oil changes. Such data may be helpful to some extent in extending your vehicle’s mileage and will give you peace that you made the right decision.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is a technology expert based in the UK, with experience across a number of technology areas from phones, tablets, computers to gaming.

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