Stolen car check: Don't buy a stolen car!
Check if your future car has ever been reported stolen.
Despite the downward tendency, police in the European Union alone recorded nearly 700,000 stolen cars per year over the last few years. Countries such as France, Sweden, Italy, and Greece are at the top of this list. In recent years, an average of over 140,000 vehicles per year have been stolen in France alone, according to the most current figures.
A stolen car can become a dangerous trap for the buyer with very serious consequences. That is why it is important to know which used car you are about to buy. How can you tell if a used car is stolen? What can happen if you buy a stolen car?
How do I do a stolen car check?
In the CARFAX vehicle report, we offer you a simple way to check whether the used car you are interested in has ever been reported as stolen. Simply enter the VIN or license plate number in the field above and after the free identity check you can purchase a report with very important information about the car you have in mind.
Other signs and indicators that you should be aware of and exercise extreme caution if detected:
The vehicle is very cheap, priced below market price and has no visible defects
The sale is taking place in suspicious places, such as service areas, parking lots with little traffic, etc.
The seller does not want to show you an identity document
The seller only wants to communicate by email and the phone number provided does not exist or is always turned off
The VIN, mileage, etc., do not match the vehicle's documentation
You are asked to transfer money in advance to an account as a deposit
The seller refuses to show you the CARFAX Report of the vehicle
What happens if I buy a stolen car?
It is not very common, but it is possible to discover, when registering a new second-hand car, that it is a stolen vehicle. This means that the new owner and buyer is left without a car, since the authorities will oversee requisitioning it and wait for the rightful owner to claim it.
Stolen cars and VIN cloning
Sometimes, after thieves have stolen a vehicle (usually a luxury car), they look for another car with the same characteristics that is on display at a dealership or simply parked on the street and steal its documents. With this clean documentation, the thieves duplicate the VIN and falsify the documents of the stolen cars to hide its true identity. Finally, they offer the car for sale (usually on the Internet) at a greatly reduced price. This results in the existence of two (or even more) cars with the same registration information. However, only one is legal.
If at the time you are looking for a used car you come across an offer at an incredible price, you should always be suspicious. Buying a stolen car can land you in court, even though you may not even be aware of what you have bought.
Check the car before buying and save money
In combination with the stolen car check, these are other aspects that can influence your purchase decision. In fact, some of them have a major impact on the price you pay for the car and the possible repair costs in the future. If you buy a reliable car, you will spend less money on maintenance than on a car that has been either stolen, has had a serious or has been poorly maintained in the past.
Besides informing you if a car has been reported stolen, with our vehicle history report you will learn a lot more.
What else can our vehicle history report tell you?
Fraud with the mileage reading is a common problem. A vehicle with a rolled back odometer represents an increased risk for the buyer, so make sure you check the car's real mileage before closing the deal.
With the CARFAX report, you will find out if the information provided by the seller is accurate. In addition, we tell you whether the odometer reading has been built up logically in recent years.
Has the car been properly inspected in the past? What repairs have been performed? The maintenance history of a car consists of any work the car has undergone during its lifetime, and it is a good indicator of the car's condition.
The records in the vehicle history report are displayed in a clear, easy to read format which details the date and location of the maintenance, as well as which service was performed.
Before buying a used car, you should make sure to check for any signs that will tell you if the vehicle has been in an accident or damaged in some other way.
Get the CARFAX report and find out more about the accident and damage history of the used car.
How many previous owners has the car had in the past? For what purpose has the car been used? Was it a private car, a rental car, or used as a taxi?
These are very important indicators of the car’s condition. Before deciding to buy a used car, you should always check the car's ownership history.
Why is it important to know if the used car you would like to buy is imported? If a vehicle has been imported, it might prove difficult to trace its history, including accident and damage, if it has ever been reported stolen, etc.
CARFAX tells you if the vehicle has ever been registered in another country and therefore is an imported car.
A public car recall is triggered when the safety of people is at risk, and if an automobile manufacturer recognizes product defects, it is required to call the affected models into the workshops.
In our report, you will find out if there are any open recalls in effect for the car you would like to buy.