Check any used car before you buy it.
Give Claude the VIN, or a photo of it. It pulls the car's title history from the federal title database and tells you what it means: salvage or flood brands, insurance write-offs, odometer rollback, theft.
Specs, recalls and complaints are free, and so are 3 market values a month. History reports come with a plan: 8 for $14.99 a month.
VIN
1HGCM82633A004352
2003 Honda Accord EX-V6 Coupe
Sample
| Date | Record | State | Odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 2015 | Title issued | Texas | 84,210 mi |
| May 20, 2017 | Insurance total loss | Texas | |
| Sep 14, 2021 | Title issued | Oklahoma | 61,032 mi |
Title branded salvage in Texas, 2017. Odometer later reads 23,178 miles lower.
Free with every VIN
From NHTSA, the federal safety regulator
- Year, model, trim, engine and where it was built
- Every NHTSA safety recall for that model year
- Owner complaints to NHTSA, by what failed
- Crash-test ratings
In a history report
From NMVTIS, the federal title database, through an approved provider
- Title brands: salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk and others
- Insurance total losses, junk and salvage yard reports
- Odometer readings, with a rollback check
- Theft records, and every state the car was titled in
What it can't tell you
NMVTIS is the authority on a car's title, not on its condition. It has no service or repair records, and an accident nobody reported to an insurer or a state won't be in it. A clean report means no title problems were reported, not that the car is sound. Before you hand over money, have a mechanic you choose inspect it; Claude can tell you what to ask them to look at.
What a history report coversHow it works
- 1
Add the connector
One click adds it to Claude. Sign in once; it works in Claude on the web, on your phone and in Claude Desktop.
- 2
Give Claude the VIN
Type it, paste the listing, or send a photo of the windshield plate or the door sticker. The VIN is checked before anything is looked up.
- 3
Ask what you'd ask a friend who knows cars
“Should I buy this?” “What should I ask the seller?” “Is $14,500 fair with 84,000 miles?” Claude answers from the records.
Set it up in your app
Every app uses the same address. You sign in once with your email or Google account.
Claude (web, desktop, iPhone, Android)
Use the button, or go to Customize, then Connectors, then Add custom connector, and paste the address. Free Claude plans can add one custom connector.
https://checkanyusedcar.com/api/mcpClaude Code
Run this in your terminal, then type /mcp in Claude Code and sign in.
claude mcp add --transport http check-any-used-car https://checkanyusedcar.com/api/mcpCursor and other MCP apps
Add this server to your MCP settings. Your app opens a browser window to sign in.
{"mcpServers":{"check-any-used-car":{"url":"https://checkanyusedcar.com/api/mcp"}}}Less than one Carfax
8 history reports for $14.99 a month, cancel any time. Or 60 a year for $99, if you buy and sell cars.
Questions
- Can Claude check a used car's history?
- Partly, on its own. Claude can look up what a VIN decodes to and find recalls for the model, because that data is public. It can't see a car's title history: salvage, rebuilt and flood brands, insurance total losses, odometer readings and theft records sit in NMVTIS, the federal title database, which only approved providers can sell. Check Any Used Car connects Claude to it, so you can paste a VIN, or a photo of one, and get the history and Claude's read on it in the same chat.
- Is this the same as a Carfax report?
- No. Carfax adds service-shop and police-report data that isn't in NMVTIS. NMVTIS is the government's title database: it is the authority on title brands, insurance total losses and odometer readings at title transfer, but it has no maintenance records and can miss accidents nobody reported. Many dealers give a free Carfax with the listing; private sellers usually don't, and that is where a title check matters most.
- Where do I find the VIN?
- On the dashboard at the base of the windshield (look from outside, driver's side), on a sticker in the driver's door jamb, on the title and registration, and in most listings. A photo of any of them works: Claude reads the 17 characters and checks them before anything is looked up.
- What's free?
- Decoding a VIN (year, model, trim, engine, where it was built), every NHTSA safety recall for the model year, owner complaint counts and crash-test ratings. Up to 60 VINs a day, and 3 market values a month, no plan needed.
- What does a plan add?
- History reports from NMVTIS: 8 a month for $14.99, or 60 a year for $99. Asking about the same VIN again within 30 days doesn't use another report. If a lookup fails, the report isn't counted. Plans also include 30 market values a month.
- Can it tell me what the car is worth?
- Yes. Ask Claude what the car is worth, with its mileage if you know it: car_value estimates the retail, trade-in or wholesale value from comparable vehicles, adjusted for mileage, condition and known damage, and shows how many comparables the figure rests on. If you already have the car's history report, a salvage or other brand in it is priced in. 3 valuations a month are free; plans include 30.
- Does it show who owns the car?
- No. Vehicle history reports don't include owners' names or addresses, and we don't look them up. Federal law (the Driver's Privacy Protection Act) protects that information.
- Does it work on my phone?
- Yes. A connector you add on claude.ai also works in the Claude apps for iPhone and Android, so you can photograph the VIN on the lot and ask straight away.