What a history report covers, and what it can't
History reports come from NMVTIS, the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System. It is run for the U.S. Department of Justice, and states, insurers and salvage yards are required to report to it. Consumers can only get NMVTIS data through approved providers; ours is VinAudit.
What it covers
- Title brands
- A state marks a title salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk, lemon-law buyback or one of dozens of other brands. A brand can quietly drop off when a car is re-titled in another state; the history keeps it.
- Insurance total losses
- Insurers must report cars they write off. A total loss can be repaired and sold, often without the buyer being told.
- Junk and salvage yard reports
- Junk yards, salvage pools and auto recyclers must report the cars they take in, with what they did with them.
- Odometer readings
- The mileage recorded each time the car was titled. A later reading lower than an earlier one is a rollback warning, or a clerk's typo; the seller's service records settle it.
- Theft records
- Whether the car was reported stolen and recovered.
- Title history
- Every state the car was titled in, and when. Several states in a short time after a brand or loss is a sign of title washing.
What it doesn't
- Service and maintenance records. Ask the seller, or the dealer that serviced it.
- Accidents that no insurer, junk yard or state reported. A cash repair at a body shop leaves no record.
- The car's condition today. Only an inspection by a mechanic you choose tells you that.
- Who owns or owned the car. That is protected by federal privacy law, and no report includes it.
How to use it
Check the VIN before you go to see the car, so you don't drive across town for a washed title. If the report is clean, it means nothing bad was reported, not that nothing happened: still have it inspected. If it shows a brand or a total loss, a car can still be a fair buy at a salvage price with the repair paperwork in hand; Claude can help you work out what to ask and what to offer.