subject: What Is A "carproof" Report, And How To Interpret The Data Properly? [print this page] If you live in Canada and have recently purchased a used vehicle, you have probably heard of this service called "CarProof" report. The concept is similar in nature to "CarFax", as matter of fact many consumers are not educated enough to make this distinction. One crucial difference between the two is "CarProof" report mainly focuses on the Canadian market, while "CarFax" is geared towards south of the border. The data from "CarProof" report are collected from many different sources including Canadian insurance companies, motor vehicle registration office, even through used car dealer association services. Each one of these sources by itself is not comprehensive enough, but gather the data together a bigger picture will emerge. As a consumer ready to purchase a used car, you need to know few crucial areas of information.
a) Is this vehicle free of any types of lien? - A lien in essence is amount of money owing on the vehicle that has not been paid off by the previous owner, this can be either financial (an existing car loan) or mechanical (unpaid repair bills). If you have purchased a used vehicle without a lien search from every province in Canada, you maybe faced with an outstanding lien which you, as the new owner will be held legally responsible for. "CarProof" report will offer you a comprehensive lien search that covers every province in Canada; this will protect you as a consumer not to be faced with any nasty surprises later on down the road.
b) Is this vehicle imported from the U.S? - U.S vehicle in Canadian market is worth considerably less, this is due to several factors such as the original purchase price, required upgrades to vehicle's factory equipment such as daytime running light, child seat anchors, even instrument cluster. Some manufactures will not honor the original manufacture's warranty if the vehicle has been imported to Canada. If you are willing to purchase an imported vehicle, you should make sure the selling price justifies the vehicle's origin.
c) Is this vehicle's title clean and clear? - This is a good indicator of major accident repairs, if the vehicle has been declared as "salvage" or "rebuild" title you should stay away from making the purchase. If the vehicle has sustained major damage from fire, flood or hail, "CarProof" title search will indicate the type of damage.
d) Is there any odometer fraud? - Odometer fraud occurs more often than you think, if the odometer of the vehicle has been tampered with or "rolled back". The vehicle is considered to be "true mileage unknown". This can be a death sentence to your resale value.
e) Is there any major accident repairs on the vehicle? - This information will vary by brand, if you are driving a Porsche 911 and you have replaced the front and rear bumpers in a minor fender bender. Your accident data may show $20,000 due to expensive original parts and repair cost. This is perfectly acceptable judging by the brand and repair cost it will incur. On the other hand if you are driving a Honda Civic but "CarProof" report is showing a $10,000 claim, you should interpret this as potential major accident vehicle. The con of such data is false interpretation, since most of your average consumers have no idea about the true cost of body shop repairs. They make false assumptions as well as their own judgment that can affect the deal, make sure you consult with a professional before jumping to conclusions.
