Are Carfax reports worth it?

[Quiksilver]

Simple question and I'll probably get more responses here than in the garage. Are car fax reports worth it? What exactly do they tell you? Anything detailed?

 

[CRXican]

they aren't accurate or detailed

you'll find out how many owners and in what states the car has been in

 

[looker001]

Not accurate at all. Don't bother getting one as it will not tell you what you really want to know, was the car involved in any major accidents.

 

[Quiksilver]

Then is there any alternatives?

 

[woodie1]

Originally posted by: Quiksilver
Simple question and I'll probably get more responses here than in the garage. Are car fax reports worth it? What exactly do they tell you? Anything detailed?

You've heard the axiom, "Garbage in, garbage out."

Some reports are accurate but if you read the fine print on their site they acknowledge that they can only report what has been reported to them. IMHO best bet is to have the vehicle checked out by a good mechanic.