Any used car buyer wonders about the possibility to run VIN lookup at DMV. Free VIN lookup at DMV seems like a good option (if you send request to your local DMV or go there). However, the information may be limited to the specific state and you may have to sent many applications to different authorities to acquire the information about different sorts of problems like title problem, odometer fraud, police records, etc. And then compile the whole info into a full report. Sound quite exhausting and it actually is. In addition, what if the car had been registered in other states and you local authorities don’t have the information from other states? You don’t want to buy a vehicle with such gaps in the history. That’s why online vehicle history report providers are a much better option. You want to embrace the whole history of the vehicle, including Canada. Not to mention the time spent on traveling to DMV offices, the whole routine with the office workers, delays and other nuisances . That’s why online VIN lookup sites like CARFAX or AutoCheck look like a better VIN lookup option for most car buyers.
If you try to run VIN lookup at DMV.org and enter the VIN in the free lookup box on the top…you’ll get no result (at least I never did when I tried to check the VIN for my future car) . Instead, I was taken to the Vehicle History Reports page where I was suggested to enter the VIN once again. And that next step took me… AutoCheck site! Why does that happen? Is DMV.org affiliated with AutoCheck or just shifts the job to that company, or both at a time? Don’t be confused about the official DMV site. If you go to this DMV.org site for the first site, the first thing you’ll be displayed if the disclaimer “You are about to enter a privately owned website that is not owned or operated by any state government agency.” I think that answers the above questions. DMV is not an official DMV site, although it is legitimate and has much useful information for used car buyers. And if you want to run VIN lookup, obviously, there is no need to waste time at that site. Go directly to AutoCheck and get the report you need. However, what you can be certain about is that AutoCheck is a reliable vehicle history report company. In fact, they provide a buyback guarantee on the cars the issue reports on. This means that the company takes an obligation to buy the car back from you if a problem title not mentioned in their reports emerges. That’s another reason why online VIN lookup services beat DMV VIN lookup.
The official DMV site url will look like dmv.ca.gov (this one is for CA). Every state has its own DMV site so if you find a VIN check option there then lucky you are! I didn’t so I just got an car history report from one of the reputable online providers.