I used to own 2 paint meters, and found them valuable for examining nearly a hundred cars each day at auctions and on the street. I was careful to make sure I knew the cars I bought. Clients and customers alike relied upon my expertise to guide them on the history of a car. I could tell you if a car was a cherished friend or a hated ex in just a few minutes of examination. That has changed, dramatically.

Since the explosion of the consumer public's dependence upon Carfax reports, I threw my Elcometer away and maintain an unlimited Carfax account instead. As a population, consumers no longer care if a car was truly in an accident, they just want to know if it has a clean Carfax. They won't believe me when I describe the severity of the accident, or even offer to pay for an independent verification. They just want me to show them the Carfax.

It is a travesty, and proof Bob is right about the power of their marketing techniques. Out of principle, my wife drives a perfect ca

What a great testimony Dave. It is proof that the truth doesn't matter because the hype has trumped it. This is harmful to the consumer but it seems it doesn't matter to them.

This is very similar to the days when clocking cars was the norm. If you had a mileage certificate to cover you from the previous owner it was fine. Just like a car fax that is frequently misleading and very often not close to complete, we are relegated to conform to what we know is not accurate. And it is coming from the consumer. This is twisted logic and a direct result of fabulous misleading advertisement.

Thanks for your input candid Dave.

I once sold a gorgeous unmarked Mazda Miata LE with just 7700 miles on it. It took me six months and an attorney letter to get Carfax to repeal their mistake. They called it a simply typing error, but the Carfax for my car read 77,000 miles, for which the customer wasn't too pleased over. If it wasn't for my impeccable reputation I coulod have eaten the car back, however six months of go around with Caefax, and they finally changed it and admitted their mistake. Just one Carfax horror story, there are many more.....
Gerry Acquilano
Geneva, NY

Amazingly articulate and insightful characterization of the real world as it relates to Carfax and the retail consumer.

I can add one more ice topping to the story, that implicates Manheim's guilt by Association. As we all know, PowerSearch offers a Carfax link with every unit posted, due to both Manheim's and Carfax's representation of their "Special Integrated Relationship." However, management and marketing directors of both Manheim and Carfax refuse to acknowledge or respond to repeated inquiries as to why a unit can be posted on PowerSearch with a "Clean" Carfax Report alongside a "Frame Damage" Manheim ECR, and yet Carfax will refuse to acknowledge the data from their Special Integrated Relationship Partner.

Now, tell me how I explain this to my retail customer ?

I agree with you that Carfax is a total scam and offers useless information for a price. We went almost exclusely to autocheck, where I find the information to be somewhat more relavant. We dont however run them on every unit, but only if its a unit where I may suspect something, or if Im buying it online. However, the bigger problem is the customer who comes in demanding their carfax to which they feel entitled! If they want one so bad, have them go the the website, whip out their credit card and have at it. I feel that carfax spends our $$ for us with their 'get your free carfax at any reputable dealer' adavertising, and that just rubs me the wrong way, and its not going to change till us dealers band together. Remeber, we're just making them richer and we're doing all the work! Just venting! :)