Home 5 VIN Check 5 How Many Owners Does That Used Car Have?

How Many Owners Does That Used Car Have?

by | Jun 5, 2014 | VIN Check

Buying a used car can be an interesting and terrifying process.  Whether you purchase your car from the ad out of the paper or from your neighborhood car dealer, there is no way to completely know the story of who else has sat behind the steering wheel.

Why You Might Want to Trace Ownership

There are many reasons why someone might want to perform a free VIN check to see how many other owners have called the car their own.  The most common is to assess the value of the car – was that vehicle really owned by just that one kindly old man, or is someone spinning a tale hoping to drive the price up?  Is that low mileage real, or have they rolled the odometer?  Is that last repair still under warranty, and will that warranty transfer?  Being able to trace down previous ownership will make answering these sorts of questions a lot easier.

 How Many Owners Does That Used Car Have? Car restorers and classic car enthusiasts often want to do a VIN number check as part of finding out the history of the car. By finding out who else drove the car, they can discover its history. Was it a family vehicle or the prize possession of a teenager who just got their license? Did it drive around town doing family errands or take cross-country road trips?

In rare cases, you might even find out that the car was owned by someone famous, was used during filming of a classic movie, or other interesting facts. 

For those who hope to sell or trade their classic car down the line, the more history they have, particularly if it is something that can be proven, the higher cost they can ask for it.

How a VIN check works

The VIN, or vehicle identification number, is a unique number given to each and every car on the road.  The number can be used for a variety of things, such as discovering where the car was manufactured or the original color of the exterior.  More importantly, VINs are used as a way of identifying cars during transactions, such as buying and selling.  Doing a free carfax check can show you the history of the title, how many times it has changed hands, how much it was sold for, whether or not it has ever been in an accident, and more.

Be aware of VIN check limitations

It is important to keep in mind that there are some limitations to doing a VIN check.  Due to privacy laws, you may not be able to get any information on previous owners, and therefore may not be able to find out much more than what accidents the car has been in and how many owners it has had. 

For older vehicles, records may be inaccurate or incomplete, depending on how long they have been on the road.  And even if you can find all of the information on a vehicle, it could be that the original owner has moved, passed away, or changed names since then.

Regardless of the reasons, being able to find out who the previous owners of your used car were can end up being helpful down the road.  Knowing how to find out the information using a VIN check will make tracking down this data easier.

Article by Category
Recent Articles

Top Reasons to Use a License Plate Lookup Tool

Why use a license plate lookup? It's practically the modern equivalent of looking both ways before crossing the street. Reasons for license plate lookup range from avoiding buying a car with a secret life of crime to confirming that your neighbor’s van isn’t...

Legal Considerations for License Plate Lookups

License plate lookups can provide valuable information about vehicles and their owners, but many people wonder, "Is license plate lookup legal?" This guide explores the legalities surrounding license plate lookups, including federal and state privacy laws for license...

What Is a License Plate Lookup and How Does It Work?

You’ve got a shiny ride in front of you, but what’s the story behind it? That’s where a license plate lookup like VinCheckPro.com swoops in like your personal Sherlock Holmes. A license plate lookup is your secret weapon for uncovering a vehicle’s past. It reveals...

What Information Can You Get from a License Plate Lookup?

When you're eyeballing that shiny used car, a license plate lookup could swoop in like a superhero, revealing secrets about its past life—like how many owners it’s had or if it’s secretly been a speed demon. Information from license plate lookup is your backstage pass...

You might like

Understanding How VIN Cloning Works in Automobiles

Understanding How VIN Cloning Works in Automobiles

VIN cloning is a type of fraud in which a stolen vehicle is given a duplicate vehicle identification number (VIN) that matches the title of another vehicle, usually one that has been sold recently or has not yet been registered.  It involves changing the VIN on...

Texas Plates: Fastest Way To Check Texas Cars

Texas Plates: Fastest Way To Check Texas Cars

Everyone has been there – stuck in traffic behind a car with an obscured license plate, or trying to recall the details of a plate number for insurance purposes. One may even get in trouble for not recollecting certain facts connected to a license plate number. With...

Decoding: One Step Closer To Learning A Car’s History

Decoding: One Step Closer To Learning A Car’s History

Do you know what a car’s VIN code is? Knowing it allows you to do some simple research called VIN decoding. It may sound like some pretty boring stuff but a VIN code provides so much information it’s worth taking the time to learn what it’s all about. What is a VIN?...