, but you should n't make a decision without asking about anything you see on a vehicle history : Many owners The more garages a car 's been in , the less likely it 's been lovingly cared for all its life . Not everyone is as responsible about car care as you are . Rental cars and former taxis , for example , will often have undergone a lot of abuse , although they tend to be quite inexpensive . Location , location , location Some parts of the country are more car-friendly than others . Winter storms -LRB- with their accompanying salted roads -RRB- can be rough on cars , as obviously can floods , excessive heat or even sea air . Cars that have been where these are common may have hidden damage . Name and description Be sure the car in the report is the same as the car you 're looking at . Carefully reviewing the vehicle description is one way to avoid various types of vehicle fraud , like VIN cloning . A cloned vehicle involves using a vehicle identification number -LRB- VIN -RRB- from a legally owned , non-stolen vehicle to mask the
-LRB- AOL Autos -RRB- -- Old cars do n't die , they just get resold . Check out a vehicle history report to make sure your new used car wo n't blow smoke down the highway . If you 're buying a used car , whether from a dealer or someone who put an ad in the paper , you 'll want to know as much about it as you can . Even without anyone trying to deceive you , the vehicle may have problems you ca n't see from a simple visual inspection or even a short test drive . A vehicle history report prepared by a third party is one way to know what you 're getting . Combining information from state DMVs -LRB- Departments of Motor Vehicles -RRB- and RMVs -LRB- Registry of Motor Vehicles -RRB- as well as police reports and other sources , a vehicle history report can give you a comprehensive overview of where the car 's been . Here are some things to look for -- or look out for -- when you get a report on a vehicle . None of these things is necessarily a reason not to buy a car