Vehicle history research

[michael lang]

I have owned my car for 11 years, although I know where I got my car and the very short ownership of the guy I got it from I really don't know that much about the first 15 years of my car's life. If I wanted to dig into researching about where my car has been and what it has been through, where does one start, where would I go to find out about things like that?

[javadog]

You could run a Carfax check and get some idea of where it has been. Some states may be able to give you previous ownership information, others won't. Generally you fill out a form, pay them some money and wait. Contact the relevant DMV or tax commission offices and ask. You can also ask for records from dealerships and repair shops. Some will help you, some won't. A Porsche dealer should be able to print out a warranty/dealer service history for the car, to get you started.

JR

[kupcar]

Yes a Carfax will get you rolling in the right direction. It should give you info on ownership and things like insurance claims, emission testing results and mileage at that event. Unfortunately not everything goes into the database, but it kind of gives you a timeline.

[bugmeat]

You should be able to get an ownership history 'report' from the States that the car has been registered in. Check the DMV website for the state and see if they have the option. I was able to do it for CA and FL.