Carfax, trusted resource or fraud?

We've all heard the ads, "ask for your free Carfax report." When purchasing a vehicle, we're trained to ask for the Carfax report for piece of mind in a used vehicle purchase.

However after reading many online complaints of vehicle owners, whose vehicles were fine, yet when they tried to sell, the report stated an accident, inaccurate miles, etc that was not the case. A misprint of miles was corrected with the DMV, so the vehicle's title was no longer mistakenly marked "Not Actual Miles" yet Carfax would not change the report.

Certainly the frustration of car owners is understandable when they know the history on their vehicles, and then, suddenly their vehicle can't be sold for their asking price with this negative report.

Imagine fixing the paint for a scratch that occurred when your kid scraped their scooter against it in the narrow space of the driveway. You take your car in to have the paint fixed, go to sell the car and Carfax reports this incident as an accident. Truth is, online there are many stories like this.

On the otherhand there are many people who purchase and feel confident when it reads, "no accidents/ airbag deployment/ odometer rollback/ etc reported." Yet the keyword is "reported." In many cases owners have reported that it was a clear report when they purchased, yet a few months later, a previous accident was finally reported, too late for the car purchaser. Carfax has not been big brother looking at every little use of your car, and updating its report immediately. While they rely on third party sources for information that comprises their reports, there can be damage that never makes its way into the Carfax report.

So what are your alternatives when you are shopping for a vehicle to still have the peace of mind that your vehicle does not have: structural/frame damage, total loss, odometer rollback, etc?

While there are other sites similar to Carfax available to check vehicle history, they have the same pitfalls as the industry leader. Your best alternative is to bring along your most mechanical and car savvy friend. With a trained eye, somebody who has worked in a body shop or as a mechanic can see the signs that body work has been done or a part has been repainted, that the rest of us may miss. Their expertise can enlighten you if this was a quality repair or if you shouldn't trust it as dependable.

Unfortunately, in this .com world, we look for online solutions to tangible items that we have to make important decisions about. While the insight about your vehicle from Carfax may give you piece of mind, understanding how many owners had the car prior to you, and if it were for rental or personal use, this information is not bomb-proof. Look at this information and have the discriminating eye of a mechanic for a better piece of mind.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Mark's Auto Sales family wishes you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. In celebration of the holiday the dealership will be closed on Thursday November 26th. While the sales staff and employees of Mark's Auto Sales are enjoying turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce with their families on Thanksgiving day, we will be open on "Black Friday."

If you are looking to make a vehicle purchase before this year is out, be sure to check your MoneyMailer for more information about the Dollar Down plus taxes Super Liquidation Sale. We will also have the TaxMax program in effect, where you can estimate your tax return with your current pay stub. Then this can be used to supplement your down payment to get financing on your dream car.

Please enjoy your holiday and don't hesitate to let us know if there is anything we can assist you with.

Save up your down payment

A lot of subprime and buy here pay here customers understand that their down payment is a big part in choosing the vehicle they want to buy. In the buy here pay here business, the term "cash is king" is used frequently. When you are able to put more into your downpayment, you can reduce the term of the loan, the amount for your monthly payments, and reduce the amount that you have to finance.

It always looks good if you have saved up a substantial downpayment, when underwriting reviews the loan. So what if you need a car and you haven't had the opportunity to save up the down payment you wish you had?

With a bank, you have to have all your down payment immediately. At Mark's Auto Sales, a buy here pay here dealership, our sales associates are trained to help you, the customer, budget downpayment and monthly payments. Bring in your pay stubs and know what bills you have upcoming. We can schedule for you to bring in additional downpayment within two weeks after signing the paperwork and driving off.

Of course, always remember, if you've promised to bring in downpayment, it has to come in when it is scheduled, because the rest of the payments and the loan are dependent on that downpayment!

See our customers on our website

As the blogger and web marketer for Mark's Auto Sales, I wanted to be sure that current customers, as well as car shoppers know of the "Testimonials" page on our MarksAutoSales.com website. As part of MarksTV, there are now video testimonials on our site and our Mark's Auto Sales YouTube channel.

If you are a current customer and would like to share how your credit has improved when you've paid on your Mark's Auto Sales/META Financial Svc loan, we would be glad to hear. Or if you would like to share about your experience with Mark's Auto.

If you're looking for a reputable used car dealer that can help you, see our "Testimonials" page. We've helped a wide variety of customers get back on the road, and gave them a chance even if their credit has been hurting.

New videos and photos are being put together. Please contact us if you would like your photo, video or story on the site. We appreciate the reputation from our customers.

Staci at Mark's Auto Sales