ICBC Vehicle history reports
 

Is ICBC Vehicle history reports worth it? Or is it just a waste of money. I'm about to buy a good car for a good value but I would like to check out the records before buying it. Should I pay for ICBC Vehicle history reports or is car proof the only reliable option?

carproof for USA
icbc for BC

Depending how much you are about to spend on the vehicle , you should consider a ICBC vehicle history report to insure that you are paying what you are getting for.

Ok so I just did an ICBC check and its been in four accidents. She only told me the door got swiped once. :mad:

Nov 2010 COLLISION 632$ repairs
Sept 2009 COLLISION no details repairs
Aug 2009 COLLISION 2915$ repairs
Aug 2005 COLLISION 2195$ repairs

Sometimes the no detail repairs can sometimes can mean the seller never fixed the car with ICBC, however they might have also done an estimate with an ICBC adjuster. Before. if we paid 'x' amount of dollars, you can go into detail with each claim to see the estimate done.

Good thing u did a history check
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Well how long has she owned it? Maybe she didn't know...

ICBC history reports are well worth the money. It's only ~20 bucks - a very small fraction of the cost of a used car.

i did a carproof last week b/c i wanted to be sure there were no liens on the car, and icbc recommends it on their site.

good thing i did, b/c there was a lien on it. costs a lot more, but in my case it was worth it. i dont think icbc checks for liens but i could be wrong. the one that does lien checks costs around $70 though

^ I believe ICBC used to do lien checks, but as of recently (this year) they have stopped doing so.

well theres 2 "major" repairs over $2000 which generally depreciates the car value a lot, then theres one with "no details " so that's sketchy in addition to her saying only one accident on the vehicle..

avoid it.

so whats the best service to use to check for car history/liens?

ICBC? CarFax? CarProof??

Did she say when her door got swiped once?
the $632 is nothing now a days at the rate bodyshop charges. But if she really did have an accident in Aug 2009...and Sept 2009 again.. :\

i'd say the carproof/carfax is better than just a icbc report..mainly due to the lein check.
If there is a lein on the car, and you purchased the car, and the original owner didnt pay off the lein, the bank could potentially take your car away..
it also gives you more than just accident history..it tells you if it has had accidents outside of the country, whether its a US vehicle..etc..
worth every penny

just my 2 cents

Pretty sure that a seller has to declare any and all accidents that are $2000 or more.

only dealers have to..
private is well, private as long as bill of sale has the REBUILT box checked(if it was rebuilt) and as is where is. the buyer is out of luck...

that is why you should ALWAYS do your homework and get the car checked out by a reputable shop of YOUR choosing.

^ nope. Transfer form has a box for damage over $2k, you must dec it for a private sale as well.

Dealer has to delcare any accidents period. And on paper declare $2k+ as well.

$600 is chump change for repairs from an ICBC approved shop, a crack on a tail light could have caused that. Even the pair of $2000 repairs could be nothing more than basic body and paint work, if you can get some sort of a work order or details on exactly what was repaired. I would use that as leverage to further negotiate down the price rather than avoiding it altogether.

By far the most worrying is the "no details" repairs, strongly encourage you find out exactly what that is before going further.

Keep in mind everyone, if the accident was fixed outside of insurance (paid for 100% by the owner) then it's possible the accident will never show on carfax/carproof/icbc checks.. if it was fixed so well that there's no trace of it.. you may never know it was in an accident.

In my experience, you should not rely on these services alone. You need to take a detailed look at the car and see if there is any overspray or chipped body panel screws (from body panels being removed) or serious nicks or gouges on body parts underneath the car.

If you are a newb when it comes to cars and mechanicals, get a friend who is a car nut to help you, and remember to pay him back for helping.

would you guys run these reports (carfax/icbc/etc.) if you were buying pre-owned from a reputable dealer (burrard acura / rmd automall dealer) ?

^they should provide them. Whenever we take a vehicle in we run the reports and put them on file.
Always ask to see them because lots of sales people are quick on the gun to say no accidents!!

Yes, 2000 damage nowadays in BC might only means minimal damages. Always make sure you get your own technician (aka a third party opinion) to inspect it before signing anything. Never trust dealership's 1001 points of inspection unless it's from BCAA.

The car might be bang up but depends on the location of the damages, it could still be solid.

Just thought I'd chime in here as well with a recent experience.

I am shopping around for a used TSX or TL (anyone have one for sale?) and went to a dealership (that will remain unnamed) and asked to check out the history report.

ICBC shows no claims, but the carproof had a $10k estimate. This immediately raised a red flag and I asked the sales person about it and he said he would get back to me later. A week or two later, this is what he said.

"Legally, we are allowed to claim no accident if the ICBC report shows no claims. If the carproof shows an estimate or claim outside of ICBC, we can still indicate it as no accident as that is what we go by." (May not be word for word, but close enough)

Just thought I'd chime in and make people aware that all dealerships are alike and that as always... buyer beware and do your homework.