Before buying a used car, it pays to research its history, for your safety and peace of mind. This post will tell you what a VIN number is, how to locate it, and why it’s important to do a VIN number lookup.

What’s a VIN number lookup

What’s a VIN number lookup, and why do we need to do a VIN lookup before buying a used car? You’ll find the answer below.

What is the VIN number?

VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number. It’s a unique code for every motor vehicle. The number is a 17-character code made up of both numbers and letters. It’s usually printed in a single line. The VIN contains rich information about the car, which makes it important.

Where to find VIN number?

The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) of a car is typically located in a few specific places on the vehicle:

1. Dashboard: The most common location for the VIN is on the driver’s side dashboard, the lower-left corner of the dashboard, in front of the steering wheel. The best way to see it is to look through the windshield from outside the car. 
   
2. Driver’s side door jamb: The VIN is often found on a sticker or a metal plate on the door jamb.
3. Engine block: In some vehicles, particularly older models, the VIN might be stamped directly onto the engine block.
4. Vehicle documents: The VIN is usually listed in the vehicle’s registration or insurance documents, vehicle’s title, or ownership documents.

Why do you need to do a VIN lookup

If you’re interested in buying a used car, doing a VIN lookup is necessary. This is because the VIN number contains rich and important information about the car, including the type of automobile, airbag type, country of origin, engine size, model year, and trim level. All this information relates to car safety.

With a VIN lookup, you’ll know the vehicle’s safety issues and whether this car is a specific vehicle that needs to be recalled. What’s more, you can use the VIN number to find out if the vehicle has been stolen. I believe you would not want to buy stolen property from a thief, so it’s very important to do a VIN lookup before you pay for a used car.

Free VIN lookups

Here is the list of free VIN lookup sites. But free VIN lookup only provides a part of information about the vehicle, if you need specific information about a vehicle, I recommend you use paid VIN lookup services. 

1. NHTSA

VIN information is collected by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) from manufacturers who submit this data to the organization and you can use this site to check if the vehicle needs to be repaired as part of a recall.

1) Go to NHTSA.

2) Enter 17-character VIN.

3) See the result.

However, this site only tells you whether this car needs to be repaired as part of a recall, it won’t tell you the vehicle’s history, such as accidents.

2. National Insurance Crime Bureau

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) allows individuals to verify the history of a vehicle using its unique Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for free. It’s important to note that the NICB VIN check primarily focuses on information related to insurance claims and theft records.

1. Go to NICB official website and enter the VIN number.
2. Tick checkboxes and click SEARCH VIN.
   
3. You’ll receive VINCheck results related to the records of theft, salvage, or Total Loss record associated with the VIN in seconds
   

3. VehicleHistory.com

VehicleHistory.com is a website that offers free vehicle history reports to help consumers make informed decisions when purchasing used cars. By entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of a vehicle, you’ll see a picture of the vehicle, vehicle specifications, historical sales listings and NHTSA recalls and complaints. 

But these free VIN lookup sites have their limitations. To know more about a vehicle, such as the last odometer reading, selling price, ownership history, vehicle engine, and more, you need a paid VIN lookup service.

Paid VIN lookup services

BeenVerified

If you want to learn the vehicle’s accident history, its specifications, market value, sales history, and other information, you’ll need BeenVerified.

With a vehicle history report, you’re able to tell if a seller is reliable. It will also help protect you from scams and from purchasing stolen or used cars that may not be worthwhile. BeenVerified could provide you with some clues about the vehicle’s previous owners. You may talk to the vehicle owner directly if you have utilized this tool.

1) It’s safer to search for and write down the VIN number by yourself on the vehicle. Because there are many shady sellers out there who will try to substitute a clean VIN for one with issues.

2) Go to BeenVerified.

3) Click the Vehicle Search tab. Then enter the VIN number and click Search for a vehicle.

4) Wait for a sec and you’ll a detailed report will be presented.

5) Use BeenVerified to connect with the vehicle owner if needed.

Bumper

To learn more about a vehicle you own or plan to buy, you can use Bumper to research a vehicle by VIN number. Bumper can help you know a vehicle’s accident history, salvage and theft records. It’s also a great tool to help you compare the two similar vehicles. With the help of their cost data and 150+ data points of vehicle specs and recalls, you can make a wiser decision.

1) Go to Bumper.

2) Enter the VIN number and click SEARCH.

3) Bumper will search on its database and give you a report that contains the information you need.

That’s everything about VIN number lookup, hope this post will help you buy a good car.