A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a unique 17-character code assigned to every vehicle by the manufacturer. It serves as the car's fingerprint and provides important information about it.

The VIN number includes details such as the make, model, year, engine type, transmission type, and even where it was manufactured. By decoding the VIN correctly, you can gain valuable insights into any vehicle’s history.

How to Use the VIN to Identify a Vehicle's Year

The 10th Position of the VIN represents the year the vehicle was manufactured.

Take the number or letter in position 10 and use the the following VIN to year table to determine the model year of the vehicle.

VIN to Year Table

Interesting Fact: The characters O, I, U and Z, and the number zero are not used in the model year code to avoid confusion and misinterpretation (e.g., the letter “V” and “U” may be misinterpreted so only the letter “V” is used and not the letter “U”).

What to Learn More About Your Vehicle?

If you want to decode the rest of your vehicle's VIN, this article called “How to Read the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)” will show you how.

Related Articles That Might Interest You

• Save Money with These Cheap Vehicle History Report Options
• Free National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) Lookup

The post How to Tell the Year of the Vehicle by VIN first appeared on Instant Vehicle History.

However, one thing that I don't like about CARFAX is the price. A single CARFAX report costs $39.99 so I am forced to purchase the CARFAX report(s) only after I've narrowed my choices down to the last 1-2 cars.

Most of the information on the CARFAX report looked like it came from DMV, insurance, and NHTSA databases. So I asked myself, there had to be other less expensive vehicle history report options available.

But I am jumping ahead… Let's start off with…

What is a Vehicle History Report?

A vehicle history report (also called a VIN report), provides detailed information on the service, repair and accident history of an individual motor vehicle over its lifetime. It can be used to help determine if any issues have been reported or repaired in relation to that particular car, as well as provide a comprehensive record of ownership details such as odometer readings, mileage discrepancies etc. Some VIN reports also include additional information like pricing, average cost to maintain and operate the vehicle, and local used car dealerships that have similar vehicles in-stock.

Each vehicle manufactured for the US since 1981 has an unique Vehicle Identification Number (or VIN) assigned to it. A vehicle's VIN is used by government agencies and private companies to refer to a specific vehicle in car registrations, auto insurance policies, and even auto loans.

If you want more information about the VIN, take a look at this article.

Now that you know the basics of a VIN report, the next logical question is…

Why do I need a Vehicle History Report?

In three words… piece of mind.

When you go shop for a used vehicle at a car dealership, the salesperson will normally show you the vehicle history report like a CARFAX on the vehicle that you are thinking about purchasing.

When you are buying a used vehicle from an individual (private party), the seller won't provide you with a vehicle report like the dealership. So you either have to take the seller in his/her word on the vehicle's accident history, odometer reading, etc. or you can purchase a vehicle report on you own.

Tip: If you are buying a used vehicle from a private party, you may want to also take the vehicle to your local mechanic to check the vehicle.

Why not CARFAX?

CARFAX is a great service. They were one of the first companies to provide detailed vehicle history reports to consumers.

However, the cost of the report is quite high. Here are the prices:

• One Report:  $39.99
• 3 Reports:  $59.99
• 6 Reports:  $99.99

Sure, one could purchase more CARFAX reports to reduce the cost of each report down to around $16.67 (if you buy the 6 report bundle) but that would mean that you would have to pay almost $100 up front to get this discounted price.

What are Other Cheaper Vehicle History Report Options?

Let's take a look at some less expensive vehicle history report options that give you similar vehicle history information but at a much more affordable price.

The following vehicle report alternatives access similar if not the same databases and registries that CARFAX use. Like CARFAX, you can get a discounted price if you order multiple reports. If you are comparing multiple used vehicles, this is a great option for you.

OPTION 1: VinCheckUp

A single VinCheckUp vehicle history report costs only $14.95. The report can be downloaded and/or printed for 30-days.

Like CARFAX, the VinCheckUp report shows structural damage, lemon history, junk or salvage vehicle, odometer reading, total lost history, recalls & defects, accident history, title information, and of course, vehicle specifications.

>> Click here to check out VinCheckUp <<

OPTION 2:  VinAudit

VinAudit has the option to purchase one report for $9.99.

VinAudit provides a similar report like VinCheckUp (vehicle specification, title records, junk/salvage/insurance records, accident records, theft records, lien/impound/export records, salvage auction records, sale records, title checks, etc.).

Additionally, the VinAudit report provides the market value of the vehicle, ownership cost, and other resources on the vehicle like retail value and the vehicle's NHTSA 5-star rating.

>> Click here to check out VinAudit <<

The post Save Money with These Cheap Vehicle History Report Options first appeared on Instant Vehicle History.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) provides a free lookup service to determine if a vehicle has been reported salvage or stolen but not recovered.

The free service is called VINCheck.

How to Perform a VIN Check

To use VINCheck, you will first need the vehicle's VIN. Then do the following:

1. Navigate to the NICB VINCheck website
2. Enter the vehicle VIN in the textbox labeled “Enter VIN”
3. Agree to the terms and conditions
4. Confirm that you are human (and not a robot)
5. Click on the “Search VIN” button

The lookup in NICB's database will take seconds to complete. If the vehicle is “clean”, you should see a message indicating that the vehicle's VIN did not show up in the thefts records or salvage records.

Please note that VINCheck searches the theft and salvage data from participating insurance companies.

Need More Information About a Vehicle?

If you want more information about the vehicle's specifications and vehicle's history like DMV records, service records, etc., you should check out the following low cost vehicle history reports that are under $20:

• VINCheckup
• VinAudit
• VINAlert

The post Free National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) Lookup first appeared on Instant Vehicle History.

1. Detailed vehicle history
2. Auction & Incidents
3. Classified records
4. NHTSA recalls & complaints
5. Vehicle specifications like make, model, trim, vehicle year, engine displacement, towing capacity, etc.
6. Full vehicle report
7. List of similar vehicles for auction

Here are the benefits and drawbacks of the free Vehicle History VIN report:

Benefits with the Vehicle History VIN Report

1. The VIN report is free. If you are looking for some basic information on a vehicle, this service might be for you.
2. The Vehicle History report also shows NHTSA recalls.

Drawbacks with the Vehicle History VIN Report

1. There is no option to print or email the VIN report.
2. The VIN report is very basic. You don't get the details and depth of information found on CARFAX, VINAlert, VinCheckUp, or VIN Audit.

Summary

If you are looking for some basic information on a vehicle, this free report will be “just right” for you. However, if you need some more detailed information like vehicle registrations, service records, detailed accident reports, you should look at VINAlert, VinCheckUp or VIN Audit. These alternative VIN reports cost a fraction of CARFAX report and provide similar information.

Click here to visit Vehicle History for a free basic VIN report.

The post Get Your Vehicle History Free VIN Report first appeared on Instant Vehicle History.

1. Vehicle specifications like make, model, trim, vehicle year, engine displacement, towing capacity, etc.
2. Vehicle features
3. Market value and price information
4. Mileage analysis
5. Basic accident and vehicle history (e.g., number of accidents, number of owners, etc.)
6. Free theft check (there is a link to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) website)
7. Free recall check (provides a summary of any recalls for the vehicle — for details, you need to go the NHTSA website)

iSeeCars limits you to 5 vehicle searches per month.

Here are the benefits and drawbacks of the free iSeeCars VIN report:

Benefits of the iSeeCars VIN Report

1. The iSeeCars VIN report is free. If you are looking for some basic information on a vehicle, this service might be for you.
2. You are allowed to perform five (5) VIN searches per month.

Drawbacks of the iSeeCars VIN Report

1. The iSeeCars VIN report is very basic. You don't get the details and depth of information found on CARFAX, VINAlert, VinCheckUp, or VIN Audit.

Summary

If you are looking for some basic information on a vehicle, this free report will be “just right” for you.

However, if you need some more detailed information like vehicle registrations, service records, detailed accident reports, you should check out VINAlert, VinCheckUp or VIN Audit. These alternative VIN reports cost a fraction of CARFAX report and provide similar information.

Click here to visit iSeeCars for a free basic VIN report.

The post Get Your iSeeCars Free VIN Report first appeared on Instant Vehicle History.

The NHTSA maintains a database of manufacturer recalls related to specific vehicle makes and models. This helps people stay informed about any potential safety issues or defects with their vehicles so that they can be addressed promptly.

To see if there are any recalls for your vehicle, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the NHTSA recalls page by clicking here
2. Enter your vehicle's VIN in the textbox labeled “Enter 17 Character VIN” and press <ENTER>

The NHTSA website will search its database of vehicle recalls and return a list of recalls if there are any for your vehicle. If your vehicle has a recall, contact your local authorized dealer to set up an appointment to fix your vehicle's recall.

Alternatively, you can call the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236.

Need More Information about Your Vehicle?

If you want more information about the vehicle's specifications and vehicle's history like DMV records, service records, etc., you should check out the following low cost VIN reports:

• VinCheckUp
• VinAudit
• VINAlert

The post Free National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Report first appeared on Instant Vehicle History.