DMV Vehicle History Report
Are you considering buying a used vehicle? One of the most important tools available to used car buyers is the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) vehicle history report.  A DMV vehicle history report details the information that you need when buying a used car vehicle, such as what damage the car may have suffered in an accident or whether the car was ever declared a lemon.
Critical things you need to know when buying a used car

What are the things one needs to know when buying a used car? Here are some of the examples of things that a buyer may be on the lookout for:

• A prospective buyer should know about the accurate mileage of the car and this is determined from the odometer of the car. At times this can be tampered.
• A prospective buyer should know about the accident damage and any permanent damage that could not be corrected on a vehicle.
• A prospective buyer ideally should be aware of whether there was any flood damage or whether the car is a salvaged car.
• A prospective buyer should know if the car was at any time declared a lemon.  The lemon laws including the Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act protect consumers against being sold cars (and other goods) where the car (or other goods) do not live up to the representations made by the seller of that particular car (or other goods).

If a buyer is aware of this information, he or she can make an informed choice about the vehicle that they are considering buying.  A buyer can choose to walk away from a car with dubious accident history or can arrive at a bargain price better than the price that he or she would have paid for in absence of such dubious history.Vehicle History Report or VIN 

DMV Vehicle History Reports are meticulous documents based on cross referencing and cross checking.  Some of the things covered in the vehicle history report are:

• All accident history from minor to major ones that may have been recorded.
• If the car was declared road unworthy or a lemon at any point.
• If the car sustained any frame damage or structural damage.
• If the car was ever declared a total loss in an accident.
• If the car’s odometer (that mileage use meter) ever altered or set back.
• If the car suffered any flood damage.
• If and when the airbags of the car were deployed and how many times.
• The vehicle owner(s)’s service record.
• Whether the car was ever used as a rental car or as a taxi cab.
• Whether the car was used in law enforcement departments such as the police.
• Failed emissions test or tests as the case may be.

To ensure that this information is accurate the DMV vehicle history report draws on data provided by the DMV in addition to the police department and the fire department.  In a way a DMV vehicle history report (also called the VIN or the car history report) becomes as important if not more so as a test drive. A test drive can tell you only so much but a DMV vehicle history report is usually a comprehensive document that tells you how and when the car was used or misused.
Advantages of a DMV Vehicle History Report

A DMV vehicle history report helps you save money, get the best deal and make a smart and informed choice. If the car was used as rental or a taxicab, it was most likely abused.  Similarly a car which was previously in use of the police department would have been situations which may have made accidents more likely.  A DMV vehicle history report comes with the warranty that the information contained it is accurate and up to date and it is this warranty that is your best safeguard against being defrauded or cheated out of your money.