( AOL Autos ) -- Old cars do n't die , they just get resold . Check out a vehicle history report to make sure your new used car wo n't blow smoke down the highway . If you 're buying a used car , whether from a dealer or someone who put an ad in the paper , you 'll want to know as much about it as you can . Even without anyone trying to deceive you , the vehicle may have problems you ca n't see from a simple visual inspection or even a short test drive . A vehicle history report prepared by a third party is one way to know what you 're getting . Combining information from state DMVs ( Departments of Motor Vehicles ) and RMVs ( Registry of Motor Vehicles ) as well as police reports and other sources , a vehicle history report can give you a comprehensive overview of where the car 's been . Here are some things to look for -- or look out for -- when you get a report on a vehicle . None of these things is necessarily a reason not to buy a car , but you should n't make a decision without asking about anything you see on a vehicle history : . Many owners . The more garages a car 's been in , the less likely it 's been lovingly cared for all its life . Not everyone is as responsible about car care as you are . Rental cars and former taxis , for example , will often have undergone a lot of abuse , although they tend to be quite inexpensive . Location , location , location . Some parts of the country are more car-friendly than others . Winter storms ( with their accompanying salted roads ) can be rough on cars , as obviously can floods , excessive heat or even sea air . Cars that have been where these are common may have hidden damage . Name and description . Be sure the car in the report is the same as the car you 're looking at . Carefully reviewing the vehicle description is one way to avoid various types of vehicle fraud , like VIN cloning . A cloned vehicle involves using a vehicle identification number ( VIN ) from a legally owned , non-stolen vehicle to mask the identity of a similar make/model stolen vehicle . Reports , should include detailed descriptions of the vehicle , so you can make sure the car you 're reading about is the same as the one you 're looking at . Suspicious markings . Keep an eye out for records of body work that might indicate a prior unreported incident . Vehicle history reports , like those from CARFAX , can be very comprehensive . In the case of CARFAX , the company 's database contains more than five billion records from thousands of public and private sources , including all DMVs in the United States and Canada and thousands of vehicle inspection stations , auto auctions , fleet management and rental agencies , automobile manufacturers , and fire and police departments .
If a car has a lot of previous owners , it 's more likely to be not-well cared for . A car from the north would be more affected by damaging winter storms . Comment: Body work could indicate an unreported accident .