Carfax question... gap in ownership?

[RiverRat37]

Can anybody look at this and explain to me about the gaps in ownership from 2002 to 2010? 1st owner had it for 2 years 7 months, 2nd owner says had it 13 days but there isn't another owner until the 3rd in 2010... I'm so dadgum confused...

Owner 1
Purchased: 1999
Type: Personal
Where: North Carolina
Est. miles/year: 17,058/yr
Est. length owned: 5/25/99 - 1/18/02
(2 yrs. 7 mo.)

Date: Mileage: Source: Comments:
04/09/1999 NICB Vehicle manufactured
and shipped to original dealer
05/25/1999 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Waynesville, NC First owner reported
Registered as
personal vehicle
05/12/2001 30,604 Ken Wilson Ford
Canton, NC
828-648-2313
www.kenwilsonford.ne
t Four wheel alignment performed
08/17/2001 38,090 Ken Wilson Ford
Canton, NC
828-648-2313
www.kenwilsonford.ne
t Four tires mounted and balanced

Owner 2
Purchased: 2002
Type: Personal
Where: North Carolina
Est. length owned: 1/18/02 - 1/31/02
(13 days)

Date: Mileage: Source: Comments:
01/18/2002 45,640 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Marion, NC Odometer reading reported
01/25/2002 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Marion, NC
Title #776829020251003 Registration issued or renewed
New owner reported
01/31/2002 Dealer Inventory Vehicle offered for sale
01/27/2006 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Marion, NC Registration updated when owner moved
the vehicle to a new location
01/22/2007 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Marion, NC
Title #776829020251003 Registration issued or renewed
Passed safety inspection
01/17/2008 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Marion, NC
Title #776829020251003 Registration issued or renewed
Passed safety inspection
01/09/2009 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Marion, NC
Title #776829020251003 Registration issued or renewed
Passed safety inspection

Owner 3
Purchased: 2010
Type: Personal
Where: North Carolina
Est. miles/year: 16,038/yr
Est. length owned: 3/8/10 - present
(1 yr. 6 mo.)

Date: Mileage: Source: Comments:
03/08/2010 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Morganton, NC
Title #771207100676035 Title issued or updated
New owner reported
04/06/2010 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Morganton, NC
Title #773433100967035 Title issued or updated
04/09/2010 100,832 North Carolina
Inspection Station
Morganton, NC Passed emissions inspection
04/09/2010 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Morganton, NC
Title #773433100967035 Registration issued or renewed
Passed safety inspection
05/13/2011 118,364 North Carolina
Inspection Station
Morganton, NC Passed emissions inspection
05/13/2011 North Carolina
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Morganton, NC
Title #773433100967035

 

[Singtoe]

Sounds like a dealer (used car lot) bought it at auction and drove it for 8 years never having to register it. So really it could have been used by everybody and their brother at the dealer. Probably has some miles on it.

 

[RiverRat37]

odometer shows 122k so who knows

 

[SCRunner12]

Could be an error from the DMV or with Carfax. I would see if you could use a different vehicle history site or take it to the DMV and validate the owners.

 

[the great him]

it could have been bought by a dealer and then just used by the dealer as a personal vehicle or 2nd vehicle.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I think people often put FAR too much faith in CARFAX, I know I once did.

Carfax does not show every accident, nor does it show every accident over $500 worth of damage. I have looked up my own 4Runner and there are two accidents missing, both involved > $3,000 in damage and were more than 4 years ago. There are so many ways for a sneaky seller to get around CARFAX, its a joke.

If you want to know if it has ever been in an accident, take the car over to a mechanic that also does minor collision work and have him check it out for repairs. The other problem with CARFAX is that it isn't really universally accurate across state lines.

:shrug:

 

[Singtoe]

I also find it weird that this 4runner was sold new at a Ford Dealer.

 

[98OzarksRunner]

I think people often put FAR too much faith in CARFAX, I know I once did.

Carfax does not show every accident, nor does it show every accident over $500 worth of damage. I have looked up my own 4Runner and there are two accidents missing, both involved > $3,000 in damage and were more than 4 years ago. There are so many ways for a sneaky seller to get around CARFAX, its a joke.

If you want to know if it has ever been in an accident, take the car over to a mechanic that also does minor collision work and have him check it out for repairs. The other problem with CARFAX is that it isn't really universally accurate across state lines.

:shrug:

True. When I bought my 4Runner last Oct I paid for a CARFAX report and it looked good. After I got the car and called the dealer on the report to see if the TB had been changed, I learned a few years ago it had been in an accident bad enough to require frame straightening. I don't know if the dealership didn't report it, the owner paid for it out of his pocket so the insurance company didn't report it, or CARFAX just missed it. Oh well, it drives well and with that many miles (225K) it really doesn't matter to me. Just don't take CARFAX as 100% correct (even on major accidents). And yes, they do seem hard to figure out.

 

[RiverRat37]

Would you guys buy this one even with what the carfax says? I can get it for around $7500 and it is in next to perfect condition... Limited, 122k miles, green with gold emblems, leather, fully loaded, etc... Would you buy it and ignore the carfax or run from it?

 

[PitbullRescuer]

Look it over. If it's clean, straight and well maintained, buy it. Don't worry about the Carfax that much. The registration was being renewed during that missing time period. If a dealer was driving it it would've had a dealer tag and no registration events would be reported as a dealer tag isn't registered to one particular vehicle. I would just ask the current owner what he/she knows about who they bought it from.

 

[Nunyabiz]

Well main thing is that "Carfax" is not a perfect record of everything this vehicle has ever done.
In fact Carfax is notoriously wrong about many things, there could be several things that is listed there that is wrong and never happened and it could have been splattered in an accident and never show up unless a police report was filed.
Many times it could show the car WAS in an accident when in fact it was not.

That happened to my Jeep I just sold in order to buy my 4Runner.

I bought it from very good friends of my wifes which she has known for like 35+ years. It was their daughters Jeep that they bought new for her and we bought it in 2002.
Bought it for $5000 in 2002, sold it for $5000 in 2011.

Anyway when I was selling it one person ran a Carfax on it and it came back saying it was IN an accident in like 1999 or something like that which I knew wasn't so. But we called up her friend to clarify.
Her daughter was here and she said what happened was she "caused" an accident it was her fault but the Jeep was untouched.
She wasn't paying attention and pulled out in front of someone and they swerved and hit the curb, no one was hurt the other car was slightly damaged but the Jeep never got a scratch and wasn't involved except as the cause.

But Carfax blatantly says it was IN and accident.

Many states Carfax can not even get police, Insurance, DMV reports from.
They had to settle a class action suit several years for misleading the public.

CARFAX Settles Class Actions

CarFax Lawsuit Settlement: The Controversy at Total Lawyers

So basically just use Carfax as just one source of info and know that what you read may or may not be correct, take it with a grain of salt.
Best thing is to just have it checked out by a good and trusted mechanic.