I wanted to get a carfax report or something on this car I was thinking about getting for a little x-mas present...

I heard that somepeople on forums can get free reports.
If anyone could help I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks.

JN1AZ34EX3T019789

 

Err, let's see, one report costs $24.99 and you're about to buy a car for how much?

It really isn't that much money to spend if you're already ready to spend upwards of 5 digits.

I'd say $25 is even worth it if you're buying a $500 car but that's just me.

 

Many people on this forum have carfax accounts or something, and can get them for free. Why not wait a couple of days and save the $25?

Maybe I was raised differently then you but I was always taught to cherish the value of even a penny...I know if I could save my hard earned money somewhere, I would.

 

Indeed. I guess you were raised to make use of other people's money.

People here who have carfax accounts paid for them in one form or another, or they might be working for a dealership with a commercial account. It isn't free, you're just using what they or their company has paid for.

Carfax runs a pretty good service for the car buying public. While I'm sure they make the bulk of their money from their commercial accounts, its not a reason to not pay for a service that you need and find valuable.

Carfax is also good enough to not state you can't use your accounts for your friends as long as it is non-commercial but even then, don't you think that when a service is good and provides you with information that is valuable to you and might be worth far more than the $25, that such a service would be worth supporting?

It's like saying it's ok to get a copy of a CD or movie from someone who has already paid for it.

That said, I wonder if you were one of those who volunteer to contribute to the cost of running this forum?

Moreover, MiniCooper shouldn't even need to pay for the report, the person who's selling him the car should be as part of the sale.

 

Am I wrong, or is that VIN not from a Crossfire?

 

Actually you're right, should it start with 1C3?

I was so bent out of shape about people asking for "free" stuff I didn't even see that. :grin:

 

As for the VIN#, It's not a Dodge / Chrysler product of any kind.
Is this car at a lot or from a private owner? If its at a lot, ask for them to give you the report. If its a private owner, ask them if they would be willing to pay compensate you for the report. Either way, you or whoever is involved with the car should be paying for it.
While I'm not a fan of CarFax, they still shouldn't be taken advantage of. And while I could look it up for you, I don't have my Cable Vision running from my Neighbors house either.
On the other hand, if you wanted to know about warranty on any Chrysler product, I'd be glad to help you out.

 

Thanks, I live in Alabama and am from the "Land of the Frozen Tundra". If I bought a Crossfire up nort', friends and strangers alike, would praise the car and be silently envious.
When I drove this bright red droptop to work here for the first time, the locals were immediately suspicious and two were so bold to ask how I could afford it! I told them I've been working since I was 14 and I was SURE it cost less than the '07 2500 diesel Silverado 4X4 with DVD HE was driving. We haven't spoken since.
Another local pulled up next to where I was parked and said, I quote: "Gimme' that car". Maybe it's just me, but it seemed rude and not complimentary at all.

I guess I was just raised differently.

 

looking at minicooper's username I have hunch that the vin could be for a Mini?

 

The VIN is for a 350z and I didnt ask if for any of you little _____ opinions on whats right or ethical. I was just asking for a favor from some fellow members that can do them for free.

 

But you got the opinions for FREE. Aren't you happy now?
And as for being a *****, Bugger you !

 

And the point is: they don't do them for free...they pay for them.

And no more name-calling or I'll tell the teacher!

 

Mini - easy on the language.
In all fairness, you don't own a Crossfire (correct?), and you are wanting someone on this forum to run a Carfax for you and send it to you.
Perhaps you would have better luck at the Mini forum.

 

I paid $25 or so for three months use of carfax. I checked out 3 or 4 cars in one month and after that it just sat unused until it expired. If you have a paid subscription to something I think you have the right to use it as you wish including FAVORS. Have'nt you ever picked up and browsed a magazine at a friends home? Thier only a few dollars so why noy purchase your own for that quick glimpse? I would guess because you consider it paid for by you friend. A paid subscription is a paid subscription whether hardcopy or online.
If I still had an active subscription I would be glad to help someone out. If they just want one (1) number ran I would think them waistful to spend the $25 without first asking if someone could HELP out.
What I don't understand is how someone can get so offended and indignant about someone asking for a favor.

Merry Christmas
and
Happy NewYear

 

Where did that come from? I seem to have the notion that many of the members here are "family" or at least friends, and willing to help each other out..

Yes, they paid for them. So what? If the person doesn't want to run it for the person, this is a forum and they just don't have to post, it's that simple

While I agree with you that it is a good service, put it this way. As a consumer, my main goal is to save money. As a business, their main goal is to make money.

Sure they might be good people, but if enough people start running carfaxes for other people.. they are either going to implement that into their ToS, raise the cost of reports, or limit the amount of reports you can run. They're a business, as much as they want to help the people they also want to make as much money as they can, whether you believe that or not.

Bad analogy. I think it's more of borrowing a cd or movie then copying it. Now if this person gave the other person their account information, then you could use that analogy.

While I didn't post on the volunteer board donation thread, it has crossed my mind and I wouldn't hesitate to. Even though I don't make as much money as you, I would still donate what I could. I know the administrators/moderators do this out of love for the forum, people, and car. I wouldn't mind helping them out if they needed to. I know bandwidth and servers can be expensive.

Although I never have actually bought a car before, Is it really standard practice for the seller to pay for the carfax report? That just seems a little odd, but this is an area I have no experience in and am probably wrong. It just seems like if the buyer wants to know that much about the car, then s/he should either pay for the carfax report or ask someone who gets them for "free" to run it for them, as a friendly gesture.

 

Of course you're entitled to your opinion and there are those that share your position and as there are others who share my position on the matter.

I agree that many on the forum, you and I included, who would not hesitate to help another, but there's a way to ask and a better way to ask, especially when asking for something that cost someone else money, how ever little that cost may be.

As you have mentioned in your message, "sharing" the service is ultimately self-defeating as it may cause the company to raise the prices or restrict the use, so in the end, it just hurts the consumer if the consumer's goal is to save money.

I believe that the consumers goal should be to pay the right and reasonable price for a service, not to pay nothing for something. At some level, we're always both the consumer and the provider, with the exception of the privileged few, we have to earn a living before we can consume and for most of us, to earn a living relies on others consuming.

What goes around, comes around at some point.

As for buying and selling cars, it is quite customary for the seller of the car to provide proof that the car is in good condition, and one of the best modern ways is with a report like those from CarFax.

Before there were services like carfax, the seller is always the one that has to show that the odo wasn't tampered with or rolled back and it's the sellers responsibility not to mis-represent the sale, never the buyers responsibility.

Though the "buyer beware" caution always exists.

As for the magazine analogy posed by Blue Pearl, I don't think it is wrong at all to borrow something you can return but if I decide that the magazine contains an article I really like, I would not hesitate to buy it. If it is offered to me, I might just take it but I wouldn't ask for it to begin with, but again, that's just me.

When it comes to a carfax report, you can't exactly borrow it and return it so like nox1s's comment on my CD analogy, I don't think this analogy is perfect either.

Doing a favor for a friend that I know, sure, totally, wouldn't hesitate but I think there is a difference when you post on an open forum asking "strangers" for something that cost them money, but again that's just my opinion and I'm just expressing it.

I'm actually even more surprised now that we're discovering he's buying a Mini and asking for a free report in a Crossfire forum.

I work in the service industry and like many people in the business, I make my living providing people with reports and knowledge that can very easily be passed from one person to another, so I'm definitely in the camp that says it's bad form to not expect to pay for something that you will derive value from.

 

Maybe its one of these

 

thats wierd, the water mark on those pictures say wreckedexotics.com .... those are 350Z's though.

 

Yup you like that I'd like to know why they're on that site because there is nothing exotic about them if there is then the XFire should be there too.

 

BUT LETS NOT START THIS TOPIC AGAIN ON THAT CAR.