becker16350

I'm a little pissed off! I bought my C5 Z06 4 years ago. When I bought it the previous owner showed me a clean Carfax, I thought I was good to go. Last month I found a C6 I had been looking for. I agree on a price and the trade value of my Z. At the end of the process the dealer comes back with a current Carfax on my trade and tells me it was deemed a total loss 1year before I bought it. In small print just below that it said, Carfax started reporting this information 2/25/2013. WTF! Can they do this?? They destroyed the value of my car 3 years after I purchased it. I had the car inspected by a reputable shop and they found no signs of any damage or repairs. I also hold a clean title. Do I contact Carfax or go straight to a lawyer???

Mr.Bill

Yes they can do it. If the guy you bought it from didn't disclose that info I would be pissed at his, I am sure that you have no recourse seeing it has been so long, But if you still have the info of who you bought it from I sure would give him a piece of my mind.
Sorry about that.
Mr.Bill

65GGvert

Maybe it was clean when the carfax he showed you was run. It's too late now, but in the future you should run a current carfax. That still won't be 100% because not everything is reported to carfax, particularly if a repair is done privately. If it's reported to the police or insurance it should show up, but may take a while to be picked up.
From a legal standpoint I don't think there's going to be anything you can do, specially if carfax didn't report something at the time the original was created. It's an unfortunate circumstance and I hate it for you, but there's a chance you'll have to be the one absorbing the difference here, unless you can find someone to buy the car who bases the value on the current condition and doesn't care about the previous damage.
I don't know your relationship with the guy you bought the car from, but if he knew about the total loss and didn't tell you, I'd sure let him know my thoughts.

3sACROWD

Don't trust Carfax. Challenge the data as the often don't get /receive data accurately. Maybe they mistyped the VIN

Black 02

Could it be a paperwork mix-up somewhere along the line? Just to clarify, you bought it around 2010 with a clean carfax and in 2013 they are stating it was a total loss before you bought it? Sounds like it is either a mix-up or it would come under their buy back guarantee.

becker16350

Correct, the car supposedly was wrecked in 2009. I see a clean, current Carfax and buy the car in 2010. In 2013 they begin reporting the car as wrecked in 2009 and a total loss. Carfax didn't protect me from buying a wrecked car, it helped the now gone seller to sell a supposedly wrecked car. Carfax is BS, now to figure out what to do!!

Vetteman Jack

This would certainly be worth the effort. If your body shop (or whoever inspected the vehicle and saw no evidence of damage) said it was a good car, I would contest the new report.

Phanni

If the PO knowingly sold you a car that had been totaled, then showed you a clean CF while knowing that it had been totaled, he committed fraud. You could easily have recourse.

laurent_zo6

Write to Carfax and ask them to show you the information they received to make them update the info. When did they receive this information and from whom.

laurent_zo6

You are correct that it would be fraud. Not sure easily is the correct term when dealing with legal matters. You will have to prove to the court that the seller knowingly sold you a totaled car. To do that you will have to either take time yourself or hire someone.

cessna10

Just traded my wifes car in on a 2014. 2 years ago had $3000
in damage which went through insurance. Dealer ran carfax
and autocheck. Neither showed any accident or damage.

becker16350

Happy to report, Carfax removed the total loss report with no explanation. After sending them the info I had, thanks Andy L. for your part, and suggesting it fall into the buy back program they responded with a nice email saying the report had been removed!!!!

20vette0107fatboy

carfax is a total joke. Never trust a carfax. I went to buy a vette a few years ago and they showed me a good carfax. As I was filling out paper work to buy it, my insurance man called me and said it was a stolen car..I was so pissed. I drove 4 hours away to get this perfect vette. carfax is a joke

65GGvert

Carfax is NOT a total joke, and it's not the total answer to your questions about a car. It can give you information that has been reported that you might not have known about. Information can also be withheld from Carfax, so you have to use it as it is and use all your other tools. Run a GMVIS from a Chevy dealer, have the car checked out by a knowledgeable person, drive it and check everything out, run the codes. If you have access to any previous owners find out what they know.
A lot of things ARE reported to Carfax, so don't throw away that opportunity. You will feel pretty dumb if you don't use it and find after you buy that the car was a flood car, or totaled, rebuilt, etc. Bottom line, Carfax is a tool in your toolbox.