The TrulyCar Blog
Guides and checklists for smarter used-car buying: VIN checks, title brands, odometer fraud, and what the data really means.
How to Buy a Used Electric Vehicle: 9-Step Guide
How to buy a used electric vehicle without buying someone else's battery problem: 9 steps covering state of health, recalls, warranty and title checks.
Oct 12, 20269 min read
How to Get a Cheaper Carfax Report (From $7.99)
A Carfax report bought on Carfax's own site has run about $45. Here is where to get the same report for $7.99, the free Carfax VIN lookup to run first, and the cheap-report scams to skip.
Oct 10, 20267 min read
VIN Cloning: How to Tell If a Car Is Cloned Before You Buy
A cloned car is a stolen car wearing the VIN of a clean twin, so it passes a basic stolen-car check. Here is how cloning works, why database checks miss it, and the in-person and paper checks that catch it.
Oct 3, 202613 min read
How to Check if a Car Has a Lien Before You Buy
A step-by-step guide on how to check if a car has a lien: read the title, run a lien check by VIN, pull DMV records, and call the lender for a payoff.
Oct 2, 20269 min read
Carfax vs AutoCheck vs TrulyCar: Which Wins?
Carfax vs AutoCheck vs TrulyCar: how the three reports compare on price, title brands, damage photos, and odometer data before you buy a used car.
Sep 18, 20267 min read
How to Use the NHTSA VIN Decoder (And What It Hides)
The NHTSA VIN decoder is free and precise on factory specs, but it skips titles, odometers, and damage. Here's how to run it and fill the gaps.
Sep 18, 20269 min read
How to Find Car Auction Photos by VIN (Copart & IAAI)
Find car auction photos by VIN using Copart and IAAI search, archive sites, and history reports. Step-by-step, plus fixes when the lot is gone.
Sep 13, 20268 min read
Can You Find a License Plate Number From a VIN?
Usually not, and the reason is federal privacy law. Here is who can legitimately pull a plate from a VIN, what a VIN does reveal, and what to do for tolls, tickets, and hit-and-runs.
Sep 9, 20267 min read
How to Check if Car Was in an Accident: 9 Steps
How to check if car was in an accident: pull title and total loss records, request the police crash report, read auction photos, and verify the repairs.
Sep 8, 20269 min read
How to Spot a Flood Damaged Car From Out of State
Learn how to spot a flood damaged car shipped across state lines: title brands, NMVTIS flood checks, auction photos, and the 9 physical signs sellers miss.
Sep 3, 20268 min read
Cheap VIN Check Traps: TrulyCar vs EpicVIN vs Bumper
A cheap VIN check can cost more than a $45 report if it auto-renews. Compare TrulyCar, EpicVIN and Bumper on price, data and cancellation.
Sep 3, 20267 min read
Best Vehicle History Report Site: $16.99, No Subscription
Picking the best vehicle history report site? Compare one-time $16.99 pricing against monthly subscription plans and $44.99 single reports, side by side.
Sep 3, 20267 min read
TrulyCar vs CARFAX: Is a $45 Report Worth It in 2026?
TrulyCar vs Carfax in 2026: what you actually get for roughly $45 versus a $16.99 one-time report, and which one fits your shopping situation.
Sep 2, 20267 min read
How to Spot Odometer Rollback: A 9-Step Check
Learn how to spot odometer rollback with a 9-step inspection: mileage chronology, title brands, wear patterns, and digital odometer fraud red flags.
Aug 31, 20269 min read
What Is a Salvage Title? How to Spot a Rebuilt Car
What is a salvage title, how does it differ from rebuilt or junk, and how do you check a used car's brand history? A step-by-step VIN guide for buyers.
Aug 31, 20269 min read
License Plate to VIN: How to Find a Car's VIN From Its Plate
License plate to VIN in under a minute: enter the plate and its state, get the 17-character VIN and the free decode, then read the history. Steps, a worked example, and where lookups are limited.
Aug 27, 202611 min read
How Title Washing Works and How to Spot a Washed Title
Title washing moves salvage and flood cars through states until the paperwork looks clean. Here's a step-by-step check before you hand over money.
Aug 26, 20269 min read