When purchasing a vehicle from the United States or Canada, transparency is essential. One of the most important inspection documents is the vehicle history report. Anyone who can read a vehicle history report correctly protects themselves from hidden accident damage, manipulated mileage, and legal issues that could later lead to high costs.
In this article, we explain in detail how to correctly interpret a CARFAX report and which points are especially important for buyers in German-speaking countries.
ARFAX is a vehicle history report that compiles data from insurance companies, registration authorities, repair shops, auction houses, and authorized service centers. The report shows how a vehicle was used and whether it had accidents, total losses, or legal restrictions.
Especially for imported vehicles, CARFAX is often the only way to objectively trace a car’s history before it even arrives in Europe.
The “Accident” section provides information about known traffic accidents. Not every accident automatically means a bad vehicle.
Terms such as Structural Damage or Airbags Deployed indicate safety-critical damage and should be evaluated with particular caution.
For European buyers, this point is especially critical, as certain title statuses can make registration more difficult or significantly reduce the vehicle’s value.
The odometer section documents the reported mileage during registrations, sales, and maintenance events.
Solche Hinweise deuten auf möglichen Tachobetrug hin und sollten immer weiter geprüft werden.
A regular service history with oil changes, inspections, and workshop visits is a positive indicator of the vehicle’s condition.
“Total Loss” means that the insurance company has classified the repair costs as not economically viable.
Entscheidend ist, welche Bereiche betroffen waren und ob tragende Strukturen beschädigt wurden.
**Why professional analysis is crucial:**
Ein CARFAX-Bericht liefert viele Daten, doch die richtige Interpretation
erfordert Erfahrung. Masso Cars & Co unterstützt Kunden bei der Auswahl
und Prüfung von Importfahrzeugen und analysiert CARFAX-Berichte ganzheitlich –
inklusive Auktionsdaten, technischer Bewertung und rechtlicher Einschätzung.
Your complete partner for vehicle imports from the USA to Europe
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EN© 2026 Masso Cars & Co. UG (haftungsbeschränkt). All rights reserved.
Your complete partner for vehicle imports from the USA to Europe
Free Consultation
© 2026 Masso Cars & Co. UG (haftungsbeschränkt). All rights reserved.
