I have ALWAYS been asked for some kind of vehicle report, and it's always some kind of scam. I'll always counter with "I'm happy to buy a Carfax if you'd like" or "You can get a Carfax, and we'll take it out of the purchase price if you decide to move forward" but it's a scam and they always decline.

Carfaxes are stupid anyway. Spend $40 on a piece of paper that tells you a little, or spend $50-80 on a mechanic who can actually look at a vehicle and tell you a lot.

The biggest seller scam at present involves clearing codes right before test drives in the hopes that it drives great, buyer will think "It's a Toyota/Honda/whatever, no need to get it checked out" and buy it before the check engine light comes back on. A Carfax won't catch that, but a mechanic will.

I've been saved from several bad buys by a mechanic doing a pre-purchase inspection. Convos I've had include:
- "Hmmm, looks like the computer codes were recently cleared... Looks like this engine has a knock, I bet the check engine light comes back on during your drive back"
- "The suspension is shot. You're looking at $2500 in parts and labor to get this driving the way it should