First, the nightmare: We bought a 2003 Mercedes E320 from a private party, a smiling little guy who said the car was in excellent shape and lowered the price without argument. We drove away, thinking we'd scored a great deal! Two days later, the engine light came on, and it started running poorly. Several trips to the mechanic confirmed major engine problems. The cost to fix it was more than the car was worth, and far outside our budget. We managed to sell it for far less than we'd paid, but a Carfax report (much too late to help us) revealed that it had been in an accident, had major repairs done, and had more miles than the current odometer. The little smiling guy had known all about the problems and had swapped out the original odometer for one that showed fewer miles. We lost thousands on this car, thousands we might have saved if we'd just run a Carfax before buying. When I went to look for another car, I subscribed to Carfax and ran it on several, including the one I bought. Within minutes, I had a report on my phone that showed the car had a clean title, only two prior owners, and a history of being maintained. It was so easy to come up with all this info! I knew I was getting a good deal this time. I will not buy another used car without a Carfax report! It's easy, quick, and inexpensive, especially compared to the cost of being cheated!