Using Carfax prevented us from buying a use car where the dealer had bought it at auction and didn't know any history. The Carfax report alerted us to an accident, the repairs, the geographical history, the lengthy time it sat unsold, and with that info we didn't make the purchase. The following week we found another car and were able to verify all the facts the private owner had given us using the Carfax report. The owner hadn't fudged anything, it was all right there, and we made the purchase. When you're looking at spending that much money to buy a car, you really need to go into it with all the fact so you can make an intelligent decision. Money well spent!