"As you may well know, a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a 17 digit number used by the automotive industry in order to indentify individual cars. Many websites and companies offer VIN checks for prices around £5.
There are, however, a few sites that offer checks for free. These checks may not be as thorough as the more expensive ones, but will no doubt give you a rough idea of your vehicle's (or vehicle you are thinking of buying's) history. These checks should be seriously considered before buying a second-hand car, as it can be very difficult for an untrained eye to pick up certain major faults. An example of one of these sites is checkmycar.com. A word of caution however, as these checks will not work on a car that was made before 1981, as there was no accepted standard for these numbers, as there is now, so different manufacturers used different formats, so it is much harder to check these numbers.
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There are, however, a few sites that offer checks for free. These checks may not be as thorough as the more expensive ones, but will no doubt give you a rough idea of your vehicle's (or vehicle you are thinking of buying's) history. These checks should be seriously considered before buying a second-hand car, as it can be very difficult for an untrained eye to pick up certain major faults. An example of one of these sites is checkmycar.com. A word of caution however, as these checks will not work on a car that was made before 1981, as there was no accepted standard for these numbers, as there is now, so different manufacturers used different formats, so it is much harder to check these numbers.
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