eBay Motors Canada provides the user with third-party VIN histories, along with various scoring and ranking systems. The prominent ranking system on eBay Motors Canada is AutoCheck. Where AutoCheck sets itself apart is it’s AutoCheck Buyback Protection.  If an AutoCheck recommended car fails to list any major title flaws, they’ll buy your car back at up to 110% of it’s value as determined by NadaGuides.

It’s a great system, and it’ll save you a few bucks over a company like Car Fax, but I’d probably recommend whatever you’re most comfortable with.  Car Fax seems to put together quite a few terrific promotional packages, so if you can get a steal — go for it.

When you view the AutoCheck Score on eBay Motors Canada, it’s fairly simple to understand:

The Vehicle is assigned a number based on:

  • Age – The age of the vehicle at the time the report was run.
  • Mileage – The number of miles reported for the vehicle at the time the report was run. Mileage is reported periodically to the various agencies from which we compile our data.
  • Vehicle Class – Examples of vehicle classes include “Sport utility — entry level” and “Mid-range cars – standard”. AutoCheck vehicle history reports utilize vehicle classes supplied by Automotive News. This list of vehicle makes and models is published annually and is recognized as an industry standard.
  • AutoCheck Assured Status – AutoCheck Assured vehicles are free of major title brands like salvage or water damage and other events like “Auction Announced as Frame Damage”. All AutoCheck Assured vehicles also qualify for AutoCheck Buyback Protection.
  • Calculated Number of Owners – The number of owners calculated by AutoCheck, based on information compiled by its sources.
  • Vehicle Use & Events – Some factors like taxi use, repossession, accidents and theft history negatively affect the AutoCheck Score. Positive events include lease history and emission testing.

The Score alone should give you quite a bit of insight and is, for the most part, run daily when you login to view the vehicle.  The rest of the report is available and breaks breaks down the vehicle’s history into easy to read reports.

AutoCheck does something that’s absolutely priceless, they put the report into context by comparing your potential vehicle to all of the other vehicles in their database with the same make/model.  Here’s an example from their website:

What does the AutoCheck Score mean?

The Score is based on a scale of 1 to 100, but it’s very important to read the Score in conjunction with the Score Range, since looking at the Score without knowing the range will only reveal half the story. Review the example below:

Car #1 Car #2
1999 Nissan Maxima 2005 Chevrolet Malibu
Score: 84 Score: 89
Score Range: 76-81 Score Range: 90-95

In this example, Car #1 has a lower Score than Car #2. However, take a look at the Score Ranges. For Car #1, other comparable 1999 Nissan Maximas should fall into a range from 76 to 81, but this car scored an 84. That means the car has a more favorable vehicle history (with regard to the Score factors listed above) compared to other similar cars of the same make and model.

Car #2 has a Score of 89. Because this is higher than Car #1′s Score, you might assume this car has a more favorable vehicle history, but that’s not entirely accurate. Comparable 2005 Chevy Malibus should score in a range from 90 to 95, and this car falls short. That means the car’s history is less favorable when compared to other similar cars of the same make and model.