All About CARFAX

More information is located here about CARFAX, Inc. (Information from the CARFAX website - last updated on 9-1-04) Please visit the CARFAX website for more information.

CARFAX Headquarters
10304 Eaton Place, Suite 500
Fairfax, Virginia 22030-2213
Media Call - 703.934.2664
Media Fax - 703.218.2465
Customer Service Inquiries: www.carfax.com/helpcenter

CARFAX started with a vision--to create a one-stop source for vehicle history information for buyers and sellers of used cars. Working closely with the Missouri Automobile Dealers Association, CARFAX first offered the early version CARFAX Vehicle History Report to the dealer market in 1986. These reports were developed with a database of just 10,000 vehicle records and were distributed via fax machine. By the end of 1993, CARFAX obtained title information from nearly all fifty states and was ready to begin offering the service nationally.

In December of 1996, CARFAX launched CARFAX.com offering consumers the same instant access to vehicle history reports already available to used car dealers. While continuing to experience exceptional growth of both resources and customers, CARFAX caught the attention of a global leader in information services.

In the fall of 1999 CARFAX became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the R.L. Polk & Co., a private firm owned by the Polk family since 1870 when Ralph Lane Polk founded the business. R.L. Polk is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan and operates on every major continent.

Over the years, CARFAX enhanced its system for obtaining, assembling and retrieving data. Utilizing the unique 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) found on vehicle dashboards and title documents, the CARFAX system can generate a detailed vehicle history report or background check on any used car or light truck instantly.

CARFAX has also been prominent in the media. In February 1993, the national television show "60 Minutes" reported on how the CARFAX service benefits consumers. CARFAX has also been featured on "Dateline" and "Good Morning America" as well as a host of radio shows, newspaper articles and local television news stations.

Today CARFAX is constantly expanding its database, which now contains 3 billion unique records compiled from thousands of public and private sources including motor vehicle departments in the United States and Canada, vehicle inspection stations, auto auctions, fleet management and rental agencies, automobile manufacturers and fire and police departments.

CARFAX.com receives more than 1.83 million visitors each month while Carfaxonline.com, the commercial website for CARFAX, services the needs of more than 23,000 automobile dealer subscribers. CARFAX makes buying a used car as risk-free as buying a new car by backing every Vehicle History Report with the CARFAX Buyback Guarantee. CARFAX buys back any vehicle that has a severe problem reported to a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) not included in the CARFAX report.

^ TOP