Experian: Beware of Clunkers

Having about 700,000 clunkers off the roads in only two months was an amazing feat for the US auto industry, and great news for the environment. Still, according to some, part of the big number of clunkers traded-in during CARS may find its way back onto the roads, as some "concerned citizens" may try and speculate the huge car pool.

To avoid that, Experian's AutoCheck vehicle history announced the introduction of a specific designation to warn used-car buyers against buying a scrapped vehicle, as well as the registration of the clunkers' VINs into the database.

"Whenever there is the chance that the used car one hopes to buy isn't reliable or safe, all trust in the sale is lost," Scott Waldron, Experian Automotive president said in a release.

"That is why we've made it quick and easy to identify if a vehicle was one of the nearly 700,000 meant to be scrapped under the CARS program, so buyers can feel more confident and informed about their used-car purchase."

All the info required by a customer can be found by following this link. Experian's new system allows for a "Traded in to be scrapped under CARS (Cash for Clunkers) program" to be flashed when such a car is sought.

"The addition of the Cash for Clunkers designation on our AutoCheck reports is a great example of our commitment to constantly invest and improve our product to meet the needs of our customers," Waldron concluded.