Before you travel
Ask for the VIN, registration details, service invoices, who owns the car, and whether a lien remains. Research typical pricing. Decode identity first so you already know year, make, model, and NHTSA make/model/year campaigns. Buy a CARFAX report before the trip only if US or Canadian history would change whether you go. That VIN step is a car VIN check before buying — not the whole inspection.
At the vehicle
Match every VIN location to the documents. Inspect in daylight for uneven gaps, paint differences, corrosion, leaks, warning lamps, tire wear, and water marks. Test every control and drive at mixed speeds. A history report cannot see a rushed test drive, and a VIN tool cannot judge repair quality.
Before you pay
Arrange an independent inspection, verify seller identity and authority, confirm lien release, and use a traceable payment method. Write down agreed condition and included items. Walk away if the VIN, paperwork, or story changes. None of those handoff steps live inside a VinSentry report.
Where a VIN report fits
Use history to form questions: title brands, mileage conflicts, accident entries, theft records when the source returned them. Do not treat missing history categories as a clean car. Auction photo packs and window stickers are not in the standard VinSentry product. For how VinSentry labels those categories, read the vehicle history page; for one category at a time, use the topic guides.