VIN report methodology
How factual auction data becomes one vehicle report — and where the limits of what that report proves lie.
Where the data comes from
Records originate from publicly published salvage-auction listings — primarily Copart and IAAI — obtained through third-party auction-data providers. Every record is stored as the source published it; we do not inspect vehicles, assess condition or add judgements of our own.
New records arrive continuously. Active lots are refreshed until bidding closes (bid, status and date can change); archived ones change only if the source amends them retroactively. The archive update time is a technical marker and is never presented as an auction date.
VIN Archive is not affiliated with any auction platform; their names are used only to identify the source of a record.
What a report contains
A report is built for the exact 17-character VIN. Every record with that VIN — however many times the vehicle was offered — is merged into one timeline. Two kinds of records are distinguished: full lot records (the whole listing: photographs, specifications, damage, documents, bid) and dated events (an appearance in the bidding history for which the source reported only a date, a bid and a status). The counts of both are stated at the top of the report.
From full records the report shows: identity (make, model, year, trim), condition and damage, title document, odometer, keys, seller and seller type, platform and sale location, date, bid and sale status, specifications (engine, fuel, drive, transmission, colour) and photographs.
How the "latest record" is chosen
Records are ordered by their published auction date. The most recent one is the latest record and drives the heading and the "quick facts"; the others appear below in the timeline. An event without a full record stays a row in the bid and status history.
What the fields mean
- Damage (primary/secondary) — the category the auction declared; platforms use different vocabularies, which we map to a common set while keeping the original value.
- Title document — the document type and issuing state/country as stated in the listing; this is not the vehicle's registration history.
- Odometer — the reading the auction declared, in km and miles. A "not actual" flag is reproduced when the source set it.
- Condition — "runs and drives", "enhanced condition report" and similar are the platform's wording, not our assessment.
- Bid — the highest bid the source reported on the record's date; it is not necessarily the final transaction price and may change after publication.
- Sale status — as reported by the source (sold, on approval, cancelled, …); the source may amend it later, and the record changes with it.
- Seller, seller type and location — from the listing; the location is the auction yard, not the vehicle's home.
How comparisons are produced
Between dated records of one VIN the report shows only differences: odometer, bid in the same currency, damage, document, status, seller and location. A changed value is recorded, not explained: a different odometer reading at two sales is a fact about two publications, not a finding of tampering or error.
Photographs
Photographs originate from the listings and are copied to our own storage; for fresh lots the copy may lag, and some records have none. Captions are generated (vehicle, VIN, photo number).
Four kinds of answer
A VIN page always distinguishes four situations and never conflates them: records found; no records (we searched and the VIN is absent from our sources); records withheld after an approved removal request; data temporarily unavailable because of a technical error. "No records" and "temporarily unavailable" are different answers: a technical failure is never shown as a clean history.
What a report does not contain
The archive holds only what salvage auctions published. It has no registration or ownership history, police or insurance files, service records, liens, recalls, official odometer certifications or sales outside auctions. No record does not mean a vehicle has had no damage or sales; a record does not replace an inspection.
Before a transaction, check the report against your country's official vehicle-history services, a VIN decode and a physical inspection.
Corrections and removal
If a record misstates a fact, or you own the vehicle and want its records withheld from public view, submit a request. A person reviews every request; approved requests hide the pages but do not destroy the data or the decision log.