In Australia, a proper car history check starts with the PPSR: punch in the VIN to see if it’s stolen, written off, or still wearing a bank’s handcuffs (finance owing).
Back it up with your state rego check (Service NSW, VicRoads, etc.) to confirm registration status and any defects.
Paid reports like CarHistory (Equifax) bundle PPSR data with odometer roll-back alerts, flood/hail flags, and previous sale listings—handy if you’d rather not play detective.
Then eyeball the logbook, match VINs, and book a pre-purchase inspection; paper trails lie less than sellers do.
Shopping on Tradingpost? Grab the VIN from the ad, run the checks, and you’ll know more about the car than its current owner.
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