How we build every CarWhere VIN Report

Data sources

1. NHTSA vPIC — public US government VIN-decode API at vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov. Returns make, model, year, trim, engine, transmission, drivetrain, body class, fuel type, plant.
2. OEM window-sticker endpoints — public manufacturer Monroney systems for Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Hyundai, Genesis — 12 brands directly supported. Toyota and Lexus retired public sticker access in 2026 and Kia removed its service; for those brands archived copies are served when on file.
3. NHTSA Recalls API — open recall campaigns at api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle, including remedy text and park-it severity flags.
4. CarWhere verified-buyer dataset — real out-the-door prices from buyer-submitted deal sheets, refreshed hourly.

Each report joins these four sources:

• NHTSA vPIC — VIN decode (make, model, year, trim, engine, transmission, drivetrain, plant).
• OEM window-sticker systems — for Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Hyundai, and Genesis. The original Monroney is fetched directly from the manufacturer's public system; Toyota, Lexus, and Kia no longer expose public sticker systems (archived copies served when on file).
• NHTSA recalls API — open recall campaigns for the decoded make/model/year, including remedy text and “park-it” severity flags.
• CarWhere verified-buyer dataset — real out-the-door prices that other buyers paid on the same make/model/year, used to compute a market price band and negotiation target.

The join

1. Validate the VIN. Check the 17-character format (ISO 3779), exclude reserved characters I/O/Q, and verify the check digit. Invalid VINs are rejected before any external call.
2. Decode via NHTSA vPIC. Send the VIN to NHTSA's public vPIC API. Capture year, make, model, trim, engine, transmission, drivetrain, body class, fuel type, and plant origin.
3. Fetch the OEM window sticker. For supported manufacturers, retrieve the original Monroney label directly from the OEM's public window-sticker system. PDF magic-bytes are verified to reject error responses masquerading as PDFs.
4. Pull NHTSA recall data. Query NHTSA's recallsByVehicle API for the decoded make/model/year. Each recall is normalized to component, summary, remedy, and a "park-it" flag.
5. Benchmark against the CarWhere verified-buyer dataset. Query the CarWhere deals table for the same year ±1 / make / model. Compute average selling price, percentile band (p10/p50/p90), and average MSRP discount.
6. Derive negotiation target. When market data is sufficient, target = average selling price minus average dealer-fee leverage. When data is limited, target = MSRP × 0.92 with explicit "low confidence" labeling.
7. Assemble & emit the report. Render the structured report as a web view and a downloadable PDF. Embed the OEM Monroney as additional pages where the source is available.

Accuracy claims

• VIN format validated against ISO 3779 (17 characters, no I/O/Q).
• OEM window-sticker responses are validated by PDF magic bytes before display.
• Market comps with selling price > MSRP × 1.2 are excluded as outliers.
• When sample size is below 4, the report surfaces a “low sample” warning instead of a target price.

Refresh cadence

• VIN decode: cached 24 hours per VIN.
• OEM Monroney: fetched live at report generation.
• NHTSA recalls: cached 6 hours per make/model/year.
• Market comps: refreshed hourly.
• The downloadable PDF is frozen at generation time. The web view will refresh recalls if the report is older than 30 days.

What we explicitly do NOT provide

The Full VIN Report does not include:

• Accident history
• Title brands (salvage, flood, lemon)
• Odometer history / rollback detection
• Prior-owner count or service records

For these data points, use a dedicated history-data provider. Our report is the build, pricing, and market-value side of the picture — not history.

Privacy

We store your VIN to deliver and re-issue your report. We do not sell VINs. Buyers can request deletion at any time.

Pricing transparency

Full VIN Report: $9.99 one-time. Same price for every VIN. No subscription. Window sticker availability is confirmed before you pay.