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Auction VIN reports: a guide for Copart and IAAI buyers

When a car is sold at Copart or IAAI, the auction records what it looked like and what was known about it that day. This page explains what that record is for and points you to the detailed guides.

By Tayron Bram

Updated October 2026 · 4 min read

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Key takeaways

  • An auction record shows the car on the day it sold at Copart or IAAI: the lot photos, the recorded damage, the title and the odometer status.
  • For a car that was once at auction, the record is the only way to see it before it was repaired.
  • Listings are descriptions, not inspections: Copart’s damage codes reflect only known or reported damage, and it sells vehicles as is.
  • The auction record shows one day in detail, a history report the whole timeline in less detail, so serious buyers usually read both.
  • The hammer price is only the start: add the buyer fee, online bidding, handling, title and storage fees before you bid. See auction fees explained.
On this page
  1. Who needs an auction record
  2. What the record shows
  3. Auction record or history report?
  4. Before you bid, add up the real price
  5. Buying from outside the US
  6. Three questions the record helps you ask

Who needs an auction record

  • You’re bidding. The auction listing is live and you want to understand it before you commit. The listing itself is your main source; the guides below explain its terms.
  • You’re buying a car that was once at auction. A rebuilt car, a car with a salvage history, or a clean-looking car whose history report mentions an auction sale. The listing is long gone, and the record is the only way to see the car before it was repaired.
  • You’re importing. You’re outside the US and the photos the seller sent are all you have. The record shows the lot photos, the damage and the title, which decide whether the car can be registered at home.

What the record shows

Copart and IAAI use different words, but both record broadly the same things for each vehicle:

Terms from each auction’s help pages and listings. Not every listing shows every field.
What’s recordedCopart calls itIAAI calls it
The vehicle’s ID at the saleLot numberStock number
The main damagePrimary and secondary damagePrimary and secondary damage, and the loss type
The ownership documentTitle typeTitle/Sale Doc and its brand
Whether it started and movedRun & Drive, Engine Start ProgramStart code: Run & Drive, Starts, Stationary
The mileageOdometer with a status such as ACTUAL or NOT ACTUALOdometer with a qualifier such as (Actual) or (Not Actual)
The seller’s value estimateEstimated retail valueACV (actual cash value)
PicturesLot photos, sometimes an engine videoPhotos, often a 360 view, sometimes an engine video

Both auctions are clear that these are descriptions, not inspections. Copart says its damage codes reflect only known or reported damage, and it sells vehicles as is. Read the detailed guides for each:

  • Copart VIN report: damage codes, odometer labels, keys and what Run & Drive really means.
  • IAAI VIN report: every field on an IAA listing, start codes, airbags and buying through a broker.
0 of 17

Letters and numbers, no I, O or Q. It’s on the dashboard by the windshield, on the driver’s door frame, and on the title.

Our auction report costs $7.99. It covers Copart and IAAI sales in the US and brings together the lot photos, the recorded damage, and the title and odometer at sale.

Auction record or history report?

They answer different questions, so serious buyers usually read both.

  • The auction record shows one day in detail: the car, the damage and the paperwork when it sold. It doesn’t show what came before or after.
  • A history report shows the whole timeline in less detail: titles in each state, odometer readings, accidents and owners. Experian says AutoCheck includes data from most US auction houses, so a history report may tell you a sale happened, but not what the damage looked like.

AutoCheck costs $7.99 here.

CARFAX costs $8.99.

Before you bid, add up the real price

The hammer price is only the start. Both auctions add a buyer fee that rises with the price, plus online bidding, handling and title fees, and storage if the car waits at the yard. A broker, if you need one, adds their own. Auction fees explained walks through each charge.

Buying from outside the US

An imported auction car also has to pass your country’s rules. Many countries limit the age of imported cars or refuse salvage-titled ones, and duty is often worked out from the car’s value. Our import guides cover the rules country by country. We don’t arrange shipping or customs; check with a licensed customs broker before you bid.

Three questions the record helps you ask

  1. Does the damage in the lot photos match what the seller describes, and was it near the frame, the pillars or the suspension?
  2. Was the car sold on a salvage title? If its title is clean today, how? See the salvage title check.
  3. Does today’s odometer reading follow on sensibly from the reading and status recorded at the sale?

Questions

Can I still see the photos of a car that sold years ago?

Often not on the auction sites, which are built around upcoming sales. An auction report keeps the photos and details recorded at the sale.

Does the auction report cover dealer auctions?

No. It covers Copart and IAAI sales in the US. We don’t sell Manheim reports.

Are you connected to Copart or IAA?

No. Smart VIN Check is independent and not affiliated with Copart or IAA. Our report collects what was recorded when a car was listed and sold.

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About the author

Tayron Bram

Data Validation Officer

Tayron Bram is the Data Validation Officer at Smart VIN Check, with 41 years of experience in used-car sales, auto auctions and vehicle data. Tayron has checked thousands of vehicle history reports and worked with dealers importing cars from the US. At Smart VIN Check, Tayron checks that every fact in our guides matches its source, from state title rules to NMVTIS and NHTSA records, and goes back to those sources when they change. Before a guide is published, Tayron reads it the way a buyer would, looking for anything unclear, out of date or not backed by a source. Tayron also keeps the prices we quote from other sellers current, so the comparisons on our pages stay accurate.

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