Many used car buyers rely on vehicle history reports from companies such as CarFax to see if a vehicle has been in a wreck. But these services are far from foolproof.

Lezlie Simmons still has the CarFax report for the used car she bought last year. The Toyota Camry had a clean record. Under accidents, it stated no issues reported, but a week after Lezlie bought the car she started having problems, then she learned it had been in a wreck.

"The car had a suspension problem. It was making noises. The front axel had to be replaced," she said.

The repairs cost $4,000 and she says the car still needs work. A Consumer Reports investigation in the United States found car history reports don't catch every crash.

Anthony Giorgianni located dozens of wrecked vehicles advertised online, most of which later came up with clean records.

"For example, here is a 2007 Acura MDX. This vehicle has been dramatically damaged. Yet when we check on the CarFax report, It comes back as having no accident or damage," said Giorgianni.

The Vehicle Sales Authority of BC recommends using a CarProof verified report. It shows if a car imported from the U.S. was ever registered in a disaster zone -- like a major flood or tornado.

CarProof is very thorough but a history report is not enough.

"All vehicle history reports are not 100 per cent," said the Vehicle Sales Authority's Judy McRae.

That's because up to three-quarters of American accidents are never reported to insurance companies and accidents in Canada can be missed for the same reason. Still, checking car history reports is worth it for what they can tell you. But no matter what the reports say, nothing replaces having a used car inspected by an independent mechanic and checking it out thoroughly your self.

"We get a lot of consumers calling us after they've made a bad purchase. All of this can be avoided if they just take their time and do the research that's required," said McRae.

And remember when buying a used car don't focus solely on price because a really good deal may be a really bad car .

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen