Question: I need a service that can give me a comprehensive overview of a used car's past, including accidents and ownership history.

If you want to see a lot of detail about a used car's history -- accidents, ownership, the works -- Bumper is a good option. This information retrieval service offers vehicle history reports and VIN decoding to help you make a better purchase decision. With information on accidents, salvage and theft, title status, market value and more, you can get a good idea of a car's history. Reports start at $1, and the service offers mobile apps for on-the-go use.

Another option is Drivly, an API platform that offers a wide foundation for automotive commerce using AI technology. It's more geared for developers and brands that want to build their own full automotive businesses, but it packages together a lot of automotive data, services and commerce APIs. That includes tools for vehicle transactions, title and registration, inspections and other services. It's more for pros, but it's a wide range of tools that can be used to get a good car history.

If you want a different approach, AccuTrade is geared for car appraisal. It offers dealerships instant, transparent and guaranteed offers based on real-time market data and diagnostic scans. It's good for dealerships trying to manage their inventory, but the OBD-II scan technology and instant offers can give you some insight into a car's history. You can use it to see what the market thinks a car is worth and what problems it might have.