But the Action News Investigative Team uncovered you can't trust everything on its site after a Doylestown, Bucks County, woman said she became a victim of what is known as dealership cloning.
It happened after a criminal network used the site in an elaborate scheme to dupe her.
"It all looked very legitimate at first glance," said Adrianna Parsons.
Parson said the shiny Lexus SUV was listed for sale on CARFAX for roughly $46,000.
"The fact that my husband found the car on CARFAX first, and then was led to the dealer through that, that we are safe," she added.
Parsons said that the dealer was listed as Specialty Auto, located in Lincoln, Nebraska. She admits she had concerns about buying a car 1,400 miles away.
But, she felt eased after she spoke with a man claiming to be the owner, Jim Woods. Her husband also did some digging and found a Jim Woods owned a Specialty Auto in Lincoln, Nebraska, so the couple decided to move forward.
"He played the role; he preyed on us. He knew that I was worried. My gut was telling me to stop. I didn't listen to it well enough," Parsons said.
She even requested what's called a "cold video of the SUV," to prove Woods had the vehicle.
The man who claimed to be Woods sent a video of what she believed to be the SUV.
Now comfortable, the couple agreed on a price of $45,000 for the purchase and wired the money in mid-November. It was expected to be shipped to their home in a week.
"Talk about how legitimate the website appeared?" asked Chad Pradelli.
"So legitimate. Every single car was on CARFAX," said Parsons.
But here's the rub. It turned out Parson wasn't talking to the real Jim Woods.
The Investigative Team reached out to Woods. He confirmed he owns Specialty Auto and it is in Lincoln, Nebraska.
But the 80-year-old has zero internet presence for marketing his vehicles. He told Action News several other people have also reached out to him after they also said they were scammed into believing he was shipping vehicles.
"We came to find that criminals like this look for guys like him," said Parsons.
The Investigative Team uncovered the scheme involves the criminals creating fancy websites and then cloning legitimate listings from other reputable auto dealers.
They then look for places online to market them.
After wiring the funds, the Parsons waited for that Lexus to arrive, but it never showed up.
Parsons called the realization of losing $45,000 "devastating."
Action News asked CARFAX how it vets companies that pay to list vehicles on its site, and get other answers about the scam and possible other victims.
A spokesperson declined our request and instead released a statement in part, "While we are sympathetic to the situation, we are unable to provide more specific data on these issues. If CARFAX is made aware of a potentially fraudulent listing, the team acts swiftly to investigate and remove. CARFAX encourages consumers to test drive a vehicle and have a trusted mechanic perform an inspection before purchase."
"Do you think CARFAX should be doing more to vet who is listing vehicles on their site? asked Pradelli.
"Absolutely," said Parsons.
Another victim also told us he lost $18,000 to buy the exact same Lexus as Parsons that he found advertised on a different site.
We reached out to the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. The director told us it contacted the FBI and referred the case to the state's attorney general, but didn't believe an actual crime occurred in Nebraska.
"It's cataclysmic to us as a family," said Parsons.
Since we began investigating, the sham Specialty Auto website has been taken down.
The Central Bucks Regional Police Department is also investigating, but wouldn't comment on its ongoing investigation.
Experts said if you're buying a vehicle sight unseen, use a reputable escrow company to hold funds until a car is delivered and inspected.