CarClever – Buying Assistant

A VIN check for one known vehicle: identity, recall and listing details, for a VIN, or for a make, model and year. For a used car with a VIN, it includes NHTSA's recall lookup link. Use it for one known vehicle, including a follow-up to a search. To compare two or more vehicles, use Compare Vehicles. For a broad search, use Find Matching Vehicle.

check_vehicle

Compares 2 to 4 vehicles side by side on price, mileage, year, trim, fuel, drive, engine, NHTSA safety rating, recall campaign count and distance (with a ZIP). Takes VINs. Use it whenever the user asks to compare vehicles, including "compare 1 and 2" after a search: pass the VINs of those results from the earlier search.

compare_vehicles

Finds US listings (updated daily) for new or used vehicles that match the buyer's stated requirements, ordered by the requested objective (cheapest, newest, lowest mileage, best within budget). Use it for explicit criteria or practical needs (a family SUV, a commuter car, a tow vehicle), or an exact listing by VIN. Not for car education, maintenance, financing or leasing. Rules: 1. Pass only what the buyer stated or clearly implied. Set condition to new or used when the buyer says so; leave it out when they say neither. Check the reply's Searched line against the request and search again if they differ. 2. Make, model, trim, year, price, mileage, location, condition, colour, body style and doors are matched against listing data. Trim preference ranks only; seats are not a filter. Transmission and cylinders are not filters; results show them when known. 3. Keep any models the buyer named. For a broad search, choose real models that fit the size, class or need, and put the need in vehicleNeeds. Say the models are your picks for the size, and point the buyer to the listing for dimensions. If results are thin, add more suitable models. Do not copy examples from this description. 4. For hybrid, plug-in or electric requests, pass the accepted types and whether they are required or preferred. Pass base models that offer that version; the tool also searches their electrified versions. NHTSA VIN data decides: for required searches, confirmed cars come first, cars NHTSA cannot confirm are kept and marked, and cars it shows as another type are left out; preferred searches only rank. A model family offering a hybrid, or a fuel label, does not make a listing one. 5. Use trimRequired for a trim the buyer requires, trimPreference for an optional one. Never infer a trim from a seat count or another need; leave it unset when unsure. 6. Drivetrain, electrification and seating come from NHTSA data; anything it cannot confirm is marked. Each result links to Edmunds; changed criteria are stated. 7. For a city-only request, use a valid representative ZIP for that city. Reuse an earlier location only when continuing the same search; never assume an unrelated one. Do not rerun with a larger radius unless the buyer asks or agrees; if local results are thin, offer a wider search. Report the actual scope and any location fallback. 8. Report only what the results show; do not present inferred models or trims as confirmed. Missing data stays unknown and never proves a car meets or fails a request. For anything not shown (used-car history, certification, reliability, safety, running cost, towing suitability, physical condition), say where to look: the Edmunds listing and the dealer. Do not describe what the tool lacks. Do not mention history for new cars. 9. A VIN refers to one listing. If it is not listed, say so and link to similar vehicles without substituting another car. If lookup is unavailable, say so; that is not proof the car is absent or sold.

find_matching_vehicle

Resolves a usable link for viewing or purchasing a specific vehicle, given its VIN, make, model, and year. Returns the Edmunds VIN-specific link to the vehicle's current listing; otherwise a similar-vehicles link for the same make and model. Never returns the dealer's own listing URL.

get_edmunds_vehicle_link