1. Information We Collect

When you use CarAdvisr, we may collect the following information:

Vehicle search data: Year, make, model, mileage, and VIN numbers you enter for analysis.
Optional inputs: Asking price and ZIP code, if provided.
Usage data: Pages visited, features used, browser type, device information, and IP address (collected automatically via server logs).

We do not collect names, email addresses, phone numbers, or payment information unless you voluntarily provide them through a contact form or account registration.

2. How We Use Your Information

To generate vehicle risk analysis reports based on your search inputs.
To improve the accuracy of our scoring algorithms and service quality.
To cache results temporarily for faster repeated lookups.
To monitor service performance, detect errors, and prevent abuse.

3. Data Sources

CarAdvisr aggregates publicly available data from the following sources:

NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) , complaints, recalls, investigations, and VIN decoding. This is U.S. federal government public domain data.
Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) and Manufacturer Communications , sourced from publicly available databases.
Third-party market data APIs , for pricing estimates and market comparisons.

CarAdvisr is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NHTSA or any government agency. We are an independent service that uses publicly available data.

4. Data Retention

Search results may be cached on our servers for up to 30 days to improve performance.
Server logs (including IP addresses) are retained for up to 90 days for security and debugging purposes.
VIN numbers submitted for analysis are not permanently stored or shared with third parties beyond what is necessary to generate your report.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share data with:

Third-party APIs (NHTSA, market data providers): VIN numbers and vehicle details are sent to these services solely to retrieve data for your report. These services have their own privacy policies.
AI service providers: anonymized vehicle data may be sent to AI language model APIs to generate report summaries. No personally identifiable information is included.
Infrastructure providers: our hosting provider (Railway) may process data as part of providing their hosting services.

6. Cookies

CarAdvisr uses minimal cookies:

Functional cookies: To remember your dark mode preference (stored in localStorage, not transmitted to our servers).
We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies.

7. Security

We use industry-standard security measures including HTTPS encryption, secure server infrastructure, and access controls. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Children's Privacy

CarAdvisr is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

9. Your Rights

You may:

Request deletion of any cached data associated with your searches.
Request information about what data we hold related to your usage.
Opt out of any future data collection by discontinuing use of the service.

For any privacy-related requests, contact us at the email address provided on this site.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.