VIN works online for Carfax, but it will just show you how many times it's changed hands and where it was registered each time, insurance claims, etc. MTO package will tell you who the owners were and their addresses. I have had people contact me about cars I have sold years ago (classic sports cars). Current plate # used to be all that was necessary. MTO database seems to be linked through the VIN to all the other database fields, but it is the current plate that gets you there.