Pre-Purchase
Inspection

Why the seller’s word isn’t the problem

Most people selling a vehicle are not lying. They simply don’t know. The previous owner didn’t tell them about the deferred maintenance, and nothing on the dashboard has complained yet.

An inspection is not an accusation. It is somebody with a lift and no stake in the sale telling you what the next two years of ownership are likely to cost.

What we look at

• On the lift: leaks, suspension and steering components, exhaust, undercarriage and frame condition
• Brakes measured, not eyeballed — pad and rotor thickness against specification
• Tires: depth, age, and whether the wear pattern is telling you something
• Fluids and their condition, and whether the service history matches what we see
• Stored fault codes and readiness monitors — including codes recently cleared
• Cooling system, belts, hoses and battery condition
• A road test, because some faults only exist at speed

What you get

A straight conversation: what is wrong now, what will need attention within a year, what it will roughly cost, and whether any of it is a reason to walk away. If the vehicle is good, we will tell you that too — that is also a useful answer.

Bring the listing and, if the seller has them, the service records. Arrange a window when the seller will release the vehicle for an hour or two; most reasonable sellers will.