If we had one piece of car buying advice to offer you from decades of experience, there’s nothing more crucial than a pre-purchase inspection. Using a local mechanic to inspect your used car is essential if you want to protect yourself during the sale. The last thing you want to do is take a seller’s word about the condition of their car, even if the seller is a dealership – they could be outright lying, or they might not know the truth themselves.

What is a Pre-Purchase Inspection?

A pre-purchase inspection by an independent third party usually costs less than $100 and takes less than an hour to complete. You will learn about upcoming repairs and maintenance needs as well as the vehicle’s overall safety and condition.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends having pre-purchase inspection completed anytime you buy a car, especially when buying a car online. That’s because this simple step has saved countless people from buying a lemon or getting scammed on a car.

Take for example this story we found from a user on Reddit.

Many car-buying situations go off without a hitch, but you can’t always trust the seller to inform you of the condition of their car. Had that user not had their pre-purchase inspection, it was estimated that repairs would have cost more than $7,000! Is that something you are willing to risk? I suppose that depends on a few things.

How Much Does a Pre-Purchase Inspection Cost?

The major reason most consumers don’t follow through with an inspection is because of the cost, however most people are not aware of how inexpensive it is. It generally costs less than $100 to have a local independent mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection on a vehicle you intend to buy. This will uncover any unknown damage, maintenance, or repairs needed ahead of time.

The pre-purchase car inspection needs to be done through a third-party independent service. They are responsible for evaluating the condition of your vehicle before you make an offer to the seller. Critically, since they are a third party, they don’t have a horse in the race – in other words, they don’t care if you buy the car or not, so they have no reason not to tell you the whole truth about the car in question.

The shop will provide you with a detailed written evaluation that you can take back to the seller or selling dealership. You could use this estimate to negotiate a lower price if the car needs work or previous maintenance has been lackluster.

Bottom line: $100 is far less than what you would pay in the long run if you bought something defective – especially if there are signs of serious scams like title washing, a practice where a previously wrecked car is resold with a clean title.

Sellers Can Get Pre-Purchase Inspections on Your Behalf

If a seller wants to get top dollar for a vehicle, they may consider getting a pre-purchase inspection and offering the written evaluation to the seller. This adds a level of trust that buyers are often willing to pay for, and it’s a great way to ensure top dollar for your vehicle. In fact, sellers that are willing to go to these lengths often get more than the typical value on their car.

As a buyer, sellers are often willing to have a pre-purchase inspection performed on their time if you offer to cover all or some of the cost. In that case, you won’t even need to get involved in scheduling or taking the car somewhere.

What Does a Pre-Purchase Inspection Cover?

During a pre-purchase inspection, the technician will look for:

• Hidden damage and prior repairs

• Maintenance history and upcoming needs

• Overall safety and condition

The evaluator will be able to tell you if previous work was completed that wasn’t done properly. This might be something as simple as some accessory modifications to something as extensive as improper service to the engine. The mechanic should take the car on a thorough test drive. Driving on hills, highways, and in the city each offer unique perspectives into potential problems a vehicle may have.

A quality pre-purchase inspection should include:

• Verification that all equipment is functional

• Confirmation of the car’s condition

• Potential problems with the engine, frame or body

• Scans for electrical or mechanical concerns

Discoveries may include hidden rust, suspicious odors and burned-out bulbs. If the car has overdue maintenance, you’ll find out about that as well. This could include bad brakes, worn tires, dirty oil or air filters that haven’t been changed. With this information you should be able to tell if a car has ever sustained extensive damage or missed a major maintenance item.

A quality pre-purchase inspection backed by a detailed Vehicle History Report will save you time, effort, and money down the road, giving you confidence in your car’s condition and safety.

Mobile Mechanic or Garage Inspection?

Once you are committed to the idea of having an inspection, you now have to determine if you want a garage or mobile evaluation. You can either have a mobile inspector come look at the car or you can drive it to a shop – or you can ask the seller to act on your behalf. Each option has advantages and disadvantages.

• Mobile inspections offer more convenience. The inspector meets you at your office or home and does the inspection on site. They have full capability to take photos and print out a report on the go. The higher cost of this route is worthwhile if you are short on time. Conversely, the mechanic won’t get as good of a look at the underside of your vehicle by simply jacking it up and crawling underneath.

• Garage inspections involve the typical drive to a mechanic’s shop at a scheduled time. This allows for a more detailed evaluation using specialized equipment. In addition, the mechanic can put the car on a lift to see the underside more clearly.

Most sellers won’t have a problem with you getting an inspection from either avenue. If they hesitate, you might want to reconsider buying the car.

Long-Distance Inspections and Buying Cars Online

The availability of the Internet makes everything easier, including car buying. Drivers now have access to thousands of makes and models that might not be available in their hometown, but online car buying opens the door to getting scammed on a car’s true condition. With all these online sellers also come plenty of potential problems that the buyer might not know about.

From fraud to paperwork trouble, getting a vehicle inspection can help ease these concerns.

Here’s what you should do when you buy a car online:

• Ask for dozens of up-close pictures of the vehicle

• Run a VIN Check to gather important details

• Ask the seller to have a pre-purchase inspection performed at an independent shop

• Offer to split the cost of these services if necessary

Arranging a long-distance inspection isn’t as difficult as you might think. If you know where the car is located, simply ask them to recommend a reliable mechanic. If they don’t have one, you could always contact a dealer in the area, one that can be trusted to provide accurate details. Then, contact the shop and arrange for the inspection on the buyer’s timetable. If you pay for the inspection, just make sure that the paperwork goes directly to you and not the seller.

How Much is Peace of Mind Worth?

The answer to that is obvious. You don’t want to take unnecessary risks that put you in danger, and that’s exactly how you should look at the notion of spending a small amount of money on a pre-purchase inspection. It operates as a form of insurance for your safety and the safety of your investment into a new vehicle.

Of course, no inspection is guaranteed to find every problem or flaw that a used car has. With that said, a trained professional is capable of spotting all but the most minor of issues in only a few minutes. Even if the issues aren’t deal breakers for you, they will at least provide enough information that you might be able to negotiate further on the price of the car. Best case, they could save you from buying a lemon.

Considering there are thousands of dollars potentially on the line if something goes wrong down the road, ask yourself: is a pre-purchase inspection worth it to you?

Dirt Legal offers VIN Checks and title replacement for cars, motorcycles, and almost anything with wheels. Click the links to learn more about our services.

We are not attorneys. This article is not legal advice. Cover image source