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Before you go: questions to ask the seller.
Ask if the title is in hand and whose name is on it. Ask about accidents or water. Ask for service records. Ask if they will allow an inspection and a test drive. A seller who will not allow either one has already answered you.
Write the answers down before you drive over. A listing that says 'clean title' is not the title. A listing that says 'cold air' is not a gauge reading. You are allowed to make the purchase pending an inspection. Put that in the offer before you send a deposit.
Run a vehicle history report, and check the VIN with a free tool like NICB VINCheck. That is general guidance. A clean report does not prove the car is sound. It only tells you what was reported.
Outside and underneath.
On our sheet the exterior lines are body panels, paint, and prior repair signs, rust or corrosion, the glass and mirrors, the lights, the wipers, and whether the doors, hood, and trunk actually work. Under the car we look for engine oil, coolant, transmission or transfer case, and differential leaks, plus exhaust damage and frame, subframe, or impact damage.
Stand back from the car in daylight and look down the sides. A panel that does not match the reflection next to it is a prior repair until someone proves otherwise. Under the car, a wet frame rail is not a detail. It is a line on the sheet marked ATTN.
Doors, the hood, and the trunk should open and latch. Lights and wipers should work. Glass and mirrors should be there, not taped or fogged from the inside. If a line does not apply to that car, it is N/A. It is not a pass we made up.
A fresh detail and a new air freshener are a tell. We still look. Photos skip the rockers and the underside.
Under the hood.
We check engine oil level, condition, and leaks. Coolant level, condition, and visible leaks. Brake fluid. Transmission fluid and leaks if the car lets you see it. Power steering fluid if the car has it. Belts, hoses, and mounts. Battery, terminals, and charging voltage. If a line does not apply, it is N/A, not a pass we invented.
Oil that is low, milky, or burnt gets marked. Coolant that is low or rusty gets marked. A battery that will not hold a charge is not a small thing on a car you have not bought yet. We do not top fluids off to make the car look better for the seller.
Inside the car.
Warning lights and a bulb check. A/C temperature and heater operation, which matters in Florida more than a seller's 'it blows cold' text. Windows, locks, mirrors, and seats. Horn, interior lights, and outlets. Seat belts and visible airbag concerns. Infotainment, camera, and basic controls.
Turn the A/C on and feel the center vent, not just the face vents on a cool morning. Run the windows and the locks. A camera that is blank, or a seat belt that will not latch, is an ATTN, not a story about a fuse the seller will 'get to'.
Tires and brakes.
Florida sun ages tires, so read the date code on the sidewall, not just the tread. The sheet covers tread and even wear, age, cracking, matching sizes, wheels, TPMS and pressures, and the spare or inflator kit. Brakes cover pad and rotor condition, fluid leaks and lines, wheel bearing play, ball joints, tie rods, control arms, shocks and struts, CV axles, and steering play.
A tire can have legal tread and still be cracked from years in a lot. Matching sizes means the same size on an axle, not a close size the seller had in the garage. Brake pads are measured. They are not judged by how quiet the car was on a two-block ride.
The scan and the test drive.
A full-system scan looks at engine and transmission codes, ABS, SRS, and body modules, readiness monitors and recently cleared codes, live data, and whether the modules talk to the VIN. Pending codes tell on a seller who cleared the light in the parking lot. If the monitors are not ready, someone may have erased the story.
Cleared codes are not a clean car. They are a car whose light was turned off. The sheet marks that. A road test that the seller will not allow is also marked, as N/A, and the summary does not pretend the car was driven.
A pending code is a fault the computer has seen but has not confirmed enough times to turn the light on. A recently cleared code is different. The light was on, someone erased it, and the monitors have not finished their checks. Both belong on the sheet. Neither one is a pass.
The road test, when the seller allows it, covers cold and warm start, idle, acceleration, shift quality, brake pedal feel, steering tracking, suspension noise, and cruise or driver assists if the car has them. If we cannot test-drive, that is a limit, not a pass.
Florida flood signs to look for.
Silt or a waterline in odd places, seat rails, the spare-tire well, under the carpet. A musty smell. Corrosion on connectors and seat bolts. Foggy lights. A fresh detail can hide a lot of that until you pull the carpet back. This is general guidance, not a statistic. For a longer look, read how to spot a flood-damaged car in Central Florida.
Download the sheet we use.
This is the exact blank sheet we fill out on every inspection. Each line is marked OK, ATTN (needs attention), or N/A. The summary at the end is one of four: no major concerns, maintenance or minor repairs recommended, further diagnosis recommended, or major concerns. Download the printable inspection sheet (PDF).
Want us to check it for you?
Our mobile pre-purchase inspection is $120. We meet the car at the seller's driveway, a dealer lot, or a parking lot, fill out the full sheet, and give you the summary before we leave. The service page is mobile pre-purchase inspection in Orlando. Book the inspection.
Vincent S.: "Very high integrity person, excellent Mechanic, truly looks out for you, his customer, the buyer!! His approach to my situation, a used car was clever & very thorough. Thank goodness for what he discovered - I avoided a real big mess"