Pre-purchase inspection — $99.99 + tax

Arrange the inspection before the decision

Discuss an inspection with the seller before finalizing the purchase. Confirm that the vehicle can be brought to the workshop and who will arrange transportation, keys, and payment. Allow time for the findings to be reviewed rather than trying to fit the visit into the final minutes before a transaction.

Send the year, make, model, approximate kilometres, and any specific concerns when requesting the appointment. If the vehicle has an unusual modification, a warning message, or an advertised repair, mention it so the intended scope can be discussed.

Agree on the scope

Ask which systems and observations the inspection includes, whether a road assessment is appropriate and possible, and what form the findings will take. A general pre-purchase inspection is not automatically a specialized battery-health assessment, collision investigation, recall search, or official roadworthiness certification.

If one issue matters particularly to the purchase, identify it before the appointment. A buyer interested in brake condition should ask about the relevant checks; a buyer concerned about a previous collision should discuss whether separate expertise is needed.

Useful records to bring

Service invoices and the seller's description provide context for the physical inspection. They can help identify claimed recent work, recurring concerns, or maintenance questions. A missing invoice does not establish that a repair was never done, and an invoice does not replace checking the current condition.

Keep records and mechanical findings separate. Ownership, liens, history reports, recall status, and transaction documents may require their own checks through the appropriate sources. A workshop inspection does not automatically answer those questions.

• Vehicle identification and the seller's contact arrangements.
• Available service records and advertised recent repairs.
• Known warning messages or unusual behaviour.
• Questions that could affect your purchase decision.

Read the findings by consequence

Ask which observations concern immediate use, which suggest upcoming maintenance, and which are cosmetic or require further diagnosis. If a repair estimate is provided, confirm its scope and whether additional inspection is needed. This makes the findings more useful than treating every item as equally urgent.

The result may support a discussion with the seller, a request for further information, or a decision to walk away. It should not be presented as a guarantee of the vehicle's future reliability.

Understand the limits

A vehicle can have intermittent problems that do not appear during the visit, and some components are not accessible without additional disassembly. Ask about any limits caused by the condition, access, weather, or appointment scope. The absence of a reported issue is not proof that every hidden part is fault-free.

If the report recommends further testing, consider that unresolved point before purchasing. A price discussion with the seller is easier when you understand which findings are confirmed and which remain questions.

Price and appointment details

The pre-purchase inspection is $99.99 + tax. Provide the vehicle details and your timing needs when requesting an appointment. The shop must confirm the slot and inspection scope. An online request is not a paid reservation, a guaranteed slot or a purchase approval. You remain responsible for deciding whether the vehicle suits your needs after reviewing the available information.

Turn an unresolved finding into a purchase question

Suppose the inspection identifies an unusual noise but recommends more diagnostic work before naming the cause. That finding is not yet a complete repair quote. Ask what the next assessment involves and whether the seller will make the vehicle available for it. Keep the cost of a confirmed repair separate from an allowance for a problem whose extent is unknown.

Use the same approach when comparing two vehicles. One may have a documented maintenance need; another may have an unresolved warning. A shorter list of observations does not automatically make the second vehicle a better choice. The certainty and consequence of each finding matter alongside the number of items.

Keep the inspection connected to the actual vehicle

Check that the inspection record identifies the vehicle you intend to buy and the date it was examined. If the seller carries out repairs afterward, ask for the corresponding invoices and whether the relevant findings should be reassessed. A report describes a particular visit; it should not be treated as an updated assessment of work that happened later.

Keep the report, your questions and the seller's responses together. Before deciding, identify any recommendation you have not resolved and any test that was outside the agreed scope. This gives you a more useful basis for the purchase than a general statement that the vehicle passed an inspection.

Common questions