Quick Facts for Pre-Purchase Inspections
- Inspecting a car when you live out of state can be challenging, but it can be done.
- You can also take the approach of no inspection.
- Trust your instincts.
Have you ever wondered how to get an inspection before you buy a used vehicle located in another state?
Keep reading to learn about pre-purchase vehicle inspections and key things you need to know.
- Buying a Car and Inspecting It When You Live Out-of-State
- What Is the Pre-Purchase Inspection?
- Will a Vehicle Inspection Catch Everything?
- Consider Your Investigative Skills Instead
- Is a Pre-Purchase Inspection Worth It?
Buying a Car and Inspecting It When You Live Out-of-State
It’s very challenging for a buyer in one state to obtain a car inspection in another without physically going to the mechanic. But it can be done. It could be considered the single most difficult part of purchasing a used car out of state unless, of course, you buy it from one of those sellers who uses personal names for the vehicle and wants a picture of your garage to make sure it’s “going to a good home.”
Here’s how it usually works. Remember, it will take time and patience.
- Determine if you want the vehicle. Call the seller and determine if you like the car in question. Fine. That part’s easy.
- Assess the situation. Research the seller’s location and the car’s proximity to a mechanic you trust or one recommended to you by a local owner of a similar vehicle. For example, if you’re buying a Ferrari in Utah and you live in California, go on the Ferrari forums and ask for a mechanic recommendation in Utah. If you want to purchase an original Audi allroad in Connecticut and live in Virginia, go on the Audi allroad forums or Reddit and ask for a mechanic recommendation in all the major cities between Connecticut and Virginia. You get the idea.
- Call all parties involved. You’ll now need to begin a game of telephone that doesn’t end until your brain becomes so worn out it develops the same consistency as a throw pillow. Here’s what you do: You call the seller and announce you want the car inspected. Then, you call the mechanic and announce that you need a vehicle inspection. Next, you must attempt to coordinate the schedules of these two entities: a seller, who doesn’t want to be bothered to take the car to a mechanic, and a mechanic, who would rather work on cars and make money than talk to some person on the phone, located hundreds of miles away, who will never again provide him with repeat business. If you’re lucky, they’ll talk to each other and find a time to get together. You’re rarely lucky.
- Convince the seller to get the car to the mechanic. Now, you need to convince the seller to bring the vehicle to the mechanic. Hopefully, by some incredible stroke of luck, you can persuade the seller and mechanic to agree on a date and convince the seller to bring the car to the mechanic for an inspection. I once tried to buy a Ferrari in Tucson, Arizona, and I got the first part taken care of. The mechanic and the seller set a time, and after 37 back-and-forth phone calls, I thought the whole thing was done. However, the seller refused to transport the car four miles to the mechanic’s facility. I’m serious. This actually happened. He said if I wanted the inspection, I needed to transport the car. Meanwhile, I was sitting in my living room wondering if I would have to fly across the country to drive an automobile four miles.
- Get the inspection results. Finally, you have the mechanic call you when the inspection is over and give you the results. You can easily pay with a credit card over the phone.
RELATED: Buying a Car Out of State: 8 Things You Must Know in 2024
What Is the Pre-Purchase Inspection?
A mechanic looks for many things when inspecting a car, and checklists may vary. The inspection might take a couple of hours and will likely include driving the vehicle along with a visual and mechanical check that may include:
- Body — A walkaround check for damage from a collision or flood, signs of rust, and if the vehicle sits level.
- Tires — Measure tire tread depth, check tire age, and look for uniform tread wear and sidewall damage.
- Lights and wipers — Ensure headlights, taillights, brake lights, and turn signals operate, and inspect wiper blades.
- Interior — Test air conditioning, heating, and infotainment systems, and compare the odometer mileage to the car’s overall appearance and condition.
- Computer diagnostics — Run an OBD-II check to detect any error codes.
- Test drive — A short drive helps evaluate the vehicle’s acceleration, braking, steering, suspension, and driver assistance features.
- Engine bay — Look under the hood to check the battery terminals and spark plug wires, and scaqn for evidence of leaking fluid. Inspect gaskets, belts, and hoses.
- Undercarriage — Inspect the undercarriage and frame for alignment, damage, or rust.
- Exhaust system — Check brackets, look for corrosion, and test emissions.
- Brakes — Measure brake pads and inspect rotors.
Will a Vehicle Inspection Catch Everything?
No. Sometimes, even if you do all this legwork, you’ll find that the inspection didn’t catch everything. I once had a Porsche 911 Turbo inspected by a well-respected dealership in Florida, which gave it a relatively clean bill of health. I flew down to Florida, bought the car, and discovered it needed a new clutch for $5,000. But I’ve also had the opposite experience. A Hummer dealership in Youngstown, Ohio, once inspected my Hummer before I bought it and easily found all the trouble spots, so I knew exactly what to expect.
However, this is all a lot of work. Read on for another approach.
MORE: Can You Return a Car You Just Bought?
Consider Your Investigative Skills Instead
If you can trust your instincts, here’s how to handle an out-of-state buying situation. You could decide against having a pre-purchase inspection. I didn’t get one on my Viper, I didn’t get one on my Nissan S-Cargo or my Nissan Skyline, and I didn’t bother on my Ferrari. Instead, I use a different tactic now. I only buy cars from people I trust.
I usually ask the seller an enormous number of questions to figure out why the car’s being sold, what issues have come up during ownership, and how it’s been maintained. You can request records. Ask the right questions, and you’ll start to feel better about the whole thing, and my Viper, Ferrari, Skyline, and S-Cargo didn’t have any unseen issues.
Too bad I did not use this strategy with the guy selling that Ferrari in Tucson. Instead of going with my gut (the guy who won’t drive his car four miles isn’t the kind of guy you should buy a car from), I paid for the pre-purchase inspection. The car needed $12,000 in immediate repair work. I passed on the car, and then, the seller had to do the unthinkable — drive it four miles back home.
Is a Pre-Purchase Inspection Worth It?
Buying a car is something most people do infrequently, and it involves a significant amount of money. Those factors make the car-buying process exciting and stressful. To help keep your head level and calm your nerves, you should make a solid effort to have a qualified mechanic inspect the car before buying it. The folks at your auto shop likely have more experience with automobiles than you ever will. Reputable mechanics know what to look for, and they don’t usually wear rose-colored glasses, so they’ll tell it like it is to keep you from buying a potential clunker. A thorough inspection will cost a couple hundred dollars or more, and the cost is worth the peace of mind.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated since its initial publication.
Hi Doug! So just so happens I am in the Atlanta area and looking for a good place to get this Infiniti G37 I.m buying Monday preinspected, and was hoping you could help in suggesting a reputable place for inspection? If so plz email me ASAP at newcarbuywithconfidence2020@gmail.com for I.m looking to make a purchase in 2 days. Thank you in advance!
loved the article!!!
Helpful, thanks
My favorite part of this article is that the ads are for Audi allroads
How about PPI companies? I will not list them but I’m sure you know them. Are they worth it or not?
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Why not use the new Veryfier app to hire an independent third-party person to go out inspect and check the item before you purchase? It is really important that the inspection should be done by a 3rd party person who will give an honest review and report. Download the app at the Veryfier website or go to iTunes store.
Why not use the new Veryfier app to hire an independent third-party person to go out inspect and check the item before you purchase? It is really important that the inspection should be done by a 3rd party person who will give an honest review and report. Download the app at the Veryfier website or go to iTunes store.
“…where you all ask Doug a question, and then Doug attempts to provide a witty, partially correct response while commenters tell you the real answer.”
In my experience, I’ve found it easier to arrange pre-purchase inspections with used dealers than private sellers. I don’t really have much experience to begin with buying lots of different cars, but all the cars I had inspected were easily arranged, even before I could drive stick!
Good article. I’m thinking of buying an E30 or NA Miata in Vancouver around December / January. These are useful tips.
We should say hi to Ebenezer too! He’ll be otherwise jealous and ornery.
hehehe
Why God why would anyone willingly buy an original Audi Allroad?
Because someone needs an appropriate ride to turn up at a BDSM session….
This is a very timely article for me… I’m in the process of picking up an Aston out in DC, over 800 miles away from me. I’ve left numerous voicemails for the service dept at “Exclusive Automotive Group”, the only Aston dealer within a few hundred miles of DC. First off, what service dept can’t even answer their phone? Second, do you want my business or not? My intent is to have them run through the same inspection they use for their B2B warranty. You wouldn’t think this would be that hard.
It is an Aston Martin service department. They’re too busy.
By my count at least 3 different Nissan dealers and one Subaru dealer in my area can’t answer the service department phone. It shouldn’t be this hard to give somebody my money…
This is the place where I bought my V8 Vantage by the way.
Now you should give us a nice list of questions that we should be asking.
I just bought a Porsche from 1,200 miles away. The dealers won’t do a PPI anymore “due to liaility”. I got that from several before I found an independent to look at it. I was mostly looking for over-revs and codes. The maintenance was all documented.
You should read doug’s 2nd book
Yeah, liability concerns are stopping a lot of PPIs.
This is why I love Forums (even thought they appear to be dying and moving to facespace). You can almost find an enthusiast in any part of the lower 48 (except Delaware) with a simple request. Of course my cars are more pedestrian as I am intent on only owning Malaise era American cars, so I just need someone to look at it and make sure the things like the windows still roll up and steering wheel has less than 5 degrees of play in it.
Wait a second your Hummer was from Ohio and the first visit to Ohio was during your cross country trip?!?! Something sounds fishy…
Doug, we demand answers to this seemingly obvious contradiction!
So he bought it and had it shipped i don’t understand the confusion
I cannot find the big post where Doug announced the purchase details on the new #Dougcar…. I did see this footnote in a long drawn out post about how awful Hummer buying is however.
Haha. Dude, it’s six hours from Youngstown to Philly. You think I DROVE that thing?!?!??!?
In these scenarios, it is worthwhile to ask WWMD…What Would Marvin Do? There are a couple of nationwide outfits that can do this like Auto Appraisal Group, Lemon Squad.
haha. Don’t do the last thing!!!
I love how you joke about the Allroad’s reliability and the website provides a link so I can purchase a lovely 2013 Allroad!
A 2013 isnt gonna be bad just the first gen
Hahaha. In fairness, I do like the new Allroad.