A used car can look fantastic in pictures.
Fresh detail. Clean wheels. Shiny paint. No warning lights.
None of those things tells us whether we’d want to own it.
That’s why one of our favorite times to inspect a vehicle is before the customer buys it.
You’re Buying the Car You Can’t See
Anybody shopping for a used vehicle can see dents, worn seats and scratches.
The expensive questions tend to be underneath the surface.
Are there leaks? How do the brakes look? Are the tires wearing evenly? Are there suspension concerns? Are warning lights operating normally? Does the engine show signs of trouble? Does the transmission behave properly during a road test? Are there maintenance issues that may be coming soon?
Those things can materially change whether a particular vehicle is a good buy.
“But the Dealer Did a 150-Point Inspection”
That’s useful information.
We’d still rather inspect the vehicle independently if we’re advising someone we know.
The seller has one objective: sell the vehicle. The buyer has another: understand what they’re buying.
An independent inspection gives the buyer another set of eyes.
A Pre-Purchase Inspection Doesn’t Predict the Future
This is important.
Nobody can inspect a used vehicle and guarantee that nothing will fail next month. Machines don’t work that way.
What we can do is evaluate the vehicle’s current condition, identify problems we can see or reproduce and give you a better understanding of what you’re considering buying.
That’s a much better position than finding those problems after the paperwork is signed.
Bring It Before You Fall in Love With It
This may be the hardest part.
People understandably get excited about a vehicle. Once you’ve decided mentally that this is the one, it’s easy to rationalize things you might otherwise walk away from.
Have it inspected before you’re committed.
If the seller refuses to allow an independent pre-purchase inspection, we’d want to know why.
Sometimes the Inspection Doesn’t Mean “Don’t Buy It”
Finding problems doesn’t automatically make a vehicle a bad purchase.
Suppose the car is otherwise solid but needs tires and has maintenance coming due. That information still has value.
Now you know what ownership is likely to require and can factor it into your decision.
The purpose of an inspection isn’t to find an excuse not to buy the car. It’s to help you buy it with your eyes open.
Automotive Services offers pre-purchase used-car inspections in Marietta. If you’re considering a vehicle, we’d much rather meet it before you own it than meet it for the first time because something went wrong afterward.
Give us a call at (770) 928-6126 to schedule a pre-purchase inspection.
Related reading: Services • Contact Us • Blog 6: High-Mileage Cars
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