Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If you are planning on having this car serviced by an independent shop in your area after you buy one ...
then the time to start a working relationship with a shop is now, before you buy a car.
Take the time to interview potential shops and find out which one(s) offer the services and prices that interest you. Tell them that you're seeking a long term relationship, and that it will begin with them performing a pre-buy inspection of a vehicle.
A competent shop will be able to give you a reasonably close quote for a pre-buy inspection service.
As a guideline, you're not looking to the shop to tell you whether or not to buy a given car, but only to inspect it and report on it's condition and likely near term service requirements so that you can make an informed purchase decision.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,771 posts, read 81,730,333 times
Reputation: 58170
Around here it's $75-$100 and well worth it. Also run a carfax and see where it came from. Often there will be hidden rust underneath on a late model car, like the floor above the gas tank, from salted roads, in areas where there is no snow, because the dealer bought it from out of state or the seller moved.
Depends on the mechanic. Ours charges $0. Some charge up to $150. That is the highest I have been quoted. Our mechanic does not charge us probably because we have 4 old cars and we pretty much have reserved parking at his shop. He actually tries to do everything that he reasonably can to cut our repair costs. Sometimes he says "You should do that yourself. It is easy." A relationship with a mechanic can be as important as a relationship with a doctor.
If you are planning on having this car serviced by an independent shop in your area after you buy one ...
then the time to start a working relationship with a shop is now, before you buy a car.
Take the time to interview potential shops and find out which one(s) offer the services and prices that interest you. Tell them that you're seeking a long term relationship, and that it will begin with them performing a pre-buy inspection of a vehicle.
A competent shop will be able to give you a reasonably close quote for a pre-buy inspection service.
As a guideline, you're not looking to the shop to tell you whether or not to buy a given car, but only to inspect it and report on it's condition and likely near term service requirements so that you can make an informed purchase decision.
Great info......
I'ld like to add a little. The service you want will give you the results of the car in general. The compression should be checked dry then wet.
The air filter will be looked at, not serviced or replaced. A sample of all fulids will be taken and checked out for metals and assorted contaminates.
The brakes will be checked and any inspection items, to include an emmisions test. In this way you will be given info on the value of the car in general and facts to decide if this car is worth the money asked.
The charging system should be checked and a load test done on the battery.
You will pay for this not the seller. If the seller refuses you on this walk away.
Things you can do is try every door and window there is, try every switch there is. Look the car over from the bottom up, looking for broken anything, looking at the lower doors where they don't show for rusting. You can check all lights, and everything this particular car has to offer.
I bought a used Accord a few years ago from mom and pop car lot and took it to a Honda dealership down the street before the papers were signed to get it checked out.
It cost $98 and they did a pretty good inspection, as far as I could tell. The only thing they found wrong was that the little LED for the "hi" position on the driver's side heated seat didn't light up; I'm still surprised that they even tested a detail as small as that!
Everyone says take it to a mechanic first, but I always wonder how? Who's going to let me take their car for a few hours to get it inspected?
Plenty of other people just make a verbal agreement with a seller. I used to do this service all time, for years. I got paid for doing it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
