Get mechanic to check out used car?

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I am always reading articles on used car buying advice, and they inevitably write something like, "Always have the car inspected by an independent mechanic." I have never had that done and I don't know how that would be possible, based on my many used car transactions. Where I live there is no such thing as just dropping into a garage and having a mechanic check out a car. For any type of work you make an appointment and it is often several days if not a week off in the future. Nobody selling a used car is going to hold the vehicle for you until you get the inspection. Second, you often have to move fast just to catch the good used cars--they don't last long. I usually buy my cars from individuals who often are still using the vehicle. They wouldn't let me take the car to a garage and leave it for a few days, or even a few hours. I have often found these cars just by the side of the road somewhere, which could be many miles from the fabled "independent garage." Has anybody made this happen and how did you do it?
 
I always wondered this too but last time when I was considering a used car, I found some mobile mechanics that show up as per the appointments.

A quick google search gives

https://lemonsquad.com/
https://motovise.com/
http://www.lemonprotector.com/

I have not used any of these because I went for a new car instead of used one.

But I am curious as well.

I would like to add more question,
most dealerships do not allow these mobile mechanics, so if its the dealership you are getting a used car from (non-certified, of course), how do you perform such inspections?
 
Yes, I've made it happen with both vehicles in my sig. as well as a few others in my past.
Luckily the shops were able to find issues before I put my money down. This saved me many future headaches.

When you make an "appointment" for an inspection, that usually implies the car will be worked on at that time. Not sitting idly by while the shop works on others vehicles.
This is why you pay them....for their time. The more you pay, the more prompt and detailed work you'll receive (most of the time).

If you know something is very underpriced, then usually the buyer will take a risk and buy it on the spot (without further inspection).
I prefer to pay a little more and not risk purchasing a future basket case (I have enough of them in my life already-mostly people).
This usually means I have the time to arrange a pre-purchase inspection where the seller can take it to a shop I've chosen.
 
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This usually means I have the time to arrange a pre-purchase inspection where the seller can take it to a shop I've chosen.

So, apparently you can get into the shop fairly quickly where you live? As I stated, around here the routine is to schedule an appointment for next week then plan on being without the vehicle for a day or two while they get around to doing whatever they do.
 
I've gone with family and friends to buy used vehicles and before we go I usually research common problems. That way I go in knowing what to look for in addition to the basics like body damage/body lines lining up, oil leaks, brakes, etc. If it is at someone's house I usually bring ramps to look underneath. Used car dealers have allowed me to put cars on their lift to look at it. I usually just tell them I'm checking for rust.
 
Originally Posted by AuthorEditor
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This usually means I have the time to arrange a pre-purchase inspection where the seller can take it to a shop I've chosen.

So, apparently you can get into the shop fairly quickly where you live? As I stated, around here the routine is to schedule an appointment for next week then plan on being without the vehicle for a day or two while they get around to doing whatever they do.


Sometimes. Depends on the shop and their wait list.
To prevent the seller from selling the car from under you, a deposit will help secure the vehicle (personal cheque usually works).
Before a deposit has been given, an agreed price is usually agreed upon. The remainder of the agreed price is given at delivery.

At that point, the inspection is merely to ensure everything is as it seems/has been described.
 
I have a good relationship with a small shop owner. I give him some heads up and and was able to squeeze the check (1hr) in.

A lot easier to see a vehicle up on lift.
 
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Can't help with the long wait time, but one time I was looking at a vehicle that was quite cheap, so I gave a deposit and drew up a conditional deposit contract pending an inspection and a maximum repair value and a date by which the inspection would take place.
Basically if the car needed more than a predetermined amount in repair, my deposit would be refunded. I used KBB as a maximum purchase amount reference after repairs.
This secured the vehicle until I could get an inspection and good thing I did. It needed a lot of repair.
 
When I bought my Mercedes, it was common on the forums to take the car to an MB dealer and have them do the pre-purchase inspection. They usually just charge about an hour for labor. While there, you can also get the VMI which is the vehicle master inquiry which shows all work done at the dealership.
 
I've sold a couple vehicles that the folks purchasing wanted a mechanic to check them over. One couldn't get anything that day and bought the vehicle anyway. The other one couldn't get one that day but could the next. I sold this car later the same day and angered the dude that made the mechanics appointment for the following day. I told him that cash talks and BS walks.
 
I've sold a few cars where the person wanted to take the car to a local mechanic. I had them make the appointment with their mechanic that was convenient for me, and pay him in advance. Then I called to confirm with the mechanic, and I took the car him. Under no circumstances were they taking the car alone. I recall one person being turned off. I wished him well and the next person bought the car. I never had a problem selling a car, so I don't stress over it, there's always a buyer. As far as me buying a used car, I check them myself.
 
I usually trade in. The only used ones I've sold the buyers kick the tires and take out their wallet -- but at a grand and down, not much is to be expected. Not sure if I'd put up with "can I take it to a mechanic", usually anything with that kind of value I'd just trade in.

I check my own cars. I usually miss something. One had a massive rear main seal leak (oops). The other had a cracked windshield. Always miss something...
 
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I never had a problem selling a car, so I don't stress over it, there's always a buyer. As far as me buying a used car, I check them myself.

I agree with this. I keep reading this advice to have a mechanic check out your potential purchase and it just doesn't seem realistic. Maybe it would work with higher-dollar used cars that don't have as much of a market. But I find the cars I am looking at are there one day and gone tomorrow.
 
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Normally I only recommend a PPI if you're looking at something unique or expensive with potential hidden problems.

Buying an exotic or near-exotic? Get a PPI.

Buying a used Corolla? Test drive it and have a good look over.

Generally speaking, of course.
 
It depends.

You need to first let the seller agree to it, and let him decide the time, and maybe go with him so he knows you are not going to take the car and bail (or you have to trust him enough that he will refund you the money). Most importantly you have to look trust worthy (this is not an equal opportunity situation here, sorry).

Also does the mechanic really spend enough time on this kind of inspection without knowing that model for a long time? The basic visual inspection can only check for leaks, CEL, drive cycles, rust, torn boots, bad AC, near worn out brakes, sludge under the filler cap, etc. If there's a hidden problem like cold start, or head gasket slow leak / massive oil burn, etc, they still can't check for those in a short period of time.

I personally would trust my own effort than a mechanic, not that I know more than him but my incentive is to check for more stuff using more time than get paid and get out.
 
I'm thinking of bringing my quick-jack to the next clunker I find on the side of the road. There are certain cavities like above the rear axle of FWD cars that you can't really get a good look at without actually going under.

I've offered that buyers of my well-worn rides can bring their mechanic to the car at my house, or that I could hold onto their license if they drive it off. Only one guy bit, the rest were like, I guess he has nothing to hide.
 
That's why it pays off to know and have a good relationship with an indy mechanic. If you have a good relationship with one, they may even come along with you to see the ride instead of bringing it in to their shop.

With chain shops getting the car in may be a problem, but I would imagine a lot of them offer such service, you just have to call ahead of time before you go to see the vehicle. Call them a day before or in the morning, and bring the car in around noon. Something like that.
If you just show up with the vehicle at their door, they will most likely turn you away.
 
That's the kind of advice that authors write when they're tailoring an article towards an audience that wants/needs to read about that topic.

The assumption is the buyer has no idea what they're getting themselves into which is fairly opposite of the average member on this site, and it's very easy to be conservative and suggest someone else put more work into something rather than less then have them angry that "if only I had been told (something)". Authors are also trying to generate content in general, especially on paid articles they can go on and on about best practices and obvious information just to Fill A Page With Words And Get Paid Doing It.
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On the other hand you can read independent shop reviews to weed some out, then call a few to find out what it would take to get an inspection done on the spot and the price, as well as inquiring whether anyone very familiar with the specific vehicle is available to do that. Maybe there aren't any in your area. Maybe you just didn't try hard enough to find them. There are more independent shops out there than you might realize until you start looking for them. Granted it used to be that even many gas stations had competent mechanics and a bay or two but not so much these days. Anyway good advice as already given to draw up a contract that stipulates a refundable deposit will hold the vehicle till it can be inspected. A reasonable seller should agree to that unless they're getting flooded with offers and want the fastest sale but if getting flooded, the price may be suspiciously low and the vehicle is that much more likely to have a problem. If anything most people tend to OVER value their vehicle, not under value it... guess that depends a bit on what it is too.

Depending on how much you want to spend, one thing about the shop that you can't so easily DIY is in depth testing. Suppose you want a compression test done, well if I'm selling a vehicle there's no way I'm letting a prospective buyer pull my spark plugs and do that, but if a shop is being paid and they're insured against damages, and I also have more presumption that a pro mechanic knows [censored] they're doing to reduce the chance of damage, I'm going to agree to it if they even mention it's one of the tests the shop is doing which they probably won't.

There is also the assumption that if you are reading a general advice article that you're spending more for a vehicle because this reduces the chances of repair work needed, so you're safeguarding against a larger loss of value than on a $2K beater, and the more a vehicle costs, the more time you tend to have before it sells unless it's priced very low and then that should be a red flag, anybody today knows you can get a car's value on the internet.

On the other hand you might find some cherry, something garage kept in near perfect condition, usually owned by an older person who has all maintenance records. I feel it's a lot less likely this will need a pro inspection done if you don't find any funny engine noises or tranny shifting problems and do a rust and leak inspection yourself. You do absolutely have to lift or jack or ramp up the vehicle to get under there enough to do a thorough rust inspection but on certain vehicles you can check the most common problem areas first like around the wheel wells where the wheels throw up road muck, especially near strut tower mounts on unibody vehicles as that's a serious safety issue, and along the rocker panels.
 
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