The pre-purchase inspection script
Nineteen questions for the shop, and what each answer rules out.
A pre-purchase inspection is only as good as the questions you ask the shop doing it, since "looks fine" from a mechanic who wasn't told what to check is worth very little. Bring a short, specific list: frame or unibody damage, fluid leaks at each seal, brake pad thickness in millimeters, and whether the timing belt or chain has documented service history.
Ask for the answers in writing, even a one-page printout. A shop that hesitates to put findings on paper is telling you something about how confident it is in its own inspection — and a seller who won't allow an independent PPI at all is telling you something too.
Buying
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