Used Car Inspection Checklist

Confirm the vehicle

1. Match the VIN on the dashboard, the driver door jamb and the title.

   A concern looks like: A character that differs, or a VIN plate that looks disturbed.

2. Check the model year, trim and powertrain against the listing.

   A concern looks like: The tenth VIN character gives a different model year, or the engine or battery is not the one advertised.

3. Compare the odometer with the service records and with the wear on the pedals and driver seat.

   A concern looks like: Mileage lower than the last service entry, or heavy wear on a low-mileage car.

Paperwork, VIN and recalls

1. Enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and write down any unrepaired recall.

   A concern looks like: An open recall with no repair appointment booked.

2. Read the title for brands and liens.

   A concern looks like: A salvage, rebuilt, flood or lemon-law buyback brand, or a lender still listed as lienholder.

3. Run the VIN through a vehicle history report.

   A concern looks like: A reported collision, an auction sale, a gap in registration, or several owners in a short time.

Questions for the seller

1. Why are you selling the car?

   A concern looks like: An answer that changes, or one that avoids a fault you already found.

2. Has the car been in a collision or had any paint work?

   A concern looks like: A "no" that the paint, panel gaps or history report contradict.

3. Who serviced the car, and how often?

   A concern looks like: No shop name, no dates, or gaps of 30,000 miles or more.

4. When were the timing belt, spark plugs, coolant and transmission fluid last changed?

   A concern looks like: No record of a timing belt change on an engine that has one and is past the interval.

5. Are any warning lights on, and is anything not working?

   A concern looks like: A fault the seller mentions only after you find it.

6. Will you let an independent mechanic inspect the car?

   A concern looks like: A refusal.

Documents to ask for

1. Title in the seller’s name.

   A concern looks like: A title in another name, or a title the seller cannot produce.

2. Service records with dates and mileage.

   A concern looks like: No records, or records that stop years ago.

3. Repair invoices for completed recalls.

   A concern looks like: A recall the seller says was done with no invoice and still open on the VIN lookup.

4. Emissions or state inspection certificate, where your state requires one.

   A concern looks like: An expired certificate or a recent failed test.

5. Every key or key fob, and the owner’s manual.

   A concern looks like: Only one key.

Cold start

1. Touch the hood before anyone starts the car.

   A concern looks like: A warm hood. The engine was run before you arrived, which hides cold-start noises.

2. Start the engine yourself and listen for 30 seconds.

   A concern looks like: A rattle, a knock, a belt squeal, or a rough idle that takes time to settle.

3. Watch the exhaust at start-up.

   A concern looks like: Blue smoke, thick white smoke that does not clear, or black smoke.

4. Switch the car on and watch every warning light come on and go out.

   A concern looks like: A light that stays on, or one that never lights during the bulb check.

Exterior

1. Sight down each side in daylight and compare the panel gaps and the paint color.

   A concern looks like: Uneven gaps, overspray on rubber seals, or a panel in a different shade.

2. Look at the rocker panels, the wheel arches and the bottom edges of the doors.

   A concern looks like: Bubbling paint or flaking metal.

3. Measure the tread on all four tires and read the date codes.

   A concern looks like: Tread under 4/32 inch, wear on one edge, sidewall cracks, or tires more than six years old.

4. Check the windshield, the mirrors and every exterior light.

   A concern looks like: A crack in the driver’s view, a lamp with water inside, or a light that does not work.

5. Look under the car with a flashlight.

   A concern looks like: Fresh fluid on the ground, or scrapes and dents along the underside.

Under the hood

1. Pull the dipstick and open the oil filler cap.

   A concern looks like: Oil below the low mark, gritty or milky oil, or sludge under the cap.

2. With the engine cold, check the coolant level and color in the overflow tank.

   A concern looks like: A low level, rusty or oily coolant, or crust around the hose joints.

3. Shine a flashlight around the engine, the transmission and the hoses.

   A concern looks like: Wet oil, dried coolant residue, a cracked belt or a swollen hose.

4. Check the transmission fluid if the car has a dipstick for it.

   A concern looks like: Dark fluid, a burnt smell, or a low level.

5. Find the 12-volt battery and read its date label and terminals.

   A concern looks like: Corroded terminals, a swollen case, or a battery more than five years old.

Interior and electronics

1. Work every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, wipers, lights, horn and the screen.

   A concern looks like: Anything that does not work, or a screen that freezes or restarts.

2. Run the air conditioning on its coldest setting, then the heater on its hottest.

   A concern looks like: No cold air within two minutes, no heat, or a fan speed that does not work.

3. Lift the floor mats and the cargo floor.

   A concern looks like: Damp carpet, a musty smell, silt, or rust around the spare tire well.

4. Latch and tug every seat belt, and move every seat through its travel.

   A concern looks like: A belt that will not lock or retract, or a seat that rocks on its track.

Test drive

1. On a level road, hold the wheel lightly and let the car track straight.

   A concern looks like: A pull to one side, an off-center wheel, or play before the car responds.

2. On an empty road, brake firmly from 40 mph.

   A concern looks like: A pedal that sinks or pulses, a pull to one side, a grinding noise, or an ABS light.

3. Accelerate gently through every gear, then once at full throttle. Shift into Reverse and back to Drive.

   A concern looks like: A delay or clunk going into gear, revs that rise without the car gaining speed, or a shudder.

4. Drive over a speed bump and a rough patch at 15 to 20 mph with the radio off.

   A concern looks like: A clunk, a rattle, or a body that keeps bouncing after the bump.

5. Hold highway speed for at least five minutes.

   A concern looks like: A vibration through the wheel or the seat, wind noise from a door, or a rising temperature gauge.

6. Try the cruise control and each driver-assist feature the car has.

   A concern looks like: A feature that will not engage, or a camera or sensor warning.

After the drive

1. Park on clean ground, let the engine idle for two minutes, then look underneath.

   A concern looks like: Fresh drips of oil, coolant or transmission fluid.

2. Open the hood and smell.

   A concern looks like: Burning oil, hot coolant or raw fuel.

3. Look at the instrument panel again.

   A concern looks like: A warning light or message that was not there before the drive.

For the mechanic or scan tool

1. Read stored and pending fault codes from every module.

   A concern looks like: Stored or pending codes, or emissions monitors that read "not ready" because the codes were cleared.

2. Raise the car and inspect the underside.

   A concern looks like: Bent or welded frame sections, leaking shocks, torn axle boots, or rusted brake lines.

3. Measure the brake pads and rotors.

   A concern looks like: Pads near the wear limit, scored rotors, or dark brake fluid.

4. Ask for a compression or leak-down test if the engine idles roughly or smokes.

   A concern looks like: One cylinder that reads well below the others.

Hybrid and electric cars

These replace the oil, exhaust and transmission-fluid checks on an electric car and add to them on a hybrid.

1. Battery warranty booklet and the date the car first went into service.

   A concern looks like: The battery warranty has run out, does not transfer to a second owner, or the in-service date is unknown.

2. Lift off the accelerator at 40 mph in the strongest regeneration setting, then brake to a stop.

   A concern looks like: Regeneration that cuts in and out, or a change in pedal feel as the friction brakes take over.

3. Drive slowly in a parking lot and note each time the engine starts and stops.

   A concern looks like: A shudder or a clunk when the engine restarts, or a hybrid system warning.

4. Read the traction battery’s state of health with a dealer tool or an EV-capable scan tool.

   A concern looks like: A reading below the capacity floor in the battery warranty, or cell groups that differ widely.

5. How is the car usually charged, and how often on DC fast chargers?

   A concern looks like: The seller does not know, or the car was fast charged almost every day.

6. A battery state-of-health report from a dealer or a scan tool.

   A concern looks like: The seller has no report and will not let you get one.

7. Look under the car at the battery case with a flashlight.

   A concern looks like: Dents, deep scrapes or a cracked cover on the battery case.

8. Open the charge port and look at the pins, the door and the cable that comes with the car.

   A concern looks like: Bent or scorched pins, a door that will not latch, or a missing cable.

9. Plug into a Level 2 AC charger and watch for five minutes.

   A concern looks like: Charging that does not start, stops by itself, or runs far below the car’s rated AC power.

10. Power the car on and write down the state of charge and the range it shows.

    A concern looks like: A warning message, or a range far below the rated range for that state of charge.

11. Open the hood and check the coolant reservoirs for the battery and the power electronics.

    A concern looks like: A level below the minimum mark, or dried coolant around a reservoir or hose.

12. Accelerate hard once from a stop and once from 40 mph.

    A concern looks like: A reduced-power message, a shudder, or a whine that rises with speed.

13. Compare the miles you drove with the range the car took off its estimate.

    A concern looks like: The estimate fell by far more miles than you drove in mild weather.

14. If the car has a DC fast-charge port, start a session at a public fast charger.

    A concern looks like: A session that will not start, or power far below the car’s rated peak at a low state of charge.