Used Car Pre-Purchase Inspection Sheet
Carry out the same inspection on every car you view, so a decision made in somebody's driveway is based on what you saw rather than what you remember.
Free tool · 2 minutes
Build an inspection checklist for the specific car you are going to see — fuel type, age and seller included.
Everything happens in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded, there is no account, and the PDF is built on your own device. We count how often this tool is opened and used — a number, with nothing attached to it. What that means.
Viewing a used car is a memory test taken under mild social pressure in somebody else’s driveway, usually in the rain. A printed list is the difference between checking things and nodding.
Both exist on purpose. If you would rather not type anything, the blank printable versions below are free, need no browser and never change. The tool is for when the personalised version is worth three minutes.
No. It tells you what to look at. What a particular noise or a service gap is worth in negotiation depends on the car, the market and the seller, and anybody who tells you otherwise on a free website is guessing.
For anything expensive, yes. This checklist is for the hour you spend deciding whether the car is worth paying somebody to inspect properly.
The blank sheets that go with this tool. All free, in A4 and US Letter, with fillable versions.
Carry out the same inspection on every car you view, so a decision made in somebody's driveway is based on what you saw rather than what you remember.
Compare properties on the same points instead of on whichever one you saw last, and remember the things that are easy to ask about on the day and impossible to check afterwards.
Keep a service history in your own hands, so it survives changing garages and is there when you sell.
See wear as a trend, so you can plan replacement instead of being told at a test that it is already too late.
Set your limit in writing before bidding starts, with the premium and fees included, so the number you bid to is one you decided calmly.