Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist for Incoming Inventory

Turns rough notes from looking over a car you are thinking of buying (trade-in, auction, or private seller) into a complete checklist with findings sorted by what was found, plus the repair costs you gave, so you can decide whether to buy and at what price.

Used car dealerAuto and Transport✓ Checkedv1.0

Before and after

BEFORE · what the owner typed

Looking at a 2017 Buick Enclave, gray, 88,400 miles, coming from a trade-in at Beechworth Auto on 6207 Windwood St, Summerhurst. Christian Matsuda did the walk-around. Asking 17,900. Notes from Christian: small dent right rear door, paint ok otherwise. Windshield has a chip, driver side, not in the line of sight. All lights work. Front tires 3/32, rears 6/32. Front pads thin, brake pedal fine. Rotors have a lip. Oil is clean, no leaks on top. Coolant low, we topped it. Power steering leak at the rack, wet and dripping. Underneath no rust, frame looked straight. Third row seat latch sticks. Radio and AC work. Check engine light off. Test drive: shudder when shifting 2nd to 3rd. Didn't check the key fobs. Carfax not pulled yet. Costs from Clara Monroe in service: dent repair 350, windshield chip fill 60, front tires 520, front pads and rotors 480, steering rack 1,150, third row latch 140, transmission shudder not diagnosed yet.

AFTER · what the skill produced

Pre-Purchase Inspection: 2017 Buick Enclave, gray, 88,400 miles
Source: Trade-in at Beechworth Auto, 6207 Windwood St, Summerhurst
Inspected by: Christian Matsuda. Service costs from Clara Monroe.
Asking price: $17,900

Checklist

Exterior and body: Found a problem (small dent, right rear door; paint otherwise OK)
Glass and lights: Found a problem (chip in windshield, driver side, outside the line of sight). All lights OK.
Tires and wheels: Found a problem (front 3/32, rear 6/32)
Brakes: Found a problem (front pads thin, rotors have a lip). Brake pedal OK.
Under the hood: Found a problem (coolant was low and was topped off; power steering leak at the rack, wet and dripping). Oil clean, no leaks seen on top. Check engine light off.
Underneath and frame: Found OK (no rust, frame looked straight). We recommend a qualified inspector confirm the frame.
Interior and electronics: Found a problem (third row seat latch sticks). Radio and AC OK.
Test drive: Found a problem (shudder when shifting from 2nd to 3rd)
Paperwork and history: Not checked (history report not pulled; key fobs not checked)

Safety concern, recommended now

Front brake pads thin and rotors lipped: $480
Power steering leak at the rack, dripping now: $1,150
Transmission shudder, 2nd to 3rd: no cost given, not diagnosed yet

Recommended now

Coolant was low, topped off. We recommend finding out why it was low. No cost given.

Also recommended

Front tires at 3/32: $520
Dent, right rear door: $350
Windshield chip fill: $60
Third row seat latch sticks: $140

Totals of costs given

Safety concern, recommended now: $1,630
Recommended now: no cost given
Also recommended: $1,070
All given costs: $2,700
Asking price plus given costs: $20,600 (transmission and coolant costs not included)

Not checked, we recommend checking before buying

Key fobs
History report
Transmission shudder diagnosis

Questions for the owner

What caused the low coolant, and do you want it looked at before buying?
Do you have a cost for diagnosing the transmission shudder?
Should the frame be confirmed by a qualified inspector?

What it does

Use it when: Use when a used car dealer needs to turn a technician's or buyer's walk-around notes on an incoming vehicle into a pre-purchase inspection checklist and a clear summary of findings, such as: "write up the inspection on this trade-in," "checklist for the auction car," or "what does this car need before we buy it."