19/06/2026
When you buy a car, it's exciting! The promise of new adventures, new mod cons you may not have had in your past cars (maybe climate control or a spiffy 360 camera system, or something relatively standard like bluetooth), new compartments and maybe more power.
The car you're looking at buying has probably just been washed, has some gloss sprayed on the tyres, and has that freshly-steam-cleaned carpet smell. It looks great, goes well and you're quickly getting your heart set on it.....but is it a lemon in disguise? Are the current owners selling it because their mechanic has found a ton of mechanical problems with it - problems you can't necessarily see?
Whilst roadworthy inspections and certificates (Victoria, Australia) are an excellent indicator of the condition of safety items, it is not an overall inspection of the entire vehicle. Given that roadworthy certificates are only valid for 30 days, you may purchase a vehicle that comes with a RWC, and then need brakes or tyres in a couple of months time. Or, the motor may be a lot more worn than you realised. That’s an expense you may not have been expecting!!
There are ways to protect yourself from a bad purchase.
1. If you have an idea of the model you're looking for/at, message or call a mechanic you trust and ask them for their opinion on that car. We often tell our customers not to bother with certain brands and models because they're known lemons!! Or your mechanic may give you a year range to avoid, or one that's better than others. Or they may give you a better option - something similar that will cost you less in repairs and give less headaches.
Google is also your friend here - see if the model and brand you're thinking of has a bad general reputation online!
2. Make sure you check the car thoroughly when you first inspect it - if you're not confident that you can check basic items on a car, take someone with you who can! See below for a list of things to look at!
3. If the car seems good after steps 1 and 2, then have a mechanic you trust inspect the car for you.
When you go to inspect the car, have a look at the following items:
- does the car have the service book in it, and if so, has the scheduled servicing been done? A car that has missed services indicates that it may not have been well taken care of. Missed oil changes can come back to bite you with a sludgy engine down the track.
- do the tyres have a lot of tread on them or are they quite worn? Are they wearing evenly across the tyre? Tyres can still be roadworthy but need replacing in a few months. If you buy this car, will you need to spend $400-1000 on tyres soon?
- does the general condition of the car match the kilometers it is being sold with? I once looked at a car for a friend that had done 87,000kms and looked very nice. It was clean and tidy, new tyres etc. But no service history. I was suspicious when I thought that the steering wheel was excessively worn at 10 and 3. At 87,000kms you would expect minimal wear on the steering wheel. I wrote down the VIN and did some research on the car and found out that it used to be serviced at my work, and 2 years earlier had been in for it's 200,000kms service!!! Someone had given the odometer a "haircut"!
- Ask if it is coming with a roadworthy certificate. If not, why not....to me, that says it'll probably need a lot of repairs to pass a certificate, and the owners knows this and doesn't want to bother investing the money in it.
- Open the bonnet and check the engine oil level and colour. Is the oil clean and at the correct marker on the dipstick? Or is it gluggy and thick, or low?
- check the coolant level and colour. Low coolant could mean it has a leak, and sometimes people just top it up with water to save money, giving it a weak colour.
- check the parts of the motor that you can see for obvious oil leaks (even though a lot of sellers steam clean the engine, it's still worth while checking).
- check all the window switches, electric mirror switches, heater controls, radio controls, indicators and headlight switches. Make sure they all work!! If they don’t, that’s more stuff for you to fix.
- check the seat belts - do they all click in properly? Are the belts themselves frayed? If they're frayed they will need to be replaced for a roadworthy certificate.
- is the paint and body work in good condition or is it hail damaged, have rust spots or is it fading?
Take the car for a test drive. Pay attention to the following items:
- does it drive straight down the road - veering to either side when you let the wheel go is indicative of wheel alignment issues.
- if it's an automatic, does it change gears smoothly? Rough or harsh gear changes can mean problems!
- when you brake does it stop well? Does it have a shuddering feeling as it stops? (brake shudder is common and requires the discs to be machined to rectify it). Or does it pull to one side when you brake (potential brake calliper issues)?
- are there any unusual noises....clunks, grinding, squeaking, banging?
- can you see smoke coming out the back as you accelerate, or when you take off from the lights?
Once you have had a good look at the car, and driven it, it's homework time!
- check that there are no outstanding loans or other finance on the vehicle. You don't want to get stuck with someone else's debt. This is called a PPSR check and it costs around 2 bucks!
- whether or not it has ever been listed as a written off vehicle (and if so, was it a repairable write off?). This can protect you from buying a rebirthed (and therefore illegal) vehicle.
If you're happy so far that the car is good, the final check is to have a trusted mechanic inspect the car.
A comprehensive pre-purchase inspection can take around 2-3 hours, and normally costs around $350. It should give you a list of roadworthy items PLUS a complete bumper-to-bumper report on:
• the condition of the paint work and interior,
• a visual inspection of the body structure (including checking for rust) and any indicators that it has been in an accident and the quality of repairs.
• A compression check on the motor (where possible), as well as any oil leaks, wear and tear or other issues present.
• An estimate on tyre wear and condition.
• front and rear brake wear, including brake disc measurements.
• transmission operation and fluid condition and level.
• clutch and gearbox operation.
• A diagnostic scan of the vehicle’s computer.
• Suspension and steering components, including all bushes.
• A road test to check handling, wheel alignment and stopping capability.
• The estimated cost of any repairs that may be required in the near future.
At the very least, this report could help you negotiate a better price on the car.
Reduce the chances of buying a car that may be worse than your old one and that may cost your thousands in repairs!
Arm yourself with knowledge and do your research, and you're more likely to end up happy with your purchase for many years!
Happy car buying!
