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Walkaround & Test Drive Inspection

Open this on your phone at the car. Tap through each check, add notes and photos, and walk away with a PDF report of every problem and a rough repair cost to bring up when you negotiate.

Your answers save on this device as you go, so you can close the page and pick up where you left off. Sign in to save finished reports to your account.

Before you start: look at the car in daylight on dry pavement, with the engine cold. Ask the seller not to warm it up. A flashlight, a magnet and a tire tread gauge help, and so does a friend to watch the lights.

Your inspection report

Start checking and your report builds here.

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After your walkaround

This inspection catches a lot, but not everything. Here is what to do next.
  1. Check the history. Run the car’s Carfax or AutoCheck through our History Report Red Flag Checker.
  2. Look up any codes. If a warning light was on or a scanner found codes, see what they mean with the Check Engine Code Lookup.
  3. Get a mechanic to look at it. A pre-purchase inspection from a shop you pick usually costs $100 to $250 and puts the car on a lift, where frame damage, leaks and worn parts are easy to see. A seller who won’t allow one is telling you something.
  4. Negotiate with the report. Show the seller the problems you found and the repair estimate. Ask for that amount off the price, or for the seller to fix it before you buy.

Prefer paper? Get the printable Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist with our other free worksheets.

Want a second set of eyes?

Send us your report. We will tell you what is worth worrying about, what the repairs should really cost, and how much to ask off the price.

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How this works. Everything you enter, photos included, stays on this device unless you save the report to your account, where only you and anyone you share your account with can see it. The repair costs are rough national ranges for typical cars from common repair experience, meant to give you a starting point to negotiate, not a quote. Luxury brands, trucks and EVs often cost more, and a mechanic should confirm the cause and price of anything you find. This checklist is a buyer’s guide, not a substitute for a professional mechanical inspection. Built from our printable Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist, October 2026.