Before you wire. Before you sign. Before you regret.
Two hours on the lift with all four factory diagnostic tools, a master-certified technician, and a written report on your email before the title transfers. The clearest decision in the buying process.
The cheapest two hours in the deal.
A pre-purchase inspection costs a fraction of one bad surprise three months after the title transfers. We’ve saved buyers from rolled-back odometers, undisclosed accident damage, six-figure engines on borrowed time, and the auction listing that "ran fine but needs a battery."
Bring us the car — or send the seller to us. We run the factory diagnostic scan on the brand’s native tool, lift it for a full underbody inspection, road-test it cold and warm, check the paint depth and panel gaps, cross-reference the service history, and email a written PDF report before you sign anything. Private sale, auction win, out-of-state import, even other dealers’ lots. We don’t care where it comes from. We care whether you should buy it.
Four chapters. One verdict.
Every PPI follows the same four-chapter checklist — mechanical, electronic, cosmetic, and historical. The depth and time spent on each adjusts to chassis and tier, but nothing is skipped.
Mechanical & chassis
- Engine compression & leak-down (concours / exotic)
- Oil condition, leaks, seal integrity
- Coolant condition & combustion test
- Transmission shift quality (cold & warm)
- Differential & driveline
- Frame & subframe inspection (lift)
- Suspension bushings, ball joints, links
- Air strut leak-down (Airmatic / PASM)
- Brake pads, rotors, calipers, lines
- Exhaust integrity & hangers
- Tire DOT date & wear pattern
- Cooling fans & A/C operation
Electronic & software
- Full factory scan (Sentry / ISTA / ODIS / PIWIS)
- Every module, every current & stored fault
- Cluster-vs-module mileage cross-check
- Adaptation values logged
- Software version vs latest factory level
- Battery health & charging system
- SRS / airbag history
- Climate control sensor scan
- ABS / ESP / parking-brake module
- MBUX / iDrive / MMI / PCM check
- ADAS & camera calibration status
- Key & immobiliser inventory
Cosmetic & body
- Paint depth gauge on every panel
- Panel gaps measured & compared
- Re-spray, blend, & repair detection
- Frame rail straightness
- Glass etching & date stamp
- Headlight age & clouding
- Wheels: dates, refinish, kerb damage
- Interior wear vs claimed mileage
- Seat motor & memory function
- Headliner & trim integrity
- Carpet for water-damage staining
- VIN plate & build sticker confirmation
Historical & road test
- Service-history cross-reference
- Carfax / AutoCheck analysis
- Mileage timeline vs documents
- Recall & TSB status
- Title brand & lien check
- Road test — cold start, 15 min
- Highway test — 70mph, 10 min
- City test — stop & go, 10 min
- Brake feel at speed & under hard
- Steering wheel pull & vibration
- Wind noise, rattles, squeaks
- Final scan for new codes post-test
What lands in your inbox before EOD.
Every PPI ends with a written PDF report on your email. Sectioned, photographed, and prioritised — the same document the next owner’s mechanic, your insurer, or the seller’s lawyer will want to see.
- Pass / Warn / Fault status on every line
- Photographs of any visible issue, captioned
- Plain-English notes on every fault code
- Prioritised: buy as-is, negotiate, or walk
- Estimated repair cost for any failing item
- Phone consult after delivery, no extra charge
Four times a PPI pays for itself.
Every car for sale tells a story. The question is whether it’s the same one the seller is telling. We work all four scenarios below regularly.
Private sale, in town
Send the seller to us with the car. Two hours, clear answer. Most reputable private sellers welcome the request — the ones that refuse are the answer in themselves.
Out-of-state import
Shipped from another state, arriving on a flatbed. We meet the car at delivery, run the PPI before you take possession, and the seller has every opportunity to make right what surfaces.
Auction lot
The classic-car auction in Boca, a Bring-A-Trailer listing, or a Cars & Bids closing this week. We can attend a local auction, or inspect post-purchase before the title transfers.
Dealer lot
Dealer-certified is not the same as independently inspected. Most reputable dealers allow off-site PPIs. Ours regularly find issues the dealership’s service prep missed — or chose not to mention.
From driver-grade to concours.
Every PPI covers the four-chapter checklist. The tier sets how deep we go and which extras are included — pick the one that matches the chassis.
Driver
- Full 120-point checklist
- Factory diagnostic scan
- Lift inspection
- Road test (cold + warm)
- Paint depth on every panel
- Written PDF report & phone consult
Performance
- Everything in Driver tier
- Compression & leak-down test
- Suspension geometry survey
- Brake-system pressure test
- Extended road-test loop (60 min)
- Photographic walkaround set
Concours / Classic
- Everything in Performance tier
- VIN & build-sheet authentication
- Originality & provenance review
- Service-history archival research
- Body-on-frame measurement
- Market-value letter (insurance grade)
Five chapters from booking to verdict.
Book
Call or email. We pull the VIN, prep the relevant factory tool, and confirm a 2-hour slot.
Receive
You or the seller drops the car. Photographs at intake. Quick walk-around with the owner if present.
Inspect
Lift, scan, road-test cold and warm. Two-hour, four-chapter inspection on the lift and on the road.
Report
Written PDF on your email by close of business. Status on every line. Photographs of every concern.
Consult
15-minute phone walk-through of the report, on us. Buy-as-is, negotiate, or walk — the decision is yours.
Lester’s PPI on a 911 Carrera I was about to buy from a dealer in Tampa found $11,400 in undisclosed work, including a respray on the right rear quarter. The seller dropped the price by twelve grand. Best $445 I’ve ever spent.
The buyer’s questions.
If yours isn’t here, the phone is the fastest way. Most PPI questions are answered in a five-minute call.
Call (305) 740-3440 →Driver tier is $295. Performance tier (AMG, M, RS, GT, Cayenne) is $445. Heritage tier on pre-2000 cars and concours platforms starts at $695. The fee is always a fraction of one bad surprise after the title transfers, and we apply it as a credit toward future service if you become a client.
A full 120-point checklist across mechanical, electronic, cosmetic, and historical chapters. Factory diagnostic scan on the brand’s native tool (Sentry / ISTA / ODIS / PIWIS), lift inspection, paint-depth survey, panel-gap measurement, road test cold and warm, service-history cross-reference, and a written PDF report delivered by EOD.
About two hours on the lift and on the road for a standard PPI. Concours and exotic platforms run three to four hours. We schedule weekday morning drop-offs and deliver the written report by close of business the same day.
Absolutely — it’s the whole point. Send the seller to us, or arrange delivery of the car for the inspection. We work directly with private sellers, dealers, auction houses, and transport companies. The seller doesn’t need to be present.
Often, yes. Modern Mercedes, BMW, and Audi store mileage in multiple modules. A factory scan compares cluster-reported mileage with stored values in the TCU, EZS, and SAM. Mismatches are flagged in writing — one of the more common red flags we surface on out-of-state buys.
You have three options, and we prioritise them in writing: buy at the listed price with full knowledge of what you’re inheriting, negotiate the price down by the cost of the repairs, or walk. Most of our PPI findings result in negotiated reductions of $3,000–$15,000.
Yes — it’s the tier we recommend most. Heritage PPIs on Pagodas, 560SECs, air-cooled 911s, and hand-built AMG cars include VIN authentication, build-sheet research, originality review, and an insurance-grade market-value letter. The depth that protects a six-figure purchase.
Two hours. One honest answer.
Drop the car off in the morning. Take a clear-eyed decision by the afternoon. The simplest insurance policy in the buying process.