I strongly advise that anyone considering buying a second hand vehicle should get a PRE PURCHASE INSPECTION done on the car BEFORE you buy it. REGARDLESS if it has a safety certificate or warranty of some type (existing warranty that is still current or one you purchase when you buy the car). Pre buy inspections cost between $100 and $450 depending on the level of inspection you want and the type of car and can take from 1 hour up to a whole day to perform.

Some things to consider when buying a car:

Warranties

Warranties are usually conditional and in my opinion, most aren’t worth the paper they are written on, not to mention the cost to purchase them. You will either pay extra for the warranty and have the option to upgrade by paying more or it will be factored into the purchase price. (link to main page)

Test Drive

A car can test drive beautifully and even a mechanic sometimes can't tell if there are problems with the steering, suspension or chassis just from driving it. That is why a wheel alignment is part of a pre buy inspection to make sure everything is straight and within tolerances and can be adjusted accordingly. This has to be done on a wheel alignment machine, a visual inspection on the hoist is not going to reveal if something is bent or worn by millimetres or degrees, which is enough to cause severe tyre wear problems.

Air-Con Re-Gas

Part of a pre buy inspection is getting the air conditioning checked out. There could be a minor leak from a major component that can cost upwards of $1000 - $2000 to repair, I hear it all the time “ It just needs a Re-gas “remember a simple saying “ IF ITS OUT OF GAS, THE GAS GOT OUT SOMEWHERE!”

Cost of Inspection

You might be hesitant to pay for the cost of inspections especially if you need to inspect multiple cars before you find the right one, but believe me, it’s better to “PAY NOW & SAVE LATER “, rather than “ BUY NOW & PAY LATER!”. Remember you can always walk away from any car before you buy it, but once you pay and sign up its yours and you are stuck with it. Your problem, no one else's. There is no legitimate reason as to why a seller, private or car yard wont allow you to get an inspection; NONE WHAT SO EVER! Some Queensland transport rules and regulations to remember, a seller is supposed to have a safety certificate for the car before advertising it for sale and SHOULD be displayed in the car window. By law the seller is supposed to obtain the safety certificate NOT THE BUYER. You can sell a car unregistered without a safety certificate BUT BUYER BEWARE, the reason for this is usually the seller knows what is wrong with the car and doesn’t want to pay for the repairs to sell it registered with a safety certificate themselves.

Don't Be Fooled by Dodgy Safety Certificates

It doesn’t matter who or where you are buying the car from, it can still have plenty of faults with it. Safety certificates can be dodgy. Safety certificates are only valid for 2 months 2000klms for private sale vehicles and 3 months 1000klms for car yards. Read More: warnings about dodgy Safety Certificates. Even when you get a Pre Purchase Inspection done, mechanics can only see what is faulty at the time of the inspection and what is visible externally, we don’t have x-ray vision to predict what is wrong internally in an engine or transmission or differential.

Beware Quick Fixes

There are products on the market that are quick fixes for some major car problems and if they work and are used correctly, mechanics can’t tell if there is an underlying problem that has been covered up. So a pre buy inspection is not a guarantee of buying a trouble free car but it drastically reduces the risk of buying a defective troublesome car. Finally, unfortunately the modern motor vehicle is becoming more and more technologically advanced and we as consumers are fooled by all the gadgets and gimmicks that cars can do now days. Most of which we can all easily do with out, the average car has at least 10-20 mini computers or modules in it, I have seen up to 60! And while they work we are all happy, but sooner or later , some of these will require repairs / replacements and this is costly to find the fault and costly to replace as they are usually solid state meaning they don’t have any moving replaceable parts (so adds to our throw way society)

Warnings for Backpackers and International Travellers

I have seen so many people, especially backpackers and international travellers who aren’t aware of Queensland transport rules and regulations who have bought cars without safety certificates and end up with vehicles that cost thousands of dollars to repair to safety certificate standard, don’t become one of these people!

Safety Certificates can be "Dodgy"

A Safety Certificate is a matter of opinion. What someone passes, someone else can fail. A safety certificate is not a guarantee you are buying a good car. A S/C is exactly as the name implies; that it is supposed to be of a safety standard & that is all, it can still be in poor unreliable condition in other aspects.

Better to be safe and sure than sad and sorry. Pay for piece of mind inspections now rather than buy now and pay later for an unreliable unsafe car that you are stuck with.