Why a Pre-Purchase Inspection Saves You Thousands
The most expensive German car is the cheap one with hidden problems. A pre-purchase inspection is the best few hundred dollars you'll spend before buying — here's why.
What a PPI actually covers
When you bring a prospective purchase to us — or send us the address to go look — we go far beyond a test drive. We check for accident repair and frame damage, scan every module for stored faults, inspect the engine and transmission for leaks and service history, evaluate suspension and brakes, look hard at the known weak points for that specific model, and road test it like it's our own.
The problems buyers can't see
A car can look immaculate and still be hiding a failing timing component, a transmission that's overdue for service, deferred maintenance that's about to come due all at once, or a salvage-quality repair under fresh paint. On an aircooled classic, we're also looking at things like cooling tin, seal condition and prior "restoration" work that wasn't done right. None of this shows up in a quick look or a clean-looking listing.
The math
A pre-purchase inspection costs a small fraction of what a single major repair runs. We've handed buyers the leverage to negotiate thousands off a price — and we've talked plenty of people out of cars that would have been money pits. Either way, you win.
"They have done pre-purchase inspections on several vehicles for me. Wonderfully detailed and completely honest." — Carla K.
Buying a VW, Porsche or Audi in Portland?
Before you sign anything, bring it by Trafton's or give us a call. An hour in our bay can save you a very expensive surprise.