[Matt Monson]

Hello Jeff,

When getting a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) it's usually best for you to choose the shop and get someone who has no history with the car. Then you avoid there being a bias and reduce the likelihood that the shop would lie on behalf of the seller. Though if the car has been serviced by a top shop, you can usually trust that the shop's reputation is warranted and that if they were to do the PPI it would be honest and fair.

In my experience (I used to work for a shop that did many PPI's) we would do the inspection with a written report. It's at the buyer's expense. If they buyer purchases the vehicle, the seller will often let them negotiate the price of the PPI off the asking price of the car. If they don't buy the car, then it's just their expense.

If you tell us where the car is located, those of us familiar with the area could possibly suggest a good shop to do the inspection for you. Getting advise from people without a financial interest in the deal is often better than having the seller make a suggestion for you. Though again, as mentioned above, if it's a really top notch shop, then there's little to worry about.

Beyond that, a PPI is a comprehensive inspection of the car with a written report issued at the end. They will put the car on the lift. They will look for rust. They will check everything to see that it works. We're talking turn signals, window switches, mirrors, etc etc. Anything that doesn't work gets noted. They test drive the car. The should do a compression test or leakdown test (or both). They should look at the plugs and distributor. They should check wheel bearings and brake pads/rotors. They should spend a couple of hours looking over the car, and you should expect to pay a couple (or more) of hours of their hourly shop rate for the inspection. It's well worth it, especially from so far away.