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I think your best choice is hourly. That way, you can have them call you if they find certain items that are deal breakers and stop the work before you get in too deep.
I did mine last fall and spent $350-400 on a pretty thorough inspection. The shop saw the maintenance/service history. They were familiar with the PO's mechanic and felt confident in not having to go too deep into the engine, since it hadn't been long since a top end service including polished piston heads had been completed by the reputable shop. The mechanic did a test drive as well and felt a cracked stabilizer mount, but was sure the engine was in great shape.
A good mechanic you can trust is just as important as the test itself.
Also worth noting is that I purchased the car and had it inspected afterwards, so really it was a post purchase situation, but none the less I ended up with a punch list of small jobs and I could prioritize however I wanted to.
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