704-495-7855

Before you buy

We inspect the car at the seller's driveway. You buy with the facts.

An independent mobile inspection anywhere within an hour of Statesville — Marketplace finds, dealer lots, estate sales, auction pickups. Text us the listing and we'll take it from there.

Why mobile inspection beats "take it to my shop"

The standard advice — "have your mechanic look at it before you buy" — has a logistics problem: the car isn't yours yet. You'd need the seller to drive it to a shop, wait around, and drive it back. Most won't, and if you're buying from out of state, you can't even ask. That's how cars get bought on photos and a clean Carfax.

We solve it by going to the car. The seller stays home, we spend an hour going through the vehicle where it sits, and you get a written report with photos — whether you're across town or across the country. This corner of North Carolina moves a lot of metal: dealer rows in Statesville and Hickory, a constant churn of private sales around Mooresville and Lake Norman, and enthusiast cars everywhere — this is Race City's backyard. A lot of those listings are honest. The inspection is how you find out which ones.

What we check

  • Every computer, not just the engine. A full-module scan catches pending codes and tells us if someone cleared the memory right before listing the car — a classic move before a sale.
  • The body's history. A paint-depth gauge reads repainted panels and filler that never make it into the ad, even when the accident never made it onto the Carfax. Our clean-Carfax post covers why that happens.
  • The expensive stuff. Cooling system condition, oil condition and leaks, transmission behavior on a road test, brake and tire measurements, suspension and steering wear, A/C performance, and every switch and window.
  • The verdict. Not just a list of findings — a straight answer: buy it, use the findings to negotiate, or walk away. We've given all three, in about equal measure.

How it works for out-of-state buyers

Text us the listing link and the seller's contact info. We coordinate the appointment with the seller, inspect the car, then call you and walk through the report before you commit to anything. If you're flying in to drive the car home, we can time the inspection so you know it's sound before you book the flight — and if you'd like, look it over again the day you pick it up.

Coverage

Anywhere within about an hour of Statesville: Statesville, Mooresville, Hickory, Salisbury, Huntersville, Concord and forty-odd towns between them. Full service details on the pre-purchase inspection page.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Do I need to be there for the inspection?
No, and most of our buyers aren't. Out-of-state buyers text us the listing and the seller's contact, we coordinate a time with the seller directly, and you get the report and a phone call before you wire a dime.
Will a seller really let a mechanic come out?
Serious sellers almost always say yes — it costs them nothing and helps the sale. A seller who refuses an independent inspection at their own driveway is telling you something important about the car.
What's in the report?
Scan results from every module (including pending and recently-cleared codes), paint-depth readings that reveal bodywork the listing didn't mention, photos of leaks and wear items, tire and brake measurements, a road-test summary, and a plain-English verdict: buy it, negotiate, or walk.
Can you inspect a car at a dealership?
Yes. Dealers on the US-21 and NC-150 corridors are used to independent inspections. If a dealer won't allow one, we'd treat that the same as a private seller refusing.
How fast can you get to a car?
Often within a day or two anywhere in our coverage area. If a car is priced right it won't sit long, so text us the listing as soon as you're serious.
Do you inspect classic and performance cars?
We inspect them mechanically — codes where applicable, compression concerns, cooling, brakes, suspension, signs of hidden rust or bodywork. For a concours-level appraisal or numbers-matching verification on a collector car, we'll tell you honestly if you need a specialist instead.
What does it cost?
A flat fee, quoted when you text us the listing — a fraction of what one hidden problem would cost you after the title changes hands. There's no fee to cancel if the car sells before we get there.

Found the car? Text us the listing.

Text or call with your vehicle and what's going on. We'll confirm a window and bring the parts.

Call 704-495-7855Text us