Page 11 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

An experienced marque specialist is the best source for a thorough pre-purchase inspection.
pricing leaves you enough room to do the required repairs (this is where good homework comes in handy).
I like to think that cars are basically half made up of their stories and their past. Start by asking the seller why they bought it – and why they’re selling it. Does the story sound consistent? Then see what records exist on the car – there is simply no substitute for thorough and detailed documentation. A Carfax is a useful and inexpensive adjunct and may reveal information that the owner doesn’t know or chooses not to share (such as ownership history, maintenance history and crash repairs), but they are not infallible as owners and repair shops don’t always report work that’s been done on the car (including crash repairs), so a superficially good repair could be hiding significant damage that might never show up in online records.
Beyond the obvious repair history, good records can show how consistently the car was maintained as well as documenting its mileage and highlighting any gaps in its operational history. A prolonged period without any service suggests that the car wasn’t maintained at regular intervals, or worse, that it was off the road for an extended period.
No matter how strong the story is around the car, there is simply no substitute for a thorough pre-purchase inspection, or PPI. There are many services that claim to offer reliable, detailed car inspections, but these services are a bit like house inspections – they will give you reams of detail about the car’s physical condition, but not the more useful “so what” that determines how much work you might have in store – and what issues hide behind a good detailing job. Believe it or not, some of the inspectors that have been sent to examine cars at my shop have conducted only a cursory review without ever putting the car up on the lift. That’s just unacceptable.
In my experience, I’ve had much greater luck getting a PPI from a relevant marque specialist. Yes, it’s more work and likely more expensive that the average inspection service, but a specialist can give you that “so what?” background detail that differentiates severe issues from minor one – along with an educated estimate of what it will cost to rectify them.
My passion for a thorough and knowledgeable inspection is based on the sad experience of many customers who come to me with tales of woe. One of worst examples was a Porsche 914 bought online that appeared to be a great car but was besieged with
Wayne Carini  Affordable Classics  9