"Mechanic's inspection" to buy a $3K car?

So the polite guy from craigslist came and test drove the car yesterday. He really liked it, realized it wasn't perfect, and that it's a 16 year old car that's also been "raced". I told him I was pretty stuck on $3500. He wanted to think about it overnight vs knee-jerk reaction, and I said no problem. (Hell I did the same thing buying the WRX a few weeks ago).

Today he texts that he thought about it, and he's comfortable with $3k and that he wants to have it inspected by a mechanic, at his cost. I replied I don't mind the inspection, but I'm pretty firm at $3500. The night before, someone texted me to ask about it. Turned out to be the boyfriend of a friend with a newer WRX that's losing it for $$ reasons, and she knows the car, and had an RS herself a few years ago and loved it. They're coming to see it this afternoon, and I'm pretty sure they'll take it for the $3500.

Got me wondering, is there a cut-off where you'd worry about an inspection on a car? Sure I might do it for a $7-8k daily driver, but is it worth it on a $3k-ish car? And I'm not even sure how much the "inspection" would cover anyway. What do you guys think? Is it worth it to get a $3k-ish running Subaru inspected first? (I didn't even consider it on my $5900 WRX)

Two sellers, two incomes, two levels of comfort.

$3,500 is not a lot of money but it may be "all the money in the world" to some buyers.

One buyer knows you and has a history of trusting you. The other does not.
One seems to also have a history of trusting Subaru, the other does not.

Mechanic inspection may also mean, "I want to get it on a lift and see the underside better."

All that said, I would be open to the idea of inspection but I would also sell it to the first person to pay you. No holds, no deposits, etc.

Also, does your ad say "best offer" anywhere in it? You're not obligated to take the $3k he offered first, without putting down a deposit, if someone else comes along and offers more.

I can totally understand that and I actually respect it. Yeah, it's only a $3500 car, but for this buyer it sounds like the $3k he's willing and/or able to spend could be make-or-break money for him. In that case, he's listened to enough of the car buying advice to know that any car could have demons lurking under its skin and he's smart enough to know that he doesn't know enough to be able to tell if he's going to spend all his money on a car that has impending doom which he won't be able to afford to fix.

While that's actually an admirable quality that seems to be in short supply these days, I certainly wouldn't hold the car or take less for it than I could get on the open market and it comes down to what you're willing to accept for the car. If you're willing to take $3k, then by all means let him do his thing but let him know he's going to need to move fast. If $3k isn't enough for you and you're willing to sit on the car for a longer period of time to find the right buyer ("right" in this case being defined as a buyer that is willing to pay more), then I'd let him know that he's more than welcome to take the car in for an inspection at his cost but with the understanding that you are positively not willing to sell the car at $3k and he's going to have to get closer. Hell, make him a counter-counter-offer pending inspection.

Another possibility is that he is more mechanically savvy than I'm guessing here and he knows there's a serious problem that will give him a strong negotiating position when he has an official mechanic backing him up.

Oh the issue isn't who gets Subarust first... He knows the other person will be checking it out and I'm not holding anything for him. If they offer me $3500 today it's sold.

The issue with my car and other buyers is coincidental. My question was really is there a cut-off you consider for inspecting a used car? $500-1000 Civic, um no. $8k daily driver I might get looked at. In my head up to about $3k I consider the car almost "throw-away". Like if it runs 1-2 years for me I consider it a win, anything extra is bonus.

But someone rightfully pointed out that everyone has their own financial situation. Understood. ...but in any case, is there a price point at which you say it's cheap enough that it's worth it no matter what?

EDIT: I've already talked to him about $3300 if the other person doesn't take it. Turns out he knows her as well... Really nice kid, even friended him on Facebook because he asked to keep in contact to follow like-minded car people. Also added him to our autocross Facebook group.

A PPI can give some peace of mind, so it sounds reasonable to me.

Since this guy has been reasonable, and even delightful to deal with - it's up to you to decide whether to be a little bit patient.. Or to just sell it, since that's your ultimate objective.

I'd just sell it to the other party...

I think I'd tell buyer #1 the price was 3500, and if he was agreeable to that, then an inspection would be fine, otherwise, sorry, the price is 3500. Meanwhile, the car is still available and sell it to whoever comes up with three and a half large.

Sell to the first one with an acceptable amount of money. Its not worth the time and hassle to deal with another week of tire kickers from CL for $200.

With all of that said, I don't think its a matter of cost of car for a PPI but more so familiarity with the particular car and acceptance of future costs of a car. For example: I'd probably never get a PPI done on a $5000 miata or Boxster, but I would probably get one on a used Audi of any flavor.

Well, I helped a friend sell his car. He was out of the country. I listed it on CL for him. It was in the same price range as yours. One person came to look and wanted a PPI. I said, sure, I'd take it to a mechanic of their choice within a reasonable distance at my lunchtime. They worked on scheduling that and before it could happen someone else bought it. So, I suppose three large is somewhat reasonable to me for a PPI. I wouldn't get one myself on something in that price range, but for the non-wrencher, I suppose it is reasonable.

I love buying cars, but hate selling. I would take the route of easiest sale, even if it meant at a lower selling price. Now if the ppi guy was my only option I would do it or if he was out of town and couldn't see it in person.

Had I gotten my current truck inspected before I wouldn't have bought it. Or at least I wouldn't have bought it for 2 grand.

Most of my cars have been in that price range and if I wasn't comfortable with my understanding of vehicles it doesn't seem unreasonable to pay a professional to look them over. Many people have the viewpoint that a 2-3k car is basically disposable and think its crazy to be on the ground with a flashlight concerning yourself with such non issues as leaks and rust. My view is the cars in that price range vary greatly in quality and many times a nicer example doesn't cost much more. If that's the case, why not spend a few more dollars to make sure you get the right one for your money?

I've never had a car inspected, but have either bought new or very cheap.

At this point, while it wouldn't ruin me to miss on a $3k car, the problem is that I'd be stuck with it, I'd know it had a problem, I'd have to either deal with fixing it or selling a car with an issue... I probably wouldn't actually do the inspection, but I could certainly understand having it inspected just to avoid having a headache even if the money involved isn't that much.

My PTO wasn't negotiable moving to a new job, and I can't buy time. It'd always be nice to have more money, but at this point I'm inclined to pay a little money to make sure I don't lose time.

OTOH, I'm guessing most shops wouldn't touch the cars I'm interested in at this point with a barge pole anyhow...

Nothing says his mechanic can't come to your house and inspect it in your garage. He can pay the guy for his time to do that. You and the mechanic can do a test drive while the buyer sits in his own car until you get back.

I'm always clear on selling a car - first guy over with money and it's sold. I never hold cars unless a deposit was given after an agreed upon price.

Second buyer never showed. I asked at 3pm, supposedly working weird hours at Honda, couldn't make it. Said maybe next weekend (which won't work because that's Fiat's on the Dragon weekend), also said they were looking at a Subaru in Columbus Monday. I told him the first guy was interested still and he said not to hold it for them (which I wouldn't without significant deposit)

So original guy is #1 in line when he brings me $3300, and as for the inspection he took my advice and is calling the garage that's been doing all my work for years. They know more about the car than a mechanic would by looking at it for 30 minutes. I just hope Steve doesn't use the phrase "rustbucket" too much...

In reply to Jerry:

Hope it works out and hope your buyer shows up on here!

While I've never had a PPI done myself, I can still understand it on a $3k car, especially for a young guy without much savings. Circumstances would have to be right, like something totally out of my wheelhouse (for example a rotary), or a car with a known, potentially catastrophic issue (I.e. Porsche IMS bearing). Also don't think I'd do it unless it was a car I had to rely on.

On the sellers side, I'd certainly take the easy money if it came along first. I hate dealing with selling anything and want to absolutely minimize my time commitment to the process. That said, for a nice guy and a good home I'd go the extra mile.

How much does a PPI cost?

While I've bought multiple vehicles around 3K I have never had a PPI done. I have been burned and I have done well. Seems like if you can only afford a $3K dollar car you probably don't have money for a PPI. Of course I can also fix my own stuff so something bad happening is less of a concern. Also there are a lot of unscrupulous sellers out there so if you can't afford a problem maybe it isn't a bad idea.

Jerry ... just curious what garage you use. (Steve) Overbeck by chance ??

In reply to einy:

Nope. Steve Colletti, Colletti Motorsports in Moraine OH.

Here in Ontario we have a safety inspection done when a car is sold. While it wont tell you that the drivetrain is going to last, it does give some peace of mind that the car will be safe to drive.

In the 3k range, I expect that the kid should have brought his mechanic with him to give him an opinion. Once an impartial mechanic get the car on a hoist, if he is competent, he is going to find stuff that could or should be dealt with and the kid will either try to negotiate the price down or bolt.

So my answer to your question would me that " If you let the kid have it inspected, you are a nice guy" but at 3k this is really going above and beyond the call of duty for a seller.

Jerry wrote: In reply to einy: Nope. Steve Colletti, Colletti Motorsports in Moraine OH.

Ahhh ... got it. I have done business with Overbeck in the past, and had always been very happy with them. But, not lately only due to no need. Was sort of wondering how those guys were doing, hence my question.

Remind the buyer that its the job of the mechanic to find something wrong and/or tell him why he is paying too much. If the mechanic just says, nice solid car and worth the money, he will feel like the mechanic screwed him.

I can understand wanting to do it, even on a 3k car, if you dont know what your looking for or are not familiar with the model etc. $300 (or way less even) to get it looked over by a mechanic may be cheap insurance to know its not going to instantly have the wheels fall off, know what seals may be leaking etc.

You can expect to throw 3k away, or need a few repairs here and there or simply run. Maybe he doesnt know quite which it is from looking at it himself.

I have had two done, on more expensive cars but still. One at the dealer, which I felt was useless, and one at a local shop that was better. I knew it leaked oil, but they told me where and found an exhaust leak I didn't know about, also did a cyl contribution test etc. That one I thought was worth the couple hundred $.

I think it's perfectly reasonable on a $3k to request a mechanic's inspection. I can understand not wanting to waste the time though if you get the feeling from the buyer that he would shy away after an unfavorable mechanic's appraisal - which on a $3k car, it almost always kind of is.