I've been looking at vans all over the country (mostly south of here) and found what I thought was a good deal on a Toyota Sienna in the Dallas Metroplex. However, I needed someone to take a look at it before I made an offer.
Turns out there are nationwide companies that sell used car inspections. However, how do you know that they aren't just pocketing the money and sending you a bogus inspection?
I did an internet search and stumbled across The Auto Critic in Dallas. The website looked like it was built by a owner-operator or friend of the owner (which was the case). This isn't to knock it. It just gave a certain confidence that I was dealing with someone who cared about providing quality inspections for their clients and not some national fly by night website.
Texas is a great market for used cars. There are a ton of them there. Cars don't get coated with salt and snow melt. It's only 10 or so hours away so it's easy to drive it back.
I got The Auto Critic to take a look at the van. Before paying for a full blown inspection, I asked if he could check the exterior and interior and if there was a smell or body issues, don't bother inspecting the motor.
As soon as he got to the car, he called me and told me his first impression. The interior had a smell and the paint was not touched up well. He asked if the car had been in a coastal area. According to the CARFAX™, it had been titled in Florida. I told him to not bother inspecting the motor and transmission. He charged me a destination fee and we both went on down the road happy.
Long story short, these guys at The Auto Critic know what they are doing and they saved me future headaches with a used car that was not worth buying.
If you need a used car inspected in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, I strongly recommend you check out The Auto Critic. These guys are the real deal and are truly passionate about car inspections and not just making a buck.
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