Don't buy a used car without doing these checks

All 60 inspection check titles and categories are free to read — no account required. The tier-specific buying and selling guides are paid (R49–R299). These are tailored intelligence for your specific vehicle age and purchase channel, with real photos, red flags, SA repair costs, and walk-away triggers for your exact situation. Each tier bundle includes all previous tiers — buy T3 and you get T1, T2, and T3.

A tier guide is a tailored buying or selling guide for a specific vehicle age bracket and purchase channel. A 2008 high-mileage Hilux private sale has completely different risks and negotiation dynamics to a 2022 nearly-new dealer purchase. The free 60 checks cover everything — the tier guide tells you which ones matter most for your situation, what specific things go wrong on those vehicles, and how to negotiate based on SA market realities.

First Check (firstcheck.co.za) is a South African vehicle history service that checks the NaTIS system for outstanding finance, theft records, and registered owner details. It costs R19–R99. Outstanding finance scams are the most common vehicle fraud in SA — the bank repossesses from the buyer, not the seller. A First Check before any private purchase is non-negotiable. We have no commercial arrangement with First Check — we recommend it because it works.

No current commercial arrangements exist with any service listed on this site. All services are recommended on merit. Product links in articles go directly to retailers with no affiliate tracking currently active. If affiliate arrangements are established in future, they will be declared explicitly on every relevant page.

VIN cloning is when a stolen vehicle is given the identity of a legitimate vehicle by copying its VIN number. In South Africa it is at record levels — Hilux, Fortuner, Polo, and Ranger are the most common targets. If SAPS trace the stolen vehicle to you, they seize it with no compensation. The buyer loses everything. Check 15 and Check 56 on this site cover the full 3-point VIN verification process that takes two minutes and can save you hundreds of thousands of rand.

For any purchase over R80,000, a professional pre-purchase inspection is strongly recommended. DEKRA inspections cost R500–R900 and are accredited. Independent mechanics charge R350–R850. The 60 checks on this site are designed for the buyer to do themselves first — if anything raises concern, that is your signal to bring in a professional. For vehicles over R150,000, always use a professional.

Pull the dipstick, wipe it on a white cloth, re-insert, pull again. Normal oil is dark brown to black. Milky, creamy, or beige oil means water has mixed with the oil — almost always caused by a blown head gasket where coolant leaks through into the oil passages. Head gasket repair starts at R8,000 and often reaches R15,000–R25,000. If you see milky oil, do not negotiate — walk away.