This article was prepared in response to cases of vehicles bought with a fixed, improperly fixed or unfixed issues that are hidden to the eyes of the buyer but sold as a clean title.

Every vehicle buyer has the right by law to know the status of the vehicle as at the time it’s being paid for.

A clean-titled vehicle is a vehicle without any history of damage while
a salvage titled vehicle is a vehicle that has a history of damage, the damage could be mechanical, slight or severe body accident, undercarriage, theft, repossessed or vandalized just to mention a few.

My definition of a pre-purchase inspection is simple, ‘it’s the act of knowing what you are buying before you pay’.

In the developed countries there are systems put in place by the government that enables the buyer to check the status of the vehicle he intends to buy.
This can only be done either by the Vehicle Identification Number(VIN) or Chassis number depending on the country of manufacture.

Both identification numbers are 17 digit alphanumeric always engraved by the driver's door, inside the hood above the engine firewall, on the driver's seat belt or by the driver's side of the windshield looking from outside.

A pre-purchase inspection is carried out by a trained automobile service technician that has a good understanding of automobile diagnostic(using a diagnostic tool to confirm if the vehicle PIDs are still within its functional thresholds) and can carry out standard impact analysis test, just in case the vehicle has been involved in an accident. It also involves the physical inspection of components and body parts for wear and tear.

Carrying out a pre-purchase inspection on an automobile before purchase will reduce after purchase repair cost, it also gives a good understanding of the vehicle status thereby increasing your negotiating power.

Purchasing an automobile without proper pre-purchase inspection by a qualified automotive service technician could be compared to giving money to a bank teller without filling your information on the teller. "You just gave your mechanic a blank cheque".

The importance of pre-purchase inspection can never be overemphasized though it's not done free of charge.