The short answer: every tier covers these basics
No matter which tier you book, a pre-purchase inspection is a structured, third-party evaluation of a used vehicle before you buy it. An independent inspector comes to the seller's location, works through a fixed checklist, photographs what matters, and sends you a plain-English report. You are paying for an unbiased set of eyes that has no stake in whether the sale closes.
Every tier — Bronze, Silver, and Gold — includes the same foundation: a full exterior and interior walk-around, an operational check of the major systems, and an OBD-II diagnostic scan for stored trouble codes. The tiers differ in how deep the inspection goes from there, not in whether your car gets looked at. If you want the complete picture of how the process works start to finish, read our full guide to pre-purchase vehicle inspections.
Bronze ($249): the essentials
The Bronze inspection is a thorough visual and operational assessment — the right call for a newer, lower-mileage car being sold by an owner you can meet nearby. The inspector documents exterior condition (paint, panel gaps, glass, lights, tires), checks the interior (seats, electronics, climate control, warning lights, safety systems), and evaluates the engine bay for leaks, corrosion, and obvious wear.
It includes an OBD-II scan that pulls any stored diagnostic trouble codes — the codes that reveal problems a seller may have cleared or ignored — plus 30 to 40 photos and a written PDF report within 24 to 48 hours. Bronze does not include a road test or undercarriage inspection; if the car is older or you can't be there to drive it yourself, step up a tier.
Silver ($349): adds the road test and deeper mechanicals
Silver includes everything in Bronze and adds the checks that only reveal themselves in motion and under the car. The inspector performs a road test to evaluate how the vehicle drives, shifts, brakes, and tracks — surfacing transmission hesitation, brake pulsation, alignment pull, and suspension noise that a stationary check can miss.
It also adds brake and suspension inspection, a battery load test, and an A/C performance check, with 60 or more photos. Silver is the sweet spot for most private-party purchases: it catches the drivetrain and safety issues that cost the most to fix, without paying for the extended diagnostics a routine commuter car doesn't need.
Gold ($449): the full diagnostic workup
Gold is the most complete tier — everything in Silver plus an extended road test with live OBD-II data capture, a full electronics and accessory audit, and 90 or more photos, with priority inspector matching. Live data lets the inspector watch the engine and transmission behave under real load rather than relying on a snapshot of stored codes.
Gold earns its price on the purchases where the downside is largest: high-mileage vehicles, luxury and performance cars, EVs and hybrids, out-of-state buys you can't drive yourself, and anything with a complicated history. If a hidden problem on this car could cost thousands, the extra hundred dollars of inspection depth is cheap insurance.
Side-by-side: what each tier includes
Bronze ($249): full exterior + interior + engine-bay visual, operational systems check, OBD-II code scan, 30-40 photos, PDF report in 24-48 hours.
Silver ($349): everything in Bronze, plus road test, brake and suspension inspection, battery load test, A/C performance check, 60+ photos.
Gold ($449): everything in Silver, plus extended road test with live OBD-II data, full electronics audit, 90+ photos, priority matching.
Specialty vehicles — RVs, motorcycles, classics, and fleet — are quoted individually. In every case your card is only charged once an independent inspector accepts the job.
What a pre-purchase inspection does NOT check
Setting expectations matters. A pre-purchase inspection is a non-invasive, point-in-time assessment — the inspector does not disassemble the engine, drop the transmission, or put the car on a lift for teardown. It reports the vehicle's observable condition on the day of inspection; it is not a warranty and cannot guarantee a component won't fail next month.
It also isn't a title or history report. Pair the inspection with a VIN history check (Carfax, AutoCheck, or the federal NMVTIS database) so you cover both the paper trail and the physical car. The inspection tells you the condition; the history report tells you the past.
How to pick the right tier for your vehicle
Match the tier to the risk. Choose Bronze for a newer, well-documented car close to you. Choose Silver — the default for most buyers — when the car has real mileage, you can't test-drive it yourself, or it's a private-party sale. Choose Gold for high-value, high-mileage, out-of-state, EV/hybrid, or salvage-adjacent purchases where a hidden fault would be expensive.
Whichever you pick, the inspector comes to the car wherever it is — a dealer lot, a private driveway, or another state. Book an inspection now and you'll have a photo-documented report in hand within 24 hours of the visit, ready to help you negotiate or walk away with confidence.