Facebook Marketplace car inspection
Found it on Marketplace? Have it inspected before you send a dollar.
A private seller owes you very little disclosure, and a deposit sent by app transfer is hard to get back. We send a vetted local inspector to meet the seller, match the VIN to the title, and document the real condition with photos — report in 24–48 hours, from $249.
Why a Marketplace car is a different risk than a dealer car
The price is better partly because the protections are thinner. Nothing about a private listing is verified by anyone — not the mileage, not the title, not the photos — until someone independent looks at the car.
Private sellers have far fewer disclosure obligations
A dealer has to follow the FTC Used Car Rule and state dealer law. A private seller on Marketplace generally does not, beyond basics like odometer and title-brand disclosure that vary by state. "As-is" is the default, and the burden of finding the problems is mostly yours.
The VIN in the listing is not always the VIN on the car
Listing photos can come from a different vehicle, a different year, or a cleaner example than the one you will meet. The only VIN that matters is the one stamped on the dash and the door-jamb label, read in person and matched against the title.
Deposit pressure is the tell
"Another buyer is coming at 5," "send a deposit to hold it," "Zelle or Cash App only." Hard-to-reverse payment before anyone has looked at the car is a common feature of vehicle scams. A seller with a clean car does not need your money before you have seen it.
Curbstoners sell like private parties
Unlicensed dealers flip cars through personal profiles to avoid dealer law. Signs: the title is not in the seller’s name, the same profile has several cars listed, or the meeting place is a parking lot instead of the address on the registration. An inspection documents what they would rather you did not look at.
What the inspector verifies on a Marketplace car
The parts of the deal a buyer at a parking-lot meetup cannot check, done on-site and photographed.
VIN matched three ways
The VIN on the dash, the door-jamb label, and the title are read and photographed on-site. A mismatch, a re-stamped plate, or a jamb label that looks newer than the car ends the deal before it starts.
Title in hand, in the seller’s name
If the seller provides it, the inspector photographs the title and notes whether the name matches the seller, whether a lienholder is listed, and whether it carries a salvage, rebuilt, flood, or lemon brand. You verify lien status with your state DMV before paying.
Odometer against wear
Pedal rubber, steering-wheel finish, driver-seat bolster, and brake-rotor lip are compared with the mileage shown. A 60,000-mile odometer on a 160,000-mile interior is documented, not guessed at.
Flood and collision history the listing left out
Silt in the spare-tire well, corrosion on seat-track bolts, water lines under the dash, panel gaps, overspray on trim, and (on Gold) paint-depth readings panel by panel that expose filler and repaints.
A real road test and OBD-II scan
Stored and pending fault codes are pulled before the drive, so a check-engine light the seller cleared the day before still shows up. The road test covers shifting, pulling, braking, noises, and vibration at speed.
Photos you can hold the seller to
Every finding is photographed and time-stamped. If the car you are asked to pay for is not the car in the report, you have a dated, independent record.
How a Marketplace inspection works
Paste the listing
Book online and paste the Marketplace listing URL, or just the seller’s city and state. We match a vetted local inspector to the car’s location.
The inspector meets the seller
Driveway, workplace, or a parking lot — wherever the seller shows the car. You do not need to be there, and you do not send the seller anything.
Report in 24–48 hours
VIN and title photos, the full inspection, a go / caution / stop summary, and the problems in plain English.
Pay, negotiate, or walk
Use the report to set your price, or walk away with nothing lost but the inspection fee — usually far less than a deposit you cannot recover.
Seller behaviour that should stop the deal
None of these means the car is bad. All of them mean you should not send money until an inspector has seen it and the title — and a seller who will not allow that has answered the question for you.
- Refuses an independent inspection, or will only allow one "after you commit."
- Asks for a deposit, a hold fee, or full payment before you or an inspector has seen the car.
- Will not meet at the address on the registration, or insists on a parking lot or "a friend’s place."
- The title is not in the seller’s name, is "open" (signed by a previous owner but never transferred), or "is at the bank / with my cousin."
- The same profile has several vehicles listed, or the account is days old with no history.
- Listing says "just needs a sensor," "runs great, no issues," or "selling for a family member" with no further detail.
- The price is well under market for the year and mileage, and the seller is in a hurry.
The full inspection, every time
The VIN and title checks sit on top of the same complete inspection every vehicle gets. Tiers differ by measurement depth, not by what gets looked at — from $249, or $349 for the Silver tier’s instrumented tests (battery load, brake measurement, A/C readings).
- Condition of the body and paint, including evidence of prior repair or respray
- Scratches, cracks, dents, and rust
- Underbody check for rust, frame damage, or structural repair
- Condition of tires and wheels, including tread depth
- Glass examined for cracks, chips, and other flaws
- Evidence of previous accident damage or flood damage
- Lights, A/C, gauges, and operation of all other electrical items
- Interior throughout — upholstery, mats, headliner, and seat belts
- Motor and transmission
- All driveline components, including 4-wheel and all-wheel-drive systems
- Steering, suspension, braking components, and exhaust system
- Visual inspection of the engine and everything else under the hood
- Fluid levels, oil leaks, and any missing parts
- OBD-II scan with any stored trouble codes (1996 and newer)
- Any additional areas of concern you identify when you book
- Road test evaluating the drivetrain — where the vehicle is street legal, insured, and weather conditions are safe
- Photo-documented PDF report with a plain-English go / caution / stop summary
Common questions
- Is it safe to buy a car on Facebook Marketplace without seeing it in person?
- It is riskier than a dealer purchase because private sellers have far fewer disclosure obligations than dealers and titles and VINs can be misrepresented. A mobile pre-purchase inspection verifies the VIN against the title, documents the vehicle’s real condition with photos, and flags mechanical issues before you send payment — the single highest-leverage step a Marketplace buyer can take.
- Will a private seller actually let an inspector come out?
- Most will, because it costs them nothing and it is often what gets the deal to close. The inspector contacts the seller directly to set a time, meets them wherever they show the car, and is usually on-site for 60 to 90 minutes. A seller who refuses outright, or who will only allow an inspection after you have paid, is telling you something about the car.
- The seller says another buyer is coming today. How fast can you get there?
- Dispatch typically runs 24 to 72 hours from booking depending on the market; same-day is never guaranteed. If a seller will not hold the car for a day or two for an inspection you are paying for, treat the urgency itself as the warning. A real car with a real title will still be there tomorrow.
- Does the inspector check the title and VIN?
- Yes. The inspector reads and photographs the VIN on the dash and the door-jamb label and compares both with the title the seller presents, noting the name on the title, any lienholder, and any salvage, rebuilt, or flood brand. Lien status and ownership are then yours to confirm with your state DMV before you pay — the inspection is a condition report, not a legal title search.
- How much does a Facebook Marketplace car inspection cost?
- Vehicle Inspectors charges three flat rates nationwide: Bronze $249, Silver $349, and Gold $449. Every tier covers the same systems and the same 25+ photos; Silver adds instrumented measurements (battery load, brake pad and rotor thickness, A/C temperatures) and Gold adds live OBD-II data on the road test, an electronics audit, and paint-depth readings. Your card is saved at booking and charged only after the inspection is completed.
- What if the Marketplace car is in another state?
- Many Marketplace listings are in another state. The inspector goes to the seller’s location in the car’s state; you never travel until the report says the car is worth it. How sight-unseen purchases and transport work is covered on the out-of-state car buying inspection page.
Buying a certified car from a dealer instead? Read how a CPO inspection differs from an independent one. Buying from another state? See the out-of-state car buying inspection page. Want to know what you are looking at before the inspector does? Read the vehicle inspection checklist, and see how buyers use the report to negotiate the price down.
Know what you are paying for before the deposit leaves your account.
Vetted mobile inspectors nationwide, VIN and title checked on-site, photo-documented report in 24–48 hours, from $249. Card saved at booking — never charged until your inspection is completed.
Book a Marketplace car inspection