Used Car Inspection Checklist: 15 Things to Check Before You Buy
Fifteen checks you can run in a parking lot in 20 minutes, in the order that saves you the most money.
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AAAIndependent since day one
Car buying guides and ownership advice for people paying their own money
We price the whole car, not the monthly payment. Buying guides, head to head comparisons, maintenance you can actually do, and the five year cost nobody puts on the window sticker.
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EDHow we work
A car is a five year bill, so that is how we write about it
Most automotive coverage stops at the drive impression. That leaves out the part that costs you money.
A vehicle's price is the smallest decision you make about it. Insurance on two trims of the same model can differ by $400 a year. A set of 21 inch performance tires can cost four times what a 17 inch touring set costs. Depreciation in year three can swing thousands of dollars between two crossovers that looked identical in the showroom. We put those numbers in front of the recommendation instead of behind it.
Here is the standard we hold ourselves to. Every recommendation names the buyer it suits and the buyer it does not. Every price is a United States figure with the state identified when a rule varies. Every claim that needs a source gets one, whether that is EPA fuel economy data, an IIHS crash test, or a manufacturer's own maintenance schedule. When we do not know something, we write that we do not know it.
What we will not do: run manufacturer press copy as reporting, publish a review of a vehicle nobody here examined, invent testing we did not perform, or let an advertiser touch editorial. Sponsored work gets labeled at the top of the page in plain language, not in gray text at the bottom.
Our reader is usually somewhere specific in the process. Shopping a three year old crossover with 42,000 miles on it. Staring at a $1,900 repair quote and wondering if it is real. Running the numbers on whether a hybrid beats a used gas sedan for an 8,000 mile year. Those are the questions we write for, and each of the six sections below answers a different piece of them.
Start here: if you are shopping right now, the buying guides section covers the transaction end to end. If you already own the car and something is making a noise, go to maintenance advice.
BGSection 01 of 6
See all buying guides
Vehicle Buying Guides
Step by step help for picking a vehicle, reading a window sticker, and walking away from a bad deal.
How to Read a Window Sticker Without Getting Talked Past It
Dealer add-on stickers sit next to the Monroney label on purpose. Here is how to tell the two apart.
Read moreCertified Pre-Owned in 2026: What the Warranty Actually Covers
CPO premiums run $1,200 to $2,600. We read six manufacturer contracts to see what you get for it.
Read moreThe Four Numbers to Settle Before You Walk Into a Dealership
Out-the-door price, trade value, rate, and term. Fix all four on paper first and the room gets quiet.
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CXSection 02 of 6
See all comparisons
Car Comparisons
Head to head breakdowns with real spec tables, real prices, and a clear answer on who each vehicle suits.
RAV4 Hybrid vs CR-V Hybrid: Five Year Cost, Not Just MSRP
Two of the most cross-shopped crossovers in the country, compared on fuel, insurance, and resale.
Read moreMaverick vs Santa Cruz: Which Small Truck Fits a Real Driveway
Bed length, turning circle, and tow rating measured against what most owners haul on a weekend.
Read moreModel Y vs Ioniq 5: Charging Speed, Cargo, and Cabin Noise
Peak kilowatts get the headlines. The 10 to 80 percent time and the road noise decide the road trip.
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MTSection 03 of 6
See all maintenance
Maintenance Advice
Service intervals, common failure points, and the repairs worth paying a shop to handle.
The 60,000 Mile Service: What Shops Add That You Can Skip
Your owner manual lists eight items. The service menu lists nineteen. We line them up side by side.
Read moreBrake Warning Signs You Can Hear From the Driver Seat
A wear indicator squeal, a grind, and a pulse in the pedal each mean a different repair bill.
Read moreWhy Your Check Engine Light Is Often a $28 Part
P0455 is one of the most common stored codes in the country. It usually starts at the gas cap.
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EVSection 04 of 6
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Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
Range, charging, battery health, and what federal and state incentives actually pay out in 2026.
Home Charging Math: Level 1, Level 2, and the Monthly Bill
At 14 cents per kilowatt hour, a 12,000 mile year costs about $500. Here is how the panel work compares.
Read moreBattery Health After 100,000 Miles: What Owners Report
Fleet and owner data keep landing in the same range. The outliers have one habit in common.
Read moreFederal and State EV Incentives in 2026, in Plain English
Point-of-sale credits, income caps, and the state rebates that stack on top. Rules vary by state.
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OCSection 05 of 6
See all ownership costs
Ownership Costs
Depreciation, insurance, fuel, tires, and the five year math most buyers never run.
Depreciation by Segment: Where the First Three Years Hurt Most
Full-size luxury sedans give back the most value. Compact trucks give back the least. The gap is wide.
Read moreGet Insurance Quotes Before You Buy, Not After
Two trims of the same model can differ by $400 a year. Twenty minutes of quoting finds it.
Read moreTires Are the Cost Almost Nobody Budgets For
A 21 inch performance set can run four times a 17 inch touring set. Wheel size is a running cost.
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TISection 06 of 6
See all tech and industry
Automotive Technology and Industry News
Driver assistance systems, software updates, tariffs, plant news, and what Detroit is signalling next.
Adaptive Cruise Is Not Self-Driving, and the Gap Matters
SAE Level 2 means your hands and eyes are still the system. Marketing language keeps blurring that.
Read moreOver-the-Air Updates: Which Brands Actually Ship Fixes
Some brands push drivetrain and safety fixes overnight. Others still want the car in a service bay.
Read moreTariffs, Plants, and Prices: What Detroit Signalled This Quarter
Production shifts announced in Michigan and Ohio point at where 2027 sticker prices are heading.
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FAQAnswers
Questions readers send us most
Is Action Around Autos independent, or do carmakers pay for coverage?
We are independent. Advertising runs through clearly marked ad slots, and any sponsored article is labeled at the top before you read a word. No brand gets a review, a comparison result, or a placement in exchange for ad spend. Our full policy sits on the disclaimer page.
Do your prices and incentives apply outside the United States?
Unless a piece says otherwise, every dollar figure, tax credit, fuel price, and MPG rating is United States specific, and we name the state whenever a rule varies. International readers are welcome, but treat the numbers as United States benchmarks rather than local ones.
How do you decide which vehicles to compare?
We follow what readers actually cross-shop. If two vehicles land in the same segment, within roughly 15 percent on price, and show up together in reader questions, they get compared. We match trim to trim rather than base to top, because that is how the money really lines up.
Do you accept guest posts or contributed articles?
Sometimes, from writers with hands-on experience such as technicians, fleet managers, and dealers. We do not accept posts written to place a link, and we do not publish manufacturer copy. Send a pitch with a topic and your background through the contact page.
How often do you update older guides?
Anything with a price, an incentive, or a regulation in it gets reviewed at least twice a year, and sooner when a rule changes. Updated pieces carry a revised date so you can tell what has been checked recently.