Fig. 01 — Before you're out the door
Paste the listing. A real person checks the year-specific failure points, the recalls, the title, and what it's actually worth, then writes you a plain-English read and the exact words to say to the seller.
Turnaround
Report back within 2–4 hours, in your inbox.
Car sells first?
Full refund if it's gone before your report lands.
Who reads it
A person, not an algorithm. Every listing, by hand.
What it isn't
Desk research. Every report ends with a lift inspection.
Fig. 02 — Two ways to buy
Same research either way. The comparison is for when you have shortlisted a few cars and want them ranked against each other.
Tick the box above, then pick an option below. That unlocks secure checkout.
Single listing read
3-car comparison
Secure checkout through Stripe. One-time payment, no subscription. You paste the listing link on the checkout page; the report arrives by email as a PDF. What's included, in full →
Fig. 03 — Three steps
01
Paste the link or VIN from wherever you found the car. Add your budget and how far you'd drive for the right one. That's the whole form.
02
Vehicle history, year-specific failure modes, open recalls and technical service bulletins, and fair market value for that mileage and condition. Read against the Tank List.
03
What to check on the lift, what it's worth, what to say to the seller, and what to walk away from. Written the way a knowledgeable friend would say it.
Fig. 04 — Open the file
This is the actual document we delivered for a $5,000 BMW X5 listing. Read it before you spend a dime, so you know exactly what you're buying from us.
Open the X5 reportSection 1 — The Mechanic's View · excerpt
Cooling system, "the time bomb." Radiator end tanks, expansion tank, water-pump impeller and thermostat housing are plastic and fail between 80k and 150k miles. At 201k this truck should be on its second cooling system. A flush does nothing to stop a brittle expansion tank from splitting. $800 – $1,800 independent if it hasn't been done.
Rear subframe cracking. Bushings deteriorate and the subframe cracks around the differential mount. Structural, not comfort. $1,500 – $2,250 at a specialist; up to $4,000 – $5,000 if the floor pan is involved. Lift inspection required.
Continues: control-arm bushings, valve-cover and oil-filter-housing gaskets, VANOS seals, transfer-case actuator, NHTSA recall check, PPI priorities, seller questions, negotiation script, nearby shops, Tank alternatives.
Fig. 05 — Free to browse
Platforms with a record of reaching 200,000+ miles, scored 1–10 for risk. Nothing on the list scores worse than 5. Fair-price tables and 5-year costs live in your report.
Fig. 06 — Why this exists
"A mechanic looking at that car for an hour would have told me most of it."
Blake Dillon, founder
Ormond Beach, Florida
I'm not a mechanic. I'm someone who buys used cars off Facebook Marketplace, and I learned this the expensive way. In 2021 I paid $4,000 for a 1999 Lexus LS400 showing only 50,000 miles. That number should have stopped me. I now think the odometer had been rolled back.
I didn't research the seller. I didn't get a pre-purchase inspection. Over the next 30,000 miles I put in suspension bushings, spark plugs, and about $1,500 on a cooling system whose hoses were cracked and leaking from every joint. Then it threw a rod. I sold it with a blown engine for $500.
So on the next one I did it properly: research the platform first, check the year-specific failure points, read what the listing wasn't saying, and inspect before paying. That was a 2011 Prius from an elderly couple, warranty and all. I drove it almost four years.
The truck that replaced it, a 2010 Tundra, went through the same process and has been exactly what it was supposed to be. BuyerAware is that process, written down and done for you, for about the cost of a tank of gas. If the car you're looking at is a trap, I'll tell you plainly and point you at one that isn't.
The 6 rules I buy by now →Fig. 07 — Before you ask
No. A Carfax is one input. It tells you reported history. It does not know that this year of this engine eats water pumps at 90k, that the listing's "coolant flush" isn't the repair the platform needs, or what a defensible offer looks like. We pull the history and then do the part a history report can't.
No, and we say so on every report. This is desk research done by a person: platform failure modes, recalls, TSBs, title, market value, and what the listing leaves out. It tells you what to have a shop check, and gives you the three best shops near the car to check it. Every report ends by recommending an in-person pre-purchase inspection.
Reports come back within 2–4 hours during the day. You'll get a confirmation the moment your order lands and the PDF by email when it's done.
You're refunded in full. Reply to your order confirmation or email us and we'll process it the same day. If you find another car you'd like read instead, we'll switch it at no charge.
Blake, with a structured research process behind him. The judgment calls, the recommendation and the negotiation language are written by a person for your specific listing, not generated from a template.
Fig. 08 — Free download
Not ready for a report? Take the printable checklist instead: five checks before you go, five at the car, built on the same six rules behind every BuyerAware report.
Read the 6 rules behind it →Takes two minutes to send