What to check before you commit to a private-party car

With a private-party car, the visit is where an opportunity becomes a purchase or a pass. Until then, your team has worked from photos, the seller’s description and your own numbers. The inspection is the chance to confirm all three before you commit.

A written checklist makes every appraisal comparable, and it leaves a record the next person can follow. This one runs in the order of a trade walk: the outside, the inside, the tires, the mechanical checks, then the VIN and the paperwork. Adapt it to your own appraisal process. It isn’t legal advice, and the paperwork section links the official sources.

Before the visit: what should the seller bring?

A car that’s right in every other way can still stall on paperwork. Ask the seller ahead of time to bring the California Certificate of Title, sometimes called the pink slip. If it’s lost, stolen or damaged, the DMV says an Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227) comes first (DMV title page).

Practical items to ask the seller for:

• The current registration card.
• Their lender’s details, if money is still owed on the car.
• Photo ID in the name shown on the title.
• Service records and every key, if they have them.

If a CarLinks agent is arranging the visit, tell them what you need the seller to bring.

The appraisal walkaround: exterior and glass

• Walk the whole car in good light. Look along each panel for ripples, and compare the paint color and finish from panel to panel.
• Check the panel gaps and how the doors, hood and trunk close. Uneven gaps, or overspray on trim and rubber seals, can point to earlier repair work.
• Look under the car and inside the wheel wells for rust, damage and leaks.
• Check the glass for chips and cracks, and try every exterior light.
• Compare what you see with the photos and description you priced from, and note every difference.

Interior and electronics

• Notice the smell when you first open the door. Damp, smoke or a heavy air freshener are all worth a closer look.
• Lift the mats and check the trunk floor for water stains or dampness.
• Switch the ignition on and check that the warning lights come on, then go out once the engine is running.
• Try the controls: windows, locks, mirrors, seats, climate, the infotainment screen, and any driver-assistance features the car was described with.
• Compare the wear on the seat, the steering wheel and the pedals with the mileage shown.

Tires, wheels and brakes

• Measure the tread on every tire, including the spare if there is one.
• Look for uneven wear across the tread, which can point to alignment or suspension work.
• Check that the tires match in brand and size, and read the date code on each sidewall.
• Look for curb damage on the wheels and cracking in the sidewalls.
• Check the brake discs for deep scoring or a lip at the edge, and listen for noise on the test drive.

Tires and brakes are among the easiest items to price, so put real numbers against them while you’re standing next to the car.

Mechanical checks and the test drive

• Listen to the engine at idle and under load for knocks, ticks or rough running.
• Check the fluid levels and condition, and look for leaks under the engine and transmission.
• Read any stored fault codes with a scan tool.
• On the test drive, check the shifting, braking and steering, and feel for any vibration or pull.
• Note whether the check engine light is on. BAR says a vehicle won’t pass a Smog Check with it on (BAR: Smog Check), which matters if the car needs a smog certificate.

Match the VIN in every place it appears

The VIN ties the car to its title, so check it in more than one place:

• On the dashboard. On cars and light trucks it must be readable through the windshield from outside, next to the driver’s side windshield pillar (49 CFR 565.13).
• On the certification label by the driver’s door, which must show the VIN (49 CFR 567.4).
• On the title and the registration card, which both contain the VIN (DMV registration manual).

They should match, character for character. The free VIN barcode scanner reads a VIN barcode from a label or document with a phone, and the VIN decoder shows the year, make, model and trim the manufacturer reported, so you can confirm the car is the one that was described. A decoder describes how a car was built. It doesn’t show its condition, history or ownership. Our guide to VIN barcodes on the lot covers scanning in more detail.

The seller’s California paperwork

No DMV consumer page covers a licensed dealer buying from a private party. What the DMV’s pages do set out is what California’s rules ask of the seller, and that tells you what to check at intake. Confirm current requirements in your DMV dealer resources. We checked the official pages linked here in October 2026. Our guide to buying from a private seller in California covers each document in more detail.

• Title. In a private sale, the seller signs the title on Line 1 (DMV private-party page). Check the owners’ names: if they’re joined by “and” or “/”, both owners must sign, and if they’re joined by “or”, one can (DMV dealer-purchase page). If the person selling isn’t the owner named on the title, the DMV says a bill of sale signed by both of them is needed (DMV private-party page).
• Lien release. If a lienholder is listed, it must release its interest on Line 2 of the title or with a REG 166 (DMV manual §11.015). For a vehicle two model years old or newer, only the Certificate of Title can release the lien (REG 166). The seller’s lender is the party to ask about the payoff and the release.
• Odometer disclosure. For model year 2011 and newer, an odometer disclosure is required until the vehicle is 20 model years old (DMV memo VIN 2021-10). Older vehicles follow the earlier 10-year rule (49 CFR 580.17). The DMV’s manual says the disclosure needs original signatures from the seller and the buyer, not a power of attorney (DMV manual §5.025).
• Smog, where it applies. The DMV’s manual lists “a smog certification, if appropriate, or evidence of exemption” among the basic transfer requirements (DMV manual §11.015). BAR says a gasoline vehicle four model years old or newer doesn’t need a smog certificate at transfer (BAR: Smog Check), and the DMV says the new owner pays a smog transfer fee instead (DMV smog page). Confirm with the DMV for your vehicle.
• Release of liability. The seller must notify the DMV within 5 calendar days of the sale with a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (DMV NRL page). It’s the seller’s step, so a reminder at handover helps.

After the inspection: rerun the numbers

Write down what you found while the car is still in front of you, with a cost against each item. Then put the new reconditioning estimate into the dealer acquisition calculator alongside your other figures. If the maximum it shows still covers the agreed price, you have a clear basis to go ahead. If it doesn’t, you know which finding changed it, and your team can decide what to do next.

Our guide to setting a maximum offer on a private-party car explains the arithmetic. Whatever you decide, record the outcome, so the next person who opens the record knows what happened.

With CarLinks, the visit comes after a price is agreed. Our agents source the car and arrange the appointment, and your team inspects it and makes the purchase decision. From private seller to dealership explains each stage.

See how it would work for your dealership, or read how CarLinks works.