Used Car Inspection Before Buying: Pakistan Checklist

Before you buy a used car in Pakistan, check four things in this order: the documents, the body and chassis, the engine and gearbox, and a proper test drive. Verify the registration with your provincial Excise and Taxation department, match the chassis and engine numbers to the papers, look for signs of accident repair, start the car from cold and drive it on both city roads and an open road. If you are not confident, pay for an independent inspection. If the car is in another city, decide how you will get it home before you hand over any money.

A careful inspection takes an hour or two. It is the best protection you have against buying a stolen car, a hidden accident repair or an engine that needs major work.

1. Check the documents first

There is no point inspecting a car whose papers do not add up. Ask to see the originals, not photocopies.

• Registration book or smart card, with the seller's name or a clear chain of transfer letters.
• Original file and purchase documents, especially for imported cars.
• Token tax status, checked online with the provincial Excise and Taxation department where your province offers this.
• The seller's CNIC, matched to the registered owner or to the transfer papers.
• Chassis and engine numbers on the papers, matched to the numbers stamped on the car.
• Engine capacity and colour on the papers, matched to the car itself.

In Karachi, buyers commonly ask the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) to check whether a car is reported stolen. In other provinces, ask the local police or Excise office how to verify this. Transfer rules, such as biometric verification, vary by province and change from time to time, so check your provincial Excise and Taxation department's current requirements before you pay.

2. Inspect the body and chassis

Look at the car in daylight, on level ground, and preferably when it is dry and clean. Repainted panels and accident repairs are much easier to spot in good light.

• Look along each side for ripples, colour differences and uneven gaps between panels.
• Check door shuts, the boot floor and under the bonnet for overspray, welds or new sealant.
• Look at the chassis rails, the front cross member and the pillars for bends, cuts or fresh welding.
• Check for rust under the car, around the wheel arches and on the boot floor.
• Look for silt, rust or water lines under the seats and carpets, which can be a sign of flood damage.
• Check that all lights, windows, mirrors, locks and the horn work.

3. Check the engine and gearbox

Ask the seller not to start the car before you arrive. A cold start tells you far more than a warm one.

• Before starting, check the oil level and condition. Milky oil can point to a head gasket fault.
• Check the coolant colour and level, and look for leaks under the car.
• Start the engine from cold and listen for knocking, ticking or rattling.
• Watch the exhaust. Blue smoke suggests oil burning; thick white smoke that continues once warm can suggest coolant burning.
• Look for oil leaks around the engine and gearbox.
• Check that all warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine starts.
• On a hybrid, check that READY appears without any hybrid system warnings.

4. Take a proper test drive

Drive for at least 20 to 30 minutes, including some stop-start traffic and an open road where you can reach a reasonable speed.

• Gears should engage smoothly. On a manual, check for clutch slip in a higher gear.
• An automatic or CVT should not jerk, slip or hesitate.
• The car should brake straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• Listen for knocks from the suspension over bumps and speed breakers.
• Check that the steering is straight and has no excessive play.
• Run the AC on full and confirm it cools well in traffic as well as on the move.
• After the drive, check the temperature gauge and look again for leaks.

5. Consider an independent inspection

If you do not know cars well, or the price is high, pay for an inspection by an independent mechanic or an established inspection service. Choose the inspector yourself; do not rely on one the seller suggests. Ask for a written report with photos, and use any faults it finds to negotiate or walk away.

6. Buying from another city

Many buyers in Pakistan find the right car in another city: a Lahore buyer looking at a car in Karachi, or an Islamabad buyer looking in Peshawar. If you cannot inspect in person, ask a trusted friend or an inspection service in that city to do it, and get a video call during the test drive.

Then plan how to bring it home. Driving a car you have just bought, with an unknown service history, hundreds of kilometres in summer heat is a real risk: a worn cooling system or tyres may fail on the motorway. Moving it on a flatbed avoids that risk and adds no mileage. A flatbed is also the safer option if the car has not yet been transferred into your name or is not roadworthy.

• Agree with the seller where and when the car will be collected.
• Make sure the documents travel with you or are handed over in person, not left in the car.
• Photograph the car's condition and odometer at collection.
• Service the car, change fluids and check tyres as soon as it arrives.

Walk away if

• The chassis or engine number does not match the papers, or looks altered.
• The seller will not show original documents or let you verify them.
• The seller refuses an independent inspection or a cold start.
• There are signs of major structural repair or flood damage.
• The price is far below similar cars with no clear reason.