What does this cost in your state?
California is the costliest state and Arkansas the cheapest; each square shows that state's midpoint of the estimate.
Lower-cost states ($174)MiddleHigher-cost states ($221)
What it shows: CA is the highest at $221 and AR the lowest at $174, across 51 states.
Is repair-price inflation only an American problem?
Consumer prices for vehicle maintenance and repair rose 37.6% in the United States from 2019 to 2024, against 28.8% in the United Kingdom, 27.9% in the European Union and 21.1% in Canada (BLS, ONS, Eurostat and Statistics Canada; foreign indexes are defined differently).
What it shows: United States is the largest at 37.6%, followed by Germany at 31.7%; the smallest shown is Italy at 15.7%.
Which makers still have the most unrepaired Takata air bag inflators on the road?
NHTSA's Takata accounting of 2024-05-03 counts 6,085,984 recalled air bag inflators still unrepaired out of 66,625,179 across 19 manufacturers, 3,019,399 of them (43.8% of its recalled inflators) at General Motors.
What it shows: General Motors is the largest at 3,019,399, followed by Honda (Acura) at 922,551; the smallest shown is Mazda at 56,050.
Who pays if the used car breaks right after I buy it?
Under the FTC Used Car Rule, every dealer must post a Buyers Guide on a used car that says either "As Is - No Dealer Warranty" or "Implied Warranties Only", states what share of repair costs the dealer pays under any warranty, and tells the shopper to have an independent mechanic inspect the car before buying.
| Topic | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| As-is sales | A dealer may sell as-is only if state law allows it; in states that limit or prohibit as-is sales the guide must say "Implied Warranties Only". |
| Inspection advice | The Buyers Guide tells shoppers to ask for an independent mechanic inspection before buying. |
| Repair costs the dealer pays | The Buyers Guide states what percentage of repair costs the dealer will pay under a warranty. |
| States that limit as-is sales | In states that limit or prohibit the elimination of implied warranties the dealer must use the Implied Warranties Only version. |
| Two versions of the guide | The Buyers Guide on a used car has two versions: "As Is - No Dealer Warranty" and "Implied Warranties Only". |
A pre-purchase car inspection costs $150–$250 at the typical level. The depth of the inspection moves the price most, from $75–$125 for a basic check to $250–$400 for the deepest levels.
Newer cars still need the check. Owners who mentioned a pre-purchase inspection or buying the car told NHTSA their problem showed up at 16,102 miles (median of 21 complaints with a mileage), on cars 4 years old (median age at failure, 110 complaints).
Engine and clutch replacements done before the sale appear in pre-purchase inspection complaints
For someone holding an inspection quote, this means the most useful thing the inspector can do is look for signs of earlier major repairs, such as new engine mounts, replaced bolts and fresh gaskets. Checking fluids and tires is not enough. In these reports, the replacement work did not keep the problem from coming back.
Dealer-sold cars dominate pre-purchase inspection complaints, 77 dealer mentions to 8 independent
Complaints mention a dealer far more often than an independent shop. Many of the quotes describe buying from a dealer that knew the car's history, such as a sales manager's demo miles or a clutch that had already been replaced.
Pre-purchase inspection complaints cluster on nearly new cars: a quarter at 200 miles or less
This spread describes the cars owners complained about. It does not tell you the chance that any one car will fail.
One owner reported a stall during a test drive on a car with very few miles: a 2019 Volkswagen GTI owner told NHTSA the car "unexpectedly stalled as I was coming to a stop" (NHTSA complaint #11209037) during the pre-purchase test drive. A low odometer reading is not a good reason to skip the inspection.
Pre-purchase inspection complaints show 41% of failures at 55 mph or faster
Among complaints that gave a speed, the median speed at failure was 45 mph. Only 7% happened while the car was parked or moving under 5 mph. A lot-only inspection or a short loop around the block would miss most of these failures. Ask for a road test that includes highway speed.
Software and electrical faults lead the mechanisms in pre-purchase inspection complaints
These are owner reports and do not prove that the defect caused the crash or the damage.
Pre-purchase inspection calculator: $75–$125 basic vs. $203–$338 at a specialist shop
A basic inspection runs $75–$125. That level is unlikely to include the code scan and highway road test that the software faults and highway-speed failures above call for. Given how often dealers appear in these complaints, the default inspection at an independent shop gets you both a thorough check and a shop with no stake in the sale.
Frequently asked questions
How much is an independent car inspection?
The default pre-purchase inspection at an independent shop runs $150–$250. Complaints mention a dealer far more often than an independent shop, 77 dealer mentions to 8 independent.
Sources
Data shown on this page
- CalcScrape calculator model scaled by BEA Regional Price Parities data from 2024
- BLS CPI-U item SETD; UK ONS CPI index 07.2.3 (D7ED); Eurostat HICP CP0723; Statistics Canada CPI table 18-10-0004-01 file downloaded 2024 annual averages
- NHTSA, Takata Recall: Net Air Bags Remaining (data.transportation.gov) file downloaded 2024-05-03
- Federal Trade Commission: Dealer's Guide to the Used Car Rule data from 2025
Terms: US government data, public domain; Open Government Licence v3.0.
Modeled: our estimate, not a quote. Observed: records as filed; owner reports are unverified and are not failure rates. Rule: a published legal rule, not a measurement; whether it covers a given repair depends on the car and the facts.
Owner complaints quoted
What is our own estimate
The price range comes from our calculator's formula. Its parts prices, labor hours per job and shop-rate tiers are CalcScrape estimates, not a published price dataset. Checked against RepairPal's range ($186–$273) on 2026-10-06: our default's midpoint is 13% below the middle of that range. Methodology