Logbook, chassis number, service history, duty status and a test drive in traffic — not on an empty road. A short checklist to take with you.
A deposit turns a conversation into a commitment, so spend twenty minutes on these before the money moves.
First, the logbook. The names, the chassis number and the engine number should match the car and the seller. Second, duty status for anything imported: unpaid duty becomes your problem, not the previous owner’s.
Third, the service history. Not a stack of receipts — a pattern. Regular oil changes at sensible intervals tell you more than a full valet does.
Fourth, the test drive, and do it in traffic rather than on an empty stretch. Stop-start driving shows up a slipping gearbox, a tired clutch and an overheating problem faster than open road does.
Fifth, an independent inspection. Bring your own mechanic, or ask us to hold the car while yours comes to look at it. A dealer who refuses that is telling you something.
Finally, get the terms of the deposit in writing: what it holds, for how long, and what happens to it if the sale does not go through.