The online checks to run first
Start online, before anyone drives anywhere. The NSW Government's online registration check shows when the rego expires, whether it's suspended or cancelled, and the past three yearly odometer readings where they exist. If the odometer on the ad doesn't line up with those, ask the seller why.
Then search the PPSR, which tells you if there's money owing on the car, and look for any open recall notices. If either turns up a problem, you've saved yourself the inspection.
What to look for in a car from the Coast
Signs of floodwater
Heavy rain flooded Tuggerah Lake in June 2007, reaching Long Jetty, Killarney Vale and Chittaway Point. Transport for NSW says some flood-damaged cars aren't treated as a total loss, never go on the written-off register, and can be sold privately or at auction. Ask the mechanic to look for silt, water lines and corrosion in places that should be dry, like under the carpet and in the boot well.
Rust from salt air
With the beaches, Brisbane Water and the lakes all close by, ask for a careful look underneath, especially on an older car or a ute that's backed a trailer down a boat ramp. Surface rust on a bracket and rust through the floor are very different findings.
Commuter kilometres
A car that's done the daily M1 trip to Sydney can carry a lot of kilometres for its age. Motorway kilometres aren't the worst kind, but the service book should keep pace with them, so check the stamps against the odometer.
Farm and four-wheel drive country
A ute from the Yarramalong Valley or one that's been up the Watagans' four wheel drive roads can hide knocks underneath and tired suspension. RACV recommends its more detailed brake inspection for 4WDs, SUVs and bigger cars, and that's a good level to ask for here.
Private seller or car yard?
It changes what you're relying on. NSW says a licensed dealer's guarantee covers used cars less than 10 years old that have travelled less than 160,000 km. Buy from a private seller and neither the motor dealers law nor the Australian Consumer Law covers you, so whatever the inspection misses is yours to fix.
A pink slip doesn't fill that gap. It's the yearly safety check NSW asks for at rego time, and a car under 5 years old may never have had one. The engine, gearbox and what's coming due aren't what it's for.
Once you've bought, NSW gives you 14 days to transfer the rego into your name.
How the inspection usually goes
Agree what's included
Ask whether it covers a road test, a scan of the car's computers and a look underneath on a hoist or a jack, and get that in writing first.
Pick the spot
A mobile inspection needs flat ground off the road, with room to work. RAA says some older or rare cars need a hoist, so those go to a workshop. A seller's steep driveway won't do.
Allow the time
NRMA says its inspections take 1 to 2 hours depending on the car, and that the buyer doesn't have to be there. It also calls the inspection visual and non-mechanical: nobody takes the engine apart.
Read the report before you make an offer
Split it into what's needed now and what's coming, and bring the second list to the haggling.
If it were our money
We'd run the NSW rego check and the PPSR before anything else, because either one can end the deal. If the car has lived by the beach or near the lakes, we'd ask the mechanic to look hard for rust and flood signs, and we wouldn't hand over a deposit on a car the seller won't let anyone inspect.