The 8 best used car pre-purchase inspection stations in Austin, TX

in Auto services

Photo of car with hood up

When buying a used car, a pre-purchase inspection is a critical step. A licensed, third-party mechanic will give the vehicle a thorough inspection before the sale is made, notifying you of any hard-to-find problems that might make you think twice about buying.

Buying a used car without a pre-purchase inspection is almost as bad as buying a car sight-unseen, since there may be hidden problems that you can’t detect on a test drive.

Here’s a list of the 8 best pre-purchase inspection services in the Austin, Texas area. 

Auto P.I.

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Address: Mobile

Phone Number: 512-454-5999

Specialty: Mobile pre-purchase auto inspections

Website: https://www.autopi.com/

Auto P.I. specializes solely in pre-purchase inspections. All their techs are ASE certified and trained to spot frame & body damage.

With a fully mobile service, Auto P.I. will come directly to the vehicle’s location with vehicle lifts and all the tools needed to perform a thorough inspection.

Thanks to the quality and convenience of their services, they’ve attained a 4.5 star rating on Yelp and a 4.6 star rating on Google.

If you’re looking for the best pre-purchase inspection service in Austin, it’s Auto P.I..


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Dave’s Ultimate Automotive

Address: 2711 W Howard Ln, Austin, TX 78728

Phone Number: 512-649-3103

Specialty: Friendly, family-owned service

Website: https://davesultimateautomotive.com/north-austin/

Dave’s Ultimate Automotive is a family-owned, full-service shop that offers used car pre-purchase inspections.

Dave’s Ultimate Automotive offers a 3 year/36000 mile warranty on any work they do. They also have 6 locations and 3 of them are in the Austin area. Dave’s also has a shuttle service, if your pre-purchase inspection takes a while.

In the true spirit of family-owned businesses, Dave’s Ultimate Automotive is friendly, easy to work with, and well-loved by their customers- they’ve earned a 4.6 star rating on Google. Customers have nothing but positive things to say about their

If you need a pre purchase inspection done and want to keep using the same mechanic afterwards, Dave will treat you right.

Tech Automotive

Address: 8601 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757

Phone Number: 512-407-8530

Specialty: Auto Repair

Website: https://www.techoneauto.com/

Tech One Automotive is a family owned and operated repair shop that offers pre-purchase inspections, among a wide range of other services.

Tech One has a loaner service if you need it, a 4 year/40,000 mile warranty on any work they perform, and do state inspections as well as pre-purchase inspections.

Tech One Automotive has a fantastic 4.9 star rating on Google, and judging from testimonials, they’ve earned it. If you want a pre-purchase inspection done, Tech Automotive.


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Lemon Busters

Address: Mobile service

Phone Number: 512-454-5666

Specialty: Heavy vehicle inspections

Website: http://autolemondetectors.org/

Lemon Busters specializes in pre-purchase inspection. They’re a mobile service operating in San Antonio and Austin.

All their techs are ASE certified, and a good portion of them are experienced with heavy duty vehicles, should you want your bulldozer inspected.

They have a very thorough 600 point inspection performed on any vehicles that get inspected by them, which leaves no stone unturned, and that’s clearly helped their customers.

Lemon Busters has attained a 4.7 star rating on Google and a 4.0 star rating on Yelp. If you need a car or heavy vehicle pre inspected in the Austin area, Lemon Busters are the outfit for you.

Austin Hybrid Battery

Address: 8421 Research Blvd, Austin, TX 78758  

Phone Number: 1-800-213-0954

Specialty: Hybrid pre-purchase inspections

Website: https://www.austinhybridbattery.com/

Austin Hybrid Battery specializes in, you guessed it, hybrid battery repair and maintenance. If you’re buying a hybrid used, the battery is a large concern and that’s where they step in.

Austin Hybrid offers a mobile service, up to a 4-year warranty on any batteries they install and a price matching service along with inspections.

They’ve got a 4.7 rating on Google, and great reviews from customers. If you’re buying a used hybrid or electric vehicle, take it to Austin Hybrid Battery to get it checked out first.


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Lopez Auto Repair

Address: 1900 Fortview Rd, Austin, TX 78704

Phone Number: 512-441-8939

Specialty: Auto Repair

Website: https://lopezautorepair.com/services/

Lopez Auto Repair does every aspect of repair, from inspections to timing chain replacements. They perform TX state inspections, which include emissions tests.

They have a 4.7 star rating on Google, a solid rating for a small shop with only two locations. If you need a pre-purchase inspection on a vehicle in the Austin area, they are a good shop to consider.

Austin’s Automotive Specialists

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Address: 1607 W Parmer Ln, Austin, TX 78727

Phone Number: 512-270-2515

Specialty: Auto Repair

Website: https://austinsautomotivespecialists.com/1607-west-parmer/

Austins Automotive Specialists are a quick lube station in addition to being a full service shop, but don’t let that put you off. They also perform pre-purchase inspections, state inspections and exhaust tests, and there are three Automotive Specialists stations in the Austin Area.

Thanks to their multiple locations and range of services, they’ve earned a 4.5 star rating on Google. While they don’t come to you, it’s a quick and easy process to take a vehicle into one of their shops for an inspection.

Newman’s Automotive

Address: 3916 Woodbury Dr, Austin, TX 78704

Phone Number: 512-447-7801

Specialty: Auto Repair

Website: https://www.newmansauto.com/

Our final shop on the list is Newman’s Automotive, a family-owned mechanic and auto repair shop that’s been operating for almost 30 years.

Newman’s performs a free 34 point inspection on every vehicle that comes through their shop, or you can pay for a full pre-purchase inspection (which we highly recommend). They also offer a shuttle service, free Wi-Fi, and back their work with a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.

The easiest way to find the most reliable used cars in your area

The best way to get a reliable used car is to buy a ‘nearly-new’ car - something 5 years old or newer with low mileage. Nearly-new cars are also the best in terms of cost-to-reliability ratios, since you’ll avoid new-car depreciation without sacrificing mileage. Combine that with high levels of certified pre-owned availability and you’ve got a recipe for the most car at the lowest price. 

The easiest way to find a nearly new car is CoPilot Compare, the search engine for nearly-new cars. Tell us what model you’re looking for and we’ll show you how much you save by buying nearly-new vs. new, then show you all of the best lightly used, low-mileage cars in your area. 

Looking for something older than 5 years? Try the CoPilot car shopping app. Built using the same technology that dealerships use to buy and sell inventory, CoPilot searches all the listings in your area, then evaluates the quality of each listing using our “Buy Grade” algorithm to create a curated list of only the best cars in your area - no more scrolling through hundreds of nearly-identical, mediocre listings. Plus, we’ll make sure you’re the first to know if the price drops, if a great new listing hits the market, or when a dealership’s willingness to deal is increasing.