Serving metro Atlanta and Middle Georgia from McDonough
Know what you're buying before you buy it.
Independent pre-purchase inspections and vehicle-finding help for people spending their own money on a used car. I work for the buyer. Never the seller.
Illustrative example — not an actual client vehicle
Why this matters
The seller's mechanic works for the seller.Mine works for you.
A used car is one of the largest purchases most people make, and it's the one where the buyer has the least information. The listing looks good. The test drive feels fine. The problems show up in month three.
An independent inspection costs a fraction of one repair bill and it answers the question the seller can't answer honestly: is this car worth what they're asking?
Sometimes the answer is yes, buy it. Sometimes it's yes, but pay less. And sometimes it's walk away — and that's the call that saves people the most money.
The inspection
What gets checked, and what it tells you.
Every inspection covers the mechanical condition and the buying decision. Written report delivered the same day, with photos and a straight recommendation.
01 Engine & drivetrain
- Cold start behavior and idle
- Fluid condition and leak inspection
- Belts, hoses, mounts
- Transmission engagement and shift quality
- Full OBD-II scan, live data and stored codes
02 Safety & wear
- Brake pad and rotor measurement
- Tire tread depth, age, and wear pattern
- Suspension, steering, and ball joints
- Exhaust and undercarriage
- Lighting, wipers, and restraints
03 History & damage
- Paint and panel-gap inspection
- Evidence of prior collision or repair
- Frame and structural check
- Flood and corrosion indicators
- Title, VIN, and odometer verification
04 The buying decision
- Market value versus asking price
- Maintenance records reviewed
- Repairs due now, and the estimated cost
- Repairs likely within 12 months
- Negotiating points you can use
Beyond pass or fail
Most inspections tell you what's broken.
That's the easy half. Anyone with a lift can tell you a wheel bearing is going.
The harder question — the one that actually decides whether you should hand over the money — is whether this is a smart purchase. That takes knowing what these cars sell for, what they cost to keep, which problems are cheap and which ones end a car, and when a clean presentation is covering something expensive.
That's 25 years of buying, reconditioning, financing, and selling vehicles, pointed at one question: would I buy this car?
How it works
Three steps, usually inside 48 hours.
Send me the listing
Call or text me a link to the vehicle and the seller's location. I'll confirm availability and cost, including any travel outside the standard service area.
I inspect it where it sits
I go to the vehicle — dealership, private seller, or lot. No need to arrange anything with the seller beyond access. Most inspections take about an hour.
You get a straight answer
A written report with photos, findings, estimated repair costs, and a plain recommendation: buy it, buy it for less, or walk away.
Buying online?
Don't take delivery by yourself.
Buying from an online retailer means buying a car nobody you trust has ever laid eyes on. The photos were taken in good light. The description was written to sell it. And the first time you see the car in person, a driver is standing there waiting for your signature.
You get a return window — sometimes as little as seven days, often with a mileage cap. That sounds generous until you try to use it. Getting a shop appointment, driving there and back, waiting on a diagnosis: that can eat your whole window and a chunk of your allowed miles before anyone tells you anything useful.
So I meet the truck. I inspect the car in your driveway, on delivery day, before you've committed to anything. Diagnostic scan, full walkaround, undercarriage, the panel gaps and paint depth that tell you whether it's been hit.
Then you get a straight answer while you still have every option: keep it, negotiate it, or send it back the way it came.
Return windows and mileage limits vary by retailer. Check your own paperwork for the exact terms — then book me for a day inside it.
Services
Ways I can help.
Pre-purchase inspection
Full mechanical inspection, diagnostic scan, damage and history check, market-value assessment, and a written recommendation. Within about 30 miles of McDonough; $50 beyond that.
Book an inspectionOnline purchase inspection
Bought online, sight unseen? I meet the truck. You get a full inspection and a straight answer while your return window is still open — not after you've already lived with it.
Book delivery dayVehicle finder
Tell me your budget and what you need the car to do. I'll find candidates worth looking at, check them out, and help you avoid the ones that only look good in photos.
Start a searchBuyer's phone consult
Not sure whether a car is worth inspecting, or what you can afford? Call and ask. I'd rather talk you out of a bad car for free than inspect one you shouldn't be considering.
Ask a questionAdd-ons and travel
Behind the business
Twenty-five years on the inside of the used car business.
Car Lady Solutions is run by an automotive professional who spent two decades owning and operating a licensed Georgia dealership — buying at auction, reconditioning, financing, handling compliance, and delivering cars to customers. That's the vantage point most buyers never get. Now it works for the buyer's side of the deal.
Common questions
Before you book.
What area do you cover?
I'm based in McDonough and travel roughly an hour in any direction — north to Marietta, south to Macon, west to Newnan, and east most of the way to Athens. That covers Henry, Clayton, Fayette, Spalding, Butts, Newton, Rockdale, DeKalb, Fulton, Cobb, Coweta, Bibb, and the counties in between. If the car you're looking at sits a little outside that, call me anyway — depending on the day, I can usually make it work.
How fast can you get out there?
Most inspections get scheduled within a day or two. Used cars move fast and I know it — if you're under pressure from a seller, say so when you call and I'll tell you honestly whether I can get there in time.
Does the seller have to agree to this?
Yes — the seller has to allow access to the vehicle. Most dealerships and honest private sellers say yes without hesitation. A seller who refuses an independent inspection has told you something important, and it's worth listening to.
Will you tell me not to buy a car?
Regularly. I have no interest in the sale going through. If the car isn't worth it, that's what the report will say, and you'll have the reasons in writing.
Can you inspect a car I've already bought?
Yes, though the leverage is gone by then. A post-purchase assessment can still tell you what needs attention and in what order, which helps with budgeting repairs.
Do you sell cars?
Not currently. Car Lady Solutions is independent of any dealership, and I don't take referral fees from sellers. My only income on your purchase is the inspection fee you pay me.
Book now
Spend $195 before you spend $12,000.
Send me the listing and I'll tell you what I'd tell my own family.
McDonough, Georgia · Serving metro Atlanta & Middle Georgia