A used car is always someone else’s story. The buyer pays not only for the metal, but for the confidence that the story was told in full. So the inspection is built so its result can be shown, not merely recounted.
How a car is inspected:
1. An 87-point inspection: engine, gearbox, suspension, electrics, body, interior.
2. A paint thickness gauge on every body panel, which reveals repainted parts and past repairs.
3. Database checks: liens, legal restrictions, accident records, mileage history, number of owners.
4. Diagnostic scan: stored fault codes and the real mileage from electronic records.
5. A test drive with a manager, in town and on the motorway — speed reveals what a lift does not.
What the dealership commits to showing the buyer: the full inspection report including every defect found, the service history where it survives, and the honest reason the previous owner sold the car, where that is known.
What the dealership does not do: roll back the odometer, hide accident history, pass off a resprayed panel as factory paint, or rush the buyer with artificial "today only" discounts.
If you decide not to buy after the inspection, that is a perfectly good outcome. A car that did not suit you beats an unhappy customer returning a month later.