Zetland is a suburb that did not exist in its current form fifteen years ago, and its used cars reflect that. Almost everything here is under ten years old, most of it lives in a basement, a large share of it arrived on a novated or corporate lease, and the proportion of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles is among the highest in the country. That makes for a very particular used-car market: near-new cars that look immaculate, with histories that are often more complicated than the listing suggests, and a battery pack that may be worth more than everything else on the car combined. We come to the car, in the basement or on the street, complete a structured inspection, run a professional multi-module diagnostic scan, road test it properly and hand you a written, photographed report on the spot with a plain verdict and costed repairs. We do not sell cars and the seller pays us nothing.
Same-day or next-day inspection appointments, subject to availability.
Three things dominate. Ex-lease and ex-fleet histories, because a great many cars here were bought through salary packaging and are being sold at the end of the term. Airport proximity, which means rideshare and hire-car use is common and rarely disclosed. And a low-lying site along the old canal, which floods in serious rain and puts water through basements that were never designed for it.
A lease return is usually serviced on schedule but driven without much care, because the driver never owned it. We check service history for the fleet management stamps that reveal a lease, look for decal shadows and fleet fitment marks, cross-check kilometres against the term, and assess the interior and wheel condition that lease drivers rarely protect.
Being minutes from the airport makes this a rideshare hotspot. We look for the indicators: kilometres far above the car's age, driver's seat bolster and pedal wear, phone-mount marks on the windscreen and dash, rear seat and door-card wear from constant passengers, and stored fault history consistent with heavy idling.
On an electric or plug-in hybrid car the battery pack is the purchase. We test it independently and report measured state of health, cell balance, charging behaviour and thermal management, rather than trusting the dashboard range figure, which is only a projection from the last few weeks of driving and is easily flattered before a sale.
The Green Square area sits low and drains slowly. We lift carpets, check under seats, pull the spare wheel well, extend seatbelts to look for a tide line, inspect under-dash connectors for corrosion and look for silt in the boot channels, because a basement that took water in a storm produces cars that are dried, detailed and quietly listed.
Tight ramps, pillars and narrow bays leave a specific pattern of scraped bumper corners, kerbed alloys and undertray damage. We take paint-depth readings on every panel and distinguish a resprayed bumper from a repaired structural corner.
Near-new cars are full of cameras and radar, and those systems are frequently disturbed by windscreen replacement or bumper repair and never recalibrated afterwards. We scan every driver-assist module for faults and calibration status and test the systems on the road.
Cars here do short trips, and combustion engines that never fully warm up accumulate moisture in the oil and carbon on the intake valves. We inspect oil condition, look for misfire counts and fuel-trim patterns in live data, and on electric cars we review the charging history for the habits that age a pack fastest.
You don't need to be there and you don't need to move the car. Timing depends on inspector availability in your area and on when the seller can make the vehicle available — we confirm a time with you once we've spoken to them.
Send the listing and the address of the car. Tell us if there is anything specific you want checked.
We contact the seller or the dealership directly and lock in a time that suits both sides, based on inspector availability in your area. You don't need to be there.
A qualified mobile inspector attends the vehicle where it is and works through the full checklist, including a road test.
Comprehensive and Elite reports are issued on site. Essential reports are delivered the same day. Every report ends with a plain-English recommendation and a phone call if you want to talk it through.
Every price below includes travel within our Sydney service area, so there is no surcharge for Zetland. All prices include GST.
Visual and mechanical safety check, OBD-II scan, measured brake and tyre life, battery and charging test, and a road test.
Written photo report the same day
with code SAVE10
Everything in Essential plus a full mechanical assessment, an undertray-off leak-source check where safe and permitted, every suspension bush inspected, PPSR history and repair-cost estimates.
Report issued on site, before the inspector leaves
Everything in Comprehensive plus a senior inspector, paint-thickness readings on every panel, cold-start assessment, advanced history deep-dive and on-site price negotiation.
Report issued on site, before the inspector leaves
Adds a measured state-of-health assessment of the high-voltage battery on any EV or hybrid, issued as a separate certificate.
Certificate issued with your report
If we miss a major fault that was present at the time of inspection on an Elite Buyers' Protection inspection, we contribute up to $3,000 toward the repair within 30 days. Essential and Comprehensive do not include this cover.
A pre-purchase inspection in Zetland removes most of the risk in a used-car purchase. It does not remove all of it, and you should know where the edges are before you book.
Yes, routinely. We need access arranged and enough space to work safely. If the basement is too tight, we ask for the car to be brought to visitor parking or street level.
Yes. We test the high-voltage battery independently and report measured state of health, cell balance and charging behaviour, not the dashboard range estimate.
We report the indicators: fleet management service stamps, decal and fitment marks, kilometres against term, and interior and wheel wear.
Yes. Carpets, seat rails, spare wheel well, seatbelt tide lines, connector corrosion and silt residue are all checked and photographed.
No. Flat fee, no travel surcharge.
No. Most of our customers are not present. You get the full photographed report and a phone debrief.
Cars, utes, vans and SUVs. Not trucks, motorcycles, caravans or boats.
Zetland sits inside our Eastern Suburbs coverage. If the car you're chasing is a few suburbs over, it's the same service and the same price.
Tell us where the car is and we'll arrange the inspection with the seller. Written repair cover on Elite (30 days / up to $3,000).
Inspection in ZetlandBook a same-day inspection in Zetland
At the seller's address · from $199
