Inspecting a used or imported car: the 20-minute check

Before you go

Get the VIN in advance and run the history report yourself (Carfax or AutoCheck for US cars), so you're not relying on the seller's printout.
Ask the seller not to start the car before you arrive. A cold start tells you things a warm engine hides.
Go in daylight, and not straight after a wash: water hides paint mismatches and leaks.
Bring a torch (your phone's is fine), a paper towel for the dipstick, and someone else. One person drives; one listens.

The 20-minute checklist

Tick as you go. It saves on this phone, so you can use it at the yard and pick up where you left off, or print it and take a pen.

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Papers & history0/5

VIN matches everywhereDashboard plate, driver's door pillar, chassis stamp and the documents all show the same number.Carfax or AutoCheck report run on that VINRun it yourself if you can. Check the dates, owners and mileage readings.Title is cleanNot branded salvage, rebuilt, flood or junk. Salvage cars can't legally be imported (Act 1014).Mileage fits the historyThe odometer should be higher than the last reading on the report, and plausible for the age.Customs papers show the same chassis numberICUMS declaration and GRA receipt for imported cars; DVLA certificate for home-used.

Outside0/5

Even panel gaps, matching paintLook along the car in daylight. Colour or texture changes between panels mean repairs.No oversprayCheck rubber seals, badges and under the bonnet for paint where paint shouldn't be.Glass carries matching maker's marksA replaced windscreen is fine; several replaced windows can mean a crash.Every light works, no fogging inside lampsNothing fresh underneathNo new welding, crumpled chassis rails or fluid drips.

Flood damage0/5

No silt or tide lines under the carpetsLift a carpet edge and the boot floor.No rust on seat rails, belt buckles or pedal boltsNo musty smell, or heavy air freshenerSeat belts clean when pulled right outWater stains hide on the part that lives inside the pillar.History checked for storm states and datesTexas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, around a named hurricane.

Engine, from cold0/5

Bonnet cold when you arriveIf it's warm, someone started it for you.Starts cleanly, no rattle in the first secondsA brief chain rattle at start-up can mean timing-chain wear.No blue or persistent white smokeBlue is oil. White that doesn't clear once warm can be coolant.Warning lights come on at key-on, then all go outA light that never comes on may have been disconnected.Oil not milky, coolant not oily

A/C in Accra heat0/3

Blows properly cold within 2–3 minutes at idleRoughly 5–10°C at the centre vent.Stays cold on maximum fanThe compressor shouldn't be clicking on and off every few seconds.No damp smell from the vents

Suspension & tyres0/5

Each corner settles once when pushedNo clunks over ramps; steering wheel straightTyre DOT dates under about five yearsLast four digits: 2423 = week 24 of 2023.Even tread wear across each tyreWorn edges mean alignment or worn suspension parts.Spare, jack and wheel spanner present

Test drive0/6

Smooth gear changesNo slipping, flaring or thump into Drive or Reverse.Brakes pull straight, no judderHolds 80 km/h with no vibration or pullEvery window, lock, mirror and camera worksNo new drips or warning lights afterwardsLeave it idling for a few minutes and look again.You'd still pay a mechanic to look at itIf the answer is no, you've just saved the fee.

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Flood cars: the risk that comes with US imports

Most foreign-used cars in Ghana come from the United States, and many are bought at insurance auctions. After big storms (Harvey in Texas in 2017, Ian in Florida in 2022, Helene across Georgia and the Carolinas in 2024), hundreds of thousands of flood-damaged cars pass through those auctions. Some are properly branded flood or salvage. Some are re-titled in another state, and the brand quietly disappears.

A flood car can look perfect. The damage is in the wiring, the connectors and the control modules, and it shows up months later as warning lights nobody can fix. So look where water leaves evidence and cleaners don't reach:

Under the carpets and the boot floor: fine silt or sand, or a tide line on the underside of the trim.
Seat rails, seat-belt buckles and pedal bolts: rust on metal that should never have been wet.
The smell: musty or damp, or a suspiciously strong air freshener.
The seat belts: pull one all the way out. The part that lives inside the pillar shows stains the visible part doesn't.

If a car smells of air freshener at eight in the morning, ask yourself what it's covering.

Then cross-check the history report for the state and the dates. A car registered in a coastal county in the months around a named storm deserves extra time, and a mechanic with a diagnostic scanner.

Checks that matter more in Accra

The A/C

In Accra heat, air-conditioning is not a luxury, and repairs aren't cheap. At idle with the fan on maximum, it should blow properly cold within two or three minutes; a cheap thermometer in the centre vent should read somewhere around 5–10°C. Lukewarm air that "just needs gas" usually means a leak, and the gas will be gone again in a month.

Suspension

Between potholes, speed ramps and untarred side roads, suspension works harder here than it ever did in the US. Push down hard on each corner: it should settle once, not bounce. On the test drive, take a few ramps slowly and listen for clunks and knocks from the front.

Tyres: check the date, not just the tread

The last four digits of the DOT code on the sidewall are the week and year the tyre was made: 2423 means week 24 of 2023. Heat ages rubber fast. Past about five years I'd plan to replace them whatever the tread looks like, and put the cost into your offer.

The test drive

Fifteen minutes, with some variety: a stretch where you can reach 80 km/h, a few ramps, some stop-start traffic. Radio off. Watch the gear changes: an automatic that flares, slips or thumps into gear is an expensive automatic. Brake firmly once from 60 km/h on a clear road: the car should stop straight, with no judder through the pedal.

When you get back, leave it idling for a few minutes and look underneath for fresh drips. Then check that every warning light on the dash is still off.