12-Point Used Car Buying Checklist Perth in May 2026

The 12-Point Perth Used Car Buyer's Checklist (From Someone Who's Seen 1,000+ Deals Go Right — and Wrong)

Two dollars. That's all it would have taken to save a very good friend of mine from an expensive, painful mistake.

He bought a car from someone he trusted. Didn't run the PPSR check. The seller moved interstate. My friend was left holding a debt that wasn't his. Then — and I genuinely still can't believe this — he did it again. Second car. Same check skipped. Same result.

This checklist exists so that doesn't happen to you.

Maurice has financed over 1,000 Perth customers since Carmart Perth opened in 2023. Some sailed through in 24 hours. Some arrived carrying damage they didn't need to carry — damage caused by mistakes that a five-minute read could have prevented. This is everything he personally checks, everything he tells buyers to bring, and everything he wishes more people knew before they walked through any car yard door in Perth.

Read it before you buy anything.

Part One: The Finance Checklist

✅ 1. Stop Applying Everywhere — Choose Your First Move Carefully

This is the single biggest mistake Maurice sees Perth buyers make before they've even sat down with a finance specialist.

Every time you apply for finance — at a bank, a dealership, or an online lender — it registers as a hard enquiry on your credit file. Apply at five different places and your score takes five hits. Even if you do it all in the same week. Even if every single application gets rejected.

Short-term lenders are particularly damaging. Some pull your credit file the moment you hit submit on an enquiry form — before anyone has even spoken to you.

"By the time someone's been to the wrong places first, their file can look like someone who's been knocked back everywhere. That makes our job harder and their chances lower. One wrong application can cost them weeks."

Pick one specialist. Do your research first. Go there directly.

✅ 2. Know What's Actually Damaging Your Credit File

Most people assume their credit problems are the result of one big event. Sometimes that's true. More often it's a quiet pattern of small things compounding over time.

Here's what Maurice sees regularly:

• Paying bills even one day late — consistently. If your pay lands Wednesday morning and your direct debit goes out Wednesday morning, you're cutting it too close. Have funds in the account by Tuesday. Being one day late, every single month, for two years registers on your file and every lender who pulls it can see the pattern clearly.
• Old small debts that became defaults. Unpaid phone bills. Zip accounts. Utility bills. These escalate faster than most people expect and sit on your credit file for five years from the date of listing.
• Multiple credit applications in a short window. See point one.

What actually helps? Paying early. Keeping even a small savings buffer.

"Even $5 savings one week and $10 the next — that shows intent. That shows someone taking control. A lender looking at your bank statements can see that. It matters."

✅ 3. Understand the Three Things That Actually Drive an Approval

When someone walks in with credit issues, these are the first three things Maurice personally looks at — in this order.

Income. Strong income solves problems. It doesn't need to be a huge salary — it needs to be consistent and documentable. The bigger the gap between what you earn and what you want to borrow, the smoother the conversation.

Banking. Your three months of bank statements tell the story your credit file can't. Are you building small savings consistently? Are your direct debits clearing cleanly? Are you living within your means or overdrawn every fortnight? Lenders read bank statements the way a doctor reads test results. The pattern across three months matters more than any single number.

Stability. Same employer for a meaningful period. Same address. An existing loan being repaid on time every week. These signals — individually and together — tell a lender that you can follow through consistently, whatever your past looks like.

For FIFO workers and tradespeople: Contract income and roster-based employment is understood at Carmart Perth. You don't need permanent full-time work to get approved — you need documented, consistent earnings and the right lender who knows how to read a FIFO payslip.

✅ 4. Have Your Documents Ready Before You Walk In

The difference between approval in 24 hours and approval in two weeks is almost always how prepared the customer was on day one.

For most applicants:

• ☐ 100 points of ID — driver's licence plus Medicare card or passport
• ☐ 3 months of bank statements (or online banking login — customer ID and password — so we can access them with you present)
• ☐ 2–3 recent payslips or proof of income
• ☐ Proof of address — utility bill or lease agreement

For Centrelink recipients, add:

• ☐ Centrelink income statement
• ☐ Centrelink deduction statement — shows your existing financial commitments
• ☐ Details of any current or previously paid off loans

That last one catches people out. Most want to hide old loans. Don't.

"A lot of people want to bury the loans they've already paid off. Don't do that. A paid loan is actually a positive — it proves you can make a commitment and see it through. Tell us everything."

✅ 5. Know the Finance Red Flags — And Walk Away If You See Them

Not every finance company is working in your interest. Some are working in their own.

They won't answer your questions directly. A legitimate finance specialist will explain your interest rate, your comparison rate, your total repayment amount, your loan term, whether there's a balloon payment, and what happens if you miss a repayment. If someone deflects, tells you not to worry, or keeps putting you off — that tells you everything.

"If they won't give you the information you're asking for — walk away. That is the biggest red flag there is. A specialist who knows what they're doing will answer every straight question with a straight answer. If they can't or won't — you've already found out what you needed to know."

Suspiciously low monthly repayments. Very low repayments on a longer loan almost always means a large balloon payment sitting at the end of the contract. Always ask: is there a residual or balloon? If yes — how much, and what are your options when it falls due?

✅ 6. Know That a "No Today" Isn't Always a "No Forever"

This is something most dealerships will never tell you — and it's what separates Carmart Perth from the rest.

If you can't be approved today, that's not the end of the conversation.

"We tell people exactly what they need to do to get approved — whether that's in one month, two months, or three months' time. Come back when you're ready. We'll get you there. The people who get approved are the ones who give us everything we need, follow through the process, and stick with us."

No rejection and goodbye. A real, specific plan for getting across the line.

Part Two: The Car Checklist

✅ 7. Run a PPSR Check — Every Car. Every Time. No Exceptions.

Two dollars. ppsr.gov.au. Five minutes.

The PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register) is the federal government's national vehicle register. It tells you three things:

• ☐ Whether the vehicle has finance owing on it — meaning the lender holds a security interest and can repossess the car from you even after you've bought it and paid your money
• ☐ Whether it has been reported stolen
• ☐ Whether it has been written off — total loss or repairable write-off

If a car has finance registered against it and you purchase it without checking, you can lose both the car and the money you paid for it. The security interest follows the vehicle — not the seller.

"My friend bought a car from someone he knew personally. Didn't do the PPSR. There was money owing. The seller moved interstate. My friend was left with the problem. Then — and I still cannot believe this — he did it again. Second car. Same mistake. Same result. Two dollars would have stopped both of those situations completely."

Do this check even when buying from a licensed dealer. Maurice does. Every time. No exceptions.

✅ 8. Check Under the Bonnet — Properly

Before any vehicle goes on the Carmart Perth lot, it goes through a check. Use the same approach on any car you're considering anywhere.

• ☐ Engine oil — correct level, no milky or grey discolouration. Milky oil means water contamination — often a head gasket failure. Walk away from that car.
• ☐ Coolant — correct level, no contamination or discolouration
• ☐ Listen at idle — any ticking, knocking, or irregular sounds need investigating before you go any further

✅ 9. Do a Proper Test Drive — Not Just Around the Carpark

A five-minute crawl around the block tells you almost nothing. Drive it properly.

• ☐ Brakes — firm and progressive with no pulling to either side and no grinding
• ☐ Transmission — smooth gear changes with no hesitation, clunking, or slipping
• ☐ Steering — drives straight on a flat road with no vibration through the wheel
• ☐ Suspension — no excessive bouncing, knocking, or vibration over bumps
• ☐ Acceleration — responsive and consistent with no stuttering under load

Buying a 4WD or dual-cab? These vehicles need specific checks that sedans don't. Engage the transfer case into 4H and 4L — does it shift cleanly and engage without resistance? Check for warning lights related to diff lock or four-wheel drive systems. Listen for any clunking when turning at low speed — a common sign of worn CV joints or diff issues on high-km four-wheel drives.

✅ 10. Walk the Outside of the Car Carefully

Do this in natural daylight. Not in a showroom. Not in a dim garage.

• ☐ Panel gaps — run your eye along every door and body panel edge. Uneven gaps indicate previous accident repair
• ☐ Paint match — look along the side of the car from front to rear. Any colour variation between panels suggests a partial respray after damage
• ☐ Bolts — examine hinge points and panel attachment bolts. Scratched or disturbed bolt heads mean panels have been removed at some point
• ☐ Rubber door seals — overspray on rubber seals is a reliable indicator of a respray
• ☐ Tyres — check tread depth and the wear pattern. Uneven wear across the tyre width points to alignment or suspension issues

"I always look to see if panels appear to have been removed — bolts that have been disturbed, paint that doesn't quite match, gaps that don't sit right. If someone's hiding accident damage, that's almost always where the clues are."

✅ 11. Inspect the Interior and Service History

• ☐ All windows — operate correctly with no binding or slow movement
• ☐ Air conditioning, interior lights, and all features — functioning as expected
• ☐ Lift every single floor mat — look for rust spots or signs of water ingress underneath. This is a classic concealment method.
• ☐ Boot — check for water staining, rust, and confirm spare tyre and jack are present and correct
• ☐ Service history — log book stamps from recognised service centres are the gold standard. No service history on a high-km vehicle is a significant risk factor.

"If a car presents disgustingly — like it's never been cleaned or cared for inside — that tells me something about how it's been looked after mechanically. Presentation is a proxy for care."

✅ 12. Know the Physical Red Flags Before You Fall in Love With the Car

It's easy to get emotionally attached to a car before you've properly looked at it. Don't let that happen.

• ☐ Rust under the floor mats — always lift them, every single one
• ☐ Signs of a full respray on a relatively recent car — ask yourself: why would a car that age need a full respray?
• ☐ No service history combined with high kilometres — these two together represent serious unknown mechanical risk
• ☐ Price significantly below comparable vehicles with no explanation — always ask why. Always run the PPSR first. If the seller gets defensive about either question, you have your answer.

"Too good to be true usually is. I've been doing this a long time. If someone's genuinely trying to help and they've got nothing to hide, they'll welcome your questions. If they don't — walk away."

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the PPSR check affect my credit score? No. The PPSR is a government vehicle register — completely separate from credit bureaus like Equifax or Experian. Checking it has zero impact on your credit file. There is no reason not to do it on every car you consider.

I've already been knocked back somewhere else. Can I still get approved at Carmart Perth? Possibly — but we need the full picture first. Bring your situation honestly and we'll tell you exactly where you stand and what the best next step is. Sometimes it's applying now with a specialist lender. Sometimes it's a 60-day plan. Either way, you leave with something useful.

What if I don't have all the documents listed? Bring what you have and tell us what's missing. Incomplete documentation slows things down but it's rarely the end of the road. We'll tell you exactly what we still need and why.

I'm a FIFO worker on a contract roster — can I get car finance? Yes. Carmart Perth works with lenders who specifically understand contract and roster-based FIFO income. Bring your employment contract, recent payslips, and three months of bank statements and we'll work with what we have.

How long does approval take? For straightforward applications with all documents ready — sometimes same day. For more complex situations it varies. The single biggest factor in every case is how quickly we receive everything we need from the customer upfront.

The Bottom Line

Buying a used car in Perth should be straightforward. It often isn't — because buyers go in without knowing what questions to ask, what to look for, or what documents to bring.

Now you do.

Whether you're buying a reliable runaround under $10,000, a 4WD for the lifestyle, or a dual-cab to get to the airport and back on a FIFO roster — the same principles apply. Know your numbers. Have your documents ready. Do the PPSR. Ask the hard questions. Work with someone who gives you straight answers without making you feel like you're the problem.

That $2 check? A really good friend of mine needed to learn that lesson twice before it sank in. You don't have to learn it once.

📍 707 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park 🌐 carmartperth.com.au 📞 Call us today — tell us your situation. No obligation. No runaround. Just a straight answer.