Big purchase For people buying a used car or another expensive item who want every claim checked and nothing paid before the checks. Steps 14
Checklist items 75
Language English
What it is for
Buy something expensive without costly mistakes: a used car first, or an appliance or a laptop. Check each candidate on evidence, compare them, negotiate, and confirm before any payment.
For people buying a used car or another expensive item who want every claim checked and nothing paid before the checks.
Steps and what they prove 14
Needs, budget and deal-breakers Purpose written in one sentence with numbers (distance, people, load or space), in the person's own words. Category and variant recorded (used car private or dealer, import, appliance, laptop) with the reason it fits the purpose. Three to six deal-breakers listed, each with the document or check that would prove it, plus the nice-to-haves. Hard ceiling for the first month written with its parts (price, taxes, registration, insurance, reserve) and the source of the money. TCO table saved: yearly and total values for each cost item, each marked as quote with date, estimate or guess. The "I will NOT" list confirmed by the person, and round set to the number 0 with the criteria saved in the note. Market and price benchmark Search filters written in the note: model families, years, mileage or age limit, radius, seller type and a price cap equal to the ceiling minus first-month costs. At least three comparable listings recorded as rows with link, date read, seller type, asking price, year, claimed mileage or age and equipment. Benchmark computed from the rows: low, median and high asking price, outliers listed apart, dated and marked indicative. Typical faults of the model family or product written as questions to ask later, with the source of each. Market-level warning signs listed in the note: cloned adverts, price far below range, deposit requests, disguised traders. Benchmark range and filters confirmed by the person, and the note says what to paste from each listing at the shortlist step. Shortlist the candidates Three to five pasted listings turned into rows with link, date read, seller type, asking price and the exact claims about mileage, owners, accidents and service. Each candidate screened against the written deal-breakers; removed candidates listed with the deal-breaker that removed them. Warning signs and the price against benchmark and ceiling noted for every remaining candidate. Letter ids (A, B, C, continuing D, E on a return) assigned in shortlist order and the shortlist table saved in the note. candidatesLeft set with setContext to a NUMBER equal to the candidates still to be checked, and its value written in the note. On a return: round raised by 1 as a number first, the note says "round is now N of 3", what changed and which earlier verdicts stay recorded. Candidate: listing facts Link, date read and the way the listing was supplied (pasted text or screenshots) are written in the note for this candidate. Facts table filled for the right category with a status (claimed or shown) on every value, and "not shown" where the listing is silent. Missing items listed (for example VIN, owners, service history, photo angles), each ready to become a question for the seller. Listing age, edits and signs of pressure noted, and the asking price compared with the benchmark range as a plain statement. The person confirmed that the record matches the listing they see. Candidate: red-flag screen Red-flag table scored row by row, each row marked present, absent or unknown with a note. Reverse-image search on two or three photos done by the person, with the date and what was found or not found. VIN or serial number compared across the text, the photos and the document, with the result written down. Automatic-reject list checked item by item with yes or no, and the decision recorded: reject now, continue with caution, or continue. Candidate: questions for the seller Question text prepared for the category and the channel chosen, with the must questions marked, sent or asked by the person themselves. Question table filled with the seller's answers quoted, date, channel and status claimed for every answer. Evasive answers and contradictions with earlier records listed as separate lines. Answers on inspection, original documents and money checked for automatic reject, and the list of claims to verify next written down. Candidate: history checks VIN or serial number and plate taken from the seller and compared with the listing and the document photo. Official history looked up by the person, with the pasted result: owners, inspection readings in date order, insurance, flags. Lien, pledge or stolen check done at the official register, with date and result, or the reason it could not be done. Evidence table filled with source, date, result and matches claim yes or no for each claim, vendor reports marked indicative. Question table statuses updated to verified or contradicted, and the claims still unverified listed. Candidate: inspection Appointment agreed in writing: public or well-lit place, daylight, mechanic's check, diagnostic scan and cold start allowed, originals shown. Mechanic or knowledgeable friend named, and the person told someone the address and time. Results table filled with pass, minor or major for every area, with photos of the findings and the VIN comparison. Mechanic's repair cost range written per finding and as a total, marked as the mechanic's estimate and not an assistant figure. Overall result recorded as pass, minor, major or failed, with the route to the verdict. Candidate: verdict and count down Verdict buy, negotiate or reject written with a reason that cites the evidence from the earlier steps. Summary row saved in the fixed format: id (A, B, C), link, date read, asking price, claimed vs verified, red flags, history, inspection, verdict, reason. List of what stays unverified written down, and for negotiate the verified findings with the mechanic's cost ranges. candidatesLeft lowered by 1 with setContext and the new value written in the note. Compare the candidates Every verdict row read with listNotes and the state table saved: id, verdict, date and completeness of each row, rejected candidates kept in a separate block. Matrix saved with named columns and each cell marked claimed or verified with the document or check that verified it. Total cost of ownership per candidate computed yearly and over the chosen years, each number marked as quote, estimate or guess. Scoring method saved: deal-breaker flags first, weights adding up to 10, the arithmetic shown, a second ranking by cost. Ceiling check recorded for each candidate and the person's decision if one is over it. If all candidates are reject: lessons written, round checked as below 3 (not raised here) and the edge "every candidate was rejected" taken, or "stop the search and buy nothing" at 3. Choose, with a runner-up Top candidates shown in a table with price to pay, total cost, verified items, claimed items, defects found, open deal-breakers and verdict. The person's own pick recorded before the assistant's reading, then the winner chosen with reasons that each cite a candidate id and a column. Runner-up named with the conditions that would make it the winner, and its open deal-breakers listed. Pre-mortem saved with at least five causes and for each a prevention to do before payment or an accepted-risk note. Deal-breakers and ceiling checked on the winner row by row, and "I will NOT" list reread, each result dated. Walk-away plan written by the person in their own words, and the choice confirmed by them. Negotiation plan Target price, walk-away price and opening offer written before any contact, with the derivation, the date, and the person's confirmation in their own words. Argument table saved with each argument tied to an evidence row (defect estimate, dated comparable, TCO difference) and an amount. Opening message drafted for the person to send themselves, plus the list of statements to be put into the contract. Scripts written for pressure, a deposit request, a cash-on-the-spot offer and a seller who suggests a secluded meeting. Every offer and reply recorded with who made it, the price and the date. Outcome recorded: agreed price and statements and the edge to the approval gate, or the reason, round checked as below 3 (not raised here) and the edge back to the shortlist. Approval gate before payment or signing If a draft or invoice exists: the person pasted its text with personal identifiers masked and described the payment plan; if the person walked away before any document: "not applicable, walked away" and why. If a draft exists: parties checked, reported as "matches" or "does not match", or a written authority exists; otherwise "not applicable, walked away". If a draft exists: item identification matched across contract, document, history check and the item (VIN or serial number, model, mileage statement); otherwise "not applicable". If a draft exists: agreed statements found in the contract text and the warranty and withdrawal clauses read; otherwise "not applicable, walked away". If a draft exists: payment plan reviewed (payee is the seller, no advance, no payment link, traceable payment made by the person); otherwise "not applicable". In both cases: the person's confirmation in their own words, or the reason for walking away or returning to the shortlist, with round checked as below 3. Paperwork and the first 30 days If something was bought: documents and items received at the handover listed with the date and anything missing noted; if nothing was bought: write "not applicable, nothing bought" and why the search ended. If something was bought: reminders table filled with the official source the person opened and the deadline read there; if nothing was bought: "not applicable, nothing bought". If something was bought: the person verified insurance, registration or warranty registration topics at the official source, or noted they do not apply; if not: "not applicable, nothing bought". If something was bought: records folder created (contract, payment proof, advert, messages, inspection report); if not: keep the notes of the run. If something was bought: first-30-day check planned with a date; if not: "not applicable, nothing bought". In both cases: review written in three to five lines (value of round, what held, what was bent, what to do differently next time) and the run closed. The assistant closes a checklist item only with evidence of what it did, so a finished run shows the work was done, not only claimed.
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