Terms of use
Reading this site means accepting the terms below. They are short, they are written in plain language, and they describe the limits of what a privately written set of buying notes can do for you.
What this site is
A set of notes and checklists about choosing and buying cars, written by private individuals who inspect vehicles in the East London area. It is published for general information and for the use of people who then book an inspection or a paperwork check with us.
It is not a dealership, a broker, an agency, a workshop, an insurer or a legal service. No car is sold through this site and no transaction is concluded on it.
General information, not advice on your car
Every chapter here is written about a type of car on a type of road, not about the specific vehicle you are standing next to. Mechanical condition, history and value vary from one car to the next, and a general note cannot replace an inspection on the actual vehicle.
Where you want advice on a particular car, book the work and we will put our findings in writing. Those written findings, and not this site, are what we stand behind.
Prices, figures and intervals
All amounts in rand are indicative and given for planning. Workshop rates, parts prices, tyre prices, licensing fees and insurance premiums move, and they differ between Buffalo City and the towns up the N2.
Service intervals, cambelt intervals, fuel consumption figures and capacities quoted here are typical ranges for a class of vehicle. The manufacturer's schedule for the actual car, and a written quote from the workshop that will do the job, take precedence over anything written on this page.
Your own decisions, and our limit of responsibility
The decision to view, drive, pay for or register a car is yours. We accept no liability for loss arising from a decision taken on the strength of a general chapter or checklist on this site, including loss arising from a seller's conduct or from a defect that only an inspection would have found.
Where we have carried out paid work, our responsibility is to that written report and to the care we took in producing it. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
Paperwork, finance and the law
Descriptions here of roadworthy testing, settlement letters, change of ownership, registration, clearance checks and consumer protection are a layman's account of the usual process. Procedures and fees change and offices differ in practice.
For a dispute with a dealer or a seller, for a problem with a finance agreement or for anything involving a deceased estate, speak to an attorney or to the relevant authority. We will tell you plainly when a matter is beyond us.
Using what is written here
You are welcome to print the checklists and take them to a viewing. That is what they are for. Quoting a paragraph with a credit to this site is also fine.
Republishing whole chapters, or reusing the text commercially without asking, is not. If you want to use something at length, phone the desk and ask; the answer is usually yes.
Links and other people's sites
Where a chapter mentions a testing station, a licensing office, a regulator or a kind of business, it is a description and not an endorsement. We have no control over what any other organisation does or charges.
No arrangement exists under which anybody pays to be mentioned here, and no mention on this site should be read as a recommendation that we have been paid for.
Changes to these terms
The site is edited as the work changes and as readers correct us. The terms on this page may be amended in the same way, and the version you are reading is the one that applies.
If an amendment materially changes what we promise about your details, it will be reflected on the privacy page at the same time, because the two belong together.