Know what breaks before you go look at it
Free, plain-English guides to buying a used car — plus tools that read the listings for you and flag the ones worth your Saturday.
I need one that won't break
A first car, a college car, a commuter. Cheap to buy, cheap to keep, boring in the best way.
Start here →I want something fun
Sports and luxury cars that lost eighty-five percent of their sticker price and none of their nerve — and the ones that will bankrupt you instead.
Curb Check
Available nowA Chrome extension that checks every car listing as you scroll Facebook Marketplace. It knows which engine to avoid, what breaks in that model year, how many miles is too many for that specific car, and exactly what to ask the seller. Everything you look at saves to a private dashboard on your own machine.
Works in Chrome on a desktop or laptop — Windows, Mac or Linux. Not at your own computer right now? Email yourself the link. Curb Check runs on desktop Chrome — phones can't run browser extensions. Send yourself the link and install tonight:
Three answers, and that's it
Curb Check colours every listing one of three ways. You'll recognise them within about ten seconds of scrolling. Anything it doesn't have researched data on stays grey — no answer, not a warning.
Go see it
Good year, sane mileage, price in range, nothing alarming in the description. Message the seller today.
Check first
Could be fine, could be a headache. Something needs an answer before you drive across town for it.
Walk away
A known bad engine year, miles well past what this model survives, or a price that only makes sense if something's wrong.
It writes your first message
Every listing gets questions specific to that model and that year — then one click copies the whole message, ready to paste.
Not "is this still available." More like: has the KSDS software update been installed? — because without it, Hyundai can decline the fifteen-year engine coverage.
A seller either answers that straight away or doesn't. Both tell you something.
Every car you look at is saved
Prices, mileage, verdicts and your own notes collect in a private list on your own computer — so you can compare Saturday's cars against Tuesday's instead of losing them in the scroll.
No account, no upload, nobody else can see it. Export the lot to a spreadsheet whenever you want.
The cars it covers
Forty-six models, researched year by year. Anything not on this list shows grey — no answer, not a warning.
- Toyota
- Camry (V6 only), Corolla, Avalon, RAV4, Highlander, 4Runner, Sienna, Sequoia, Matrix
- Honda
- Civic, Accord, CR-V, Fit, Element, Pilot, Odyssey
- Lexus
- ES 300/330, RX
- Acura
- TL, TSX
- Scion
- xB, tC
- Mazda
- Mazda3, Mazda6, CX-5
- Subaru
- Forester, Outback
- Nissan
- Rogue, Murano
- Ford
- Focus, Escape, Explorer, Crown Victoria
- Mercury
- Grand Marquis
- Chevrolet
- Impala (3.8 only), Equinox, Tahoe, Traverse
- GMC
- Acadia
- Buick
- LeSabre
- Jeep
- Grand Cherokee, Wrangler
- Hyundai
- Santa Fe, Tucson
- Kia
- Sorento, Soul
- Volkswagen
- Jetta
- Pontiac
- Vibe
Two are deliberately narrow: the Camry is scored for the V6 only and the Impala for the 3.8 only. Listings for the other engines in those cars show grey.