Curb Check
A Chrome extension that reads used-car listings on Facebook Marketplace and tells you what a knowledgeable buyer would notice — 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.
Requires Chrome on a desktop or laptop — Windows, Mac or Linux. Browser extensions don't run on phones.
What it does while you scroll
You browse Marketplace exactly as you already do. Curb Check puts a coloured bar on every car listing as it loads, so you can tell in a glance which ones are worth opening.
Green — go see it
Good model year, sane mileage for that car, price in range, nothing alarming in the description.
Amber — check first
Could be fine, could be a headache. Something needs an answer before you drive across town.
Red — walk away
A known bad engine year, mileage past what this model survives, or a price that only makes sense if something's wrong.
Grey — not covered
No researched data on this one. Not a warning, just no answer.
What it tells you when you open one
Click into a listing and a panel appears beside it showing the reasoning: every check that passed or failed, what's known about that engine in that year, and what you can't establish without standing in front of the car.
This is where the research lives. A 2013 Kia Sorento has a documented engine defect. A 2005 Honda Pilot can destroy its own transmission. A 2010 Subaru Forester will probably need head gaskets. Forty-six models, year by year, from recall filings, owner complaints and repair records — not generic advice.
It writes your first message
Every listing gets questions specific to that model and that year, and one click copies the whole message ready to paste into Messenger.
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, and both tell you something.
Everything you look at is saved
Prices, mileage, verdicts and your own notes collect in a private dashboard on your own computer. Compare Saturday's cars against Tuesday's, filter by verdict or price band, sort by anything, export the lot to a spreadsheet.
No account, no servers, nothing uploaded. Curb Check has no backend. Your list lives in your browser and nobody else can see it — including us. The trade-off is honest: it doesn't follow you between computers, and uninstalling deletes it. You can move it yourself with the export button.
What it doesn't do
It won't tell you what a car is worth, and it won't tell you whether to buy one. It tells you what's likely to break.
A red verdict isn't a bad car — it's a car with a known risk you should be paid to accept. Plenty of people buy red cars on purpose, at the right price. The point is knowing before you drive out there.
It's built for ordinary reliable used cars: sedans, SUVs and minivans in normal price ranges. Not exotics, not heavy trucks, not project cars.
The cars it covers
Forty-six models. If yours isn't here, listings for it show grey and you're on your own for that one.
- 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 of those are deliberately narrow. The Camry is scored for the V6 only, and the Impala for the 3.8 only — the other engines in those cars are excluded on purpose, so listings for them show grey.
Trial and price
Seven days free. Starting the trial asks for your email and sends a confirmation link; no payment details are needed. After that it's $29, once. There is no subscription and nothing renews.
When the trial ends the colours keep working and your saved cars stay put, but the detail — the engine notes, the questions, the reasoning — locks until you buy.