A sample report, made from our own car

Photos show less than you think. So before you send us a listing, here's what you get back from a viewing.

This sample is from our own car, a Toyota Prius α, photographed outdoors on 1 October 2026. It's shorter than a real report: a real one has at least 40 photos, short videos and the dealer's answers to your questions. The layout is the same.

Because it's our own car, the owner answered our questions in place of a dealer. Lines that only make sense at a dealer are marked Not applicable.

1. Job details

Report	NDJ-0000 (sample)
Car	Toyota Prius α, our own car
Where	Outdoors, on open ground
When	1 October 2026, around 4 pm Japan time (JST, UTC+9)
Light	Clear sky and low afternoon sun. Strong reflections hide some small marks and show up others
Spots the buyer asked about	For this sample, we picked two as if a buyer had asked: the strut tops and the headlights

In a real report, this section also has the listing link, the dealer's name and the questions you sent us.

2. What we found, in short

• Observed: one small dent on the roof. Damage to a front wheel arch liner (inner fender). The right headlight lens (driver's side) is yellowed; the left one isn't. The front strut itself is rusty; the body where it's mounted isn't.
• Reported: the owner says the rear bumper has been hit, but it doesn't show in the photo. The owner also says aftermarket lights are fitted, and gives a view on the strut rust (Q03).
• Not verified: how and when the dent happened; what the aftermarket lights are; the underside of the car.

3. Item by item

• P040Roof
  One small dent, circled in the photo. It shows as a bend in the reflection of a hand held above the roof. In a real report, each dent also gets a close-up with a size reference next to itObserved
• P062Headlights (a spot the buyer asked about)
  Right lens (driver's side) is yellowed. The left lens isn'tObserved
• P084Front wheel arch
  The wheel arch liner (inner fender) is damaged. We record what we see, not how it happened or how bad it isObserved
• P090Engine bay
  Photographed from the front with the bonnet (hood) open. We look at fluid reservoirs from outside only and don't open capsObserved
• P091Front strut top (a spot the buyer asked about)
  The strut itself is rusty. The body around the strut top, where it's mounted, isn'tObserved
• Q01Lights
  The owner says aftermarket lights are fitted. We don't identify or judge the partsReported
• Q02Rear bumper
  The owner says the rear bumper has been hit, but it doesn't show in the photo (P027)Reported
• Q03Front strut
  The owner says the rust is on the strut, and the lower part of the strut is rusty too. Replacing the strut deals with it, and for the part you can see at the top, replacing just the top mount would also do. Heavy rust can also mean rust is spreading under the paintReported
• ―The dent's history
  We can't tell from looking how or when a dent happened, or whether the panel has been repaired beforeNot verified
• ―Underside
  Not photographed for this sample. In a real viewing we photograph what we can see from ground level. We don't lift the car, so on a car that's been lowered a lot, we may not be able to photograph underneathNot verified
• ―Dealer's paperwork and answers
  Our own car, so there's no dealerNot applicable

Q02 is why we ask: some damage you won't find in photos, only by asking.

The same car turns up in our guides. The wheel arch, the rear bumper and the roof dent (P084, Q02, P040) are in What dealer photos of a Japanese car miss. We can't say what caused the roof dent, but it shows why hail damage is hard to spot: a shallow dent can vanish in a photo. See Hail damage on a used car from Japan. The strut (P091, Q03) is our example of rust on a part, not the body, in Rust on a Japanese used car. For why the underside of a lowered car is worth asking about, see Lowered and modified cars from Japan.

4. The photos

Every photo has a number, and every Observed line in the report points to one. A real report comes with the full-size files, so you can zoom in yourself or send them to a mechanic.

5. What this report can't tell you

• Whether to buy the car. We tell you what we saw, what we were told and what we couldn't check. The decision is yours.
• Whether the car has been in an accident. We photograph the signs we can see. We don't say a car has, or hasn't, been in one.
• How the car drives, or whether parts will last. We don't test drive, connect diagnostic equipment or take parts off.

Got a car in Japan where the photos leave you guessing? Send us the link, and tell us which spots matter most to you.

Send us the listing link

6. What a real report adds

• At least 40 photos, usually more: every panel straight on and at an angle, gaps, bolt heads, glass, tyres, the engine bay, the interior and what we can see underneath
• Short videos, including the engine starting, filmed with the exhaust in view when the dealer starts it for us
• The spots you care about, photographed closest: rust on the rear arches, the strut tops, a part of the interior. Every car is different, so we ask before we go
• Your questions, up to five, asked to the dealer in Japanese, with the answers marked Reported
• Within 2 business days of the visit, in plain English

How a viewing works →

If you'd like the same layout for the car you're looking at, send us the listing and where you live. We'll reply within 2 Japanese business days.

Send us the listing link