1. Establish the machine’s identity
Ask for the exact model suffix, serial or identification plate, machine location and the date the media was recorded. Compare the identification shown in photos with the seller’s written description. If a document or plate cannot be read, ask for another image instead of filling in the missing detail yourself. A broad family name such as CAT 320 is not enough to compare two offers.
2. Separate displayed hours from verified history
A photograph of the hour meter shows what the display reads. It does not, on its own, verify lifetime operating hours. Ask whether service records or other supporting evidence are available, and distinguish supplier statements from independently checked information. If history is unknown, record it as unknown rather than assuming the machine has low use.
3. Ask for a useful video sequence
Request a cold-start video where practical, followed by operation after warming up, travel, swing and attachment movement. Ask for footage that shows the actual machine clearly and avoids abrupt cuts around important checks. A video can raise questions about noise, smoke or visible leakage, but it cannot establish internal engine health, hydraulic pressure or the remaining life of a component.
4. Look beyond fresh paint
Request close-ups of the tracks, rollers, sprockets, bucket linkage, boom, stick and accessible hydraulic components. Ask about visible welds, oil leaks, replacement parts and repairs. A photograph of a hydraulic pump is useful for identification; it does not prove that the pump is original or has never been rebuilt. Ask which statements have documentary support.
5. Agree on the next inspection step
Before paying for an inspection, agree on who will perform it, what they will examine, which operating tests are included and what report you will receive. Ask the inspector to separate observed defects from inaccessible or untested areas. Use the findings to discuss the written offer rather than treating a short video as a condition guarantee.
General purchasing guidance. This article is not a machine inspection report or a destination-specific customs determination.
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