Buying a used car shouldn’t feel like a gamble.

Kruise turns weeks of scattered research 
into a single decision-grade report — so you can walk into a purchase knowing more about the car than the seller does.

Here's how the process works, from the moment you place an order to the moment you make your decision.

Step 1

Place your order and complete the intake form

At checkout, you'll purchase the report tier that matches your situation:
Snapshot, Vehicle Intelligence Report, Rush Report, or Head-to-Head.

Immediately after checkout, you'll receive an email with a link to a short intake form. 

The form asks about the car you're considering (make, model, year, mileage), how you plan to use it, how long you plan to own it, your annual driving expectations, past car ownership experiences, and your main concerns about this purchase. You'll also select your buyer profile: Inexperienced, Budget-Conscious, Methodical Researcher, Enthusiast, or Lifestyle Buyer.

The intake form takes about 5 minutes and gives us the context we need to tailor the research to your actual situation.

Step 2

Our research team goes to work

Shortly after your order is confirmed and intake form received, our research team begins compiling everything worth knowing about your specific vehicle and situation. This includes:

  • Reliability patterns and known failure modes for your specific year, engine, and trim
  • Cost of ownership analysis calibrated to your annual mileage and ownership length
  • Depreciation curve and current US market pricing by mileage band
  • Trim-level differences and which options actually matter for resale
  • Manufacturer TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) and NHTSA recalls
  • Pre-purchase inspection (PPI) protocol and a mechanic-ready checklist built around this vehicle's specific weak points
  • Buyer risk signals: the red flags that should make you walk away
  • Seller questions designed for this specific vehicle and what concerning answers sound like.

Every major finding is tagged with an evidence strength rating — strong, moderate, or anecdotal — so you know exactly how much weight to give each claim.

Because the report is written for your specific buyer profile, an Inexperienced buyer and an Enthusiast receive the same underlying evidence — but the language, emphasis, and technical depth adapt to how you actually make decisions.

Step 3

You receive your report

Reports are delivered as PDF files to the email address on your order. Delivery timelines depend on which product you ordered:

  • Smart Buyer Toolkit: instant download link at checkout
  • Vehicle Intelligence Snapshot ($39): within 24 hours
  • Vehicle Intelligence Report ($79): within 48 hours
  • Rush Report ($119): within 24 hours for orders placed before 6:00 PM Central Time
  • Head-to-Head Intelligence Report ($129): within 72 hours

Delivery happens seven days a week, including weekends and holidays. Timelines begin when we receive your completed intake form. Full details are in our Shipping and Delivery Policy.

Step 4

You use the report to decide

Kruise reports are designed to be consumed in sections, not read cover-to-cover in one sitting. Each section serves a specific purpose:

  • The Executive Snapshot tells you what kind of car this is at a glance
  • The mechanic-ready PPI checklist is designed to be forwarded to your specialist before the inspection
  • The seller questions section is designed to bring with you when you meet the seller
  • The Kruise Guidance Framework gives you a clear buy/walk decision matrix

You walk into your purchase decision with more structured information than the dealer or private seller has about their own car.

Not a vehicle history report. Carfax and AutoCheck tell you what happened to a specific VIN in the past — accidents, ownership changes, mileage discrepancies. Kruise tells you what's likely to happen next based on your specific year, engine, and mileage. They're complementary, not competitive. Use both.

Not a pre-purchase inspection. A PPI is a physical inspection of a specific car by a 
mechanic. Kruise is the research that tells your mechanic exactly what to look for. Section 5 of every full Kruise report is designed to be forwarded directly to your specialist before the inspection.

Not sales content. Kruise never tells you to buy a car. We tell you what it would take for this car to be the right buy — and what would make it the wrong one. The decision stays yours.

What We Research

Kruise specializes in premium used cars sold in the United States — the segment where 
research matters most because complexity is high, repair costs can be significant, and 
the wrong decision is genuinely expensive to unwind.

Primary focus:

  • German brands (Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche)
  • Japanese luxury and performance (Lexus, Acura, Toyota performance models like Supra and GR86, Nissan GT-R, Honda NSX)
  • Italian brands (Alfa Romeo, Maserati)

Also covered:

  • Mainstream brands (Honda, Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, and others) when comparison research calls for it, such as a Head-to-Head Report comparing a premium option to a mainstream alternative
  • Some American performance vehicles (Corvette, Camaro SS, Mustang GT/GT500)

Older vehicles (20+ years): Our research process changes for vehicles approaching classic or enthusiast territory. Reliability data becomes sparser, aftermarket support and parts availability become more important than manufacturer TSBs, and buyer considerations shift toward preservation and enthusiast community knowledge. If you're researching an older vehicle (2000s or older), please contact us before ordering so we can confirm the scope of research we can provide.

If you're not sure whether we cover your specific car, contact us before ordering.

Backed by the Kruise Confidence Credit

If you don't buy the car in your report — for any reason — the Kruise Confidence Credit provides 50% credit toward your next Kruise report, calculated against the standard report price. Valid for 60 days from delivery.

The Confidence Credit applies whether the car failed its PPI, the negotiation fell through, another buyer got there first, or you simply changed your mind. Your research carries forward, even when a specific car doesn't.

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