Methodology
How Kestrel works — and what it can't do
Trust shouldn't be asserted; it should be earned by showing the machinery. Here is exactly what happens when you ask Kestrel for a read, where the knowledge comes from, and the things we will never pretend to do.
What happens when you ask for a read
The free quick read
You give us the year, make, and model — or just paste a listing screenshot — plus the asking price and mileage. A fast AI model checks the price against its knowledge of what these vehicles typically sell for and lists the top documented issues for that exact year and model. It deliberately gives no buy/walk-away verdict, because an honest verdict needs more than a form's worth of information. Free, no account, no card.
The full report — $7.99
A more capable AI model reads everything you provided — the listing details, the seller's description, and up to 6 photos of the actual vehicle — and writes the full report: a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict, fair-offer math with a negotiation script, known issues for that exact year and model ranked by wallet impact, inspection priorities, questions to ask the seller, ownership guidance, and financing posture. It's delivered by email, usually within minutes.
Every report is written fresh for the specific listing in front of you. Nothing is templated boilerplate except the structure.
Where the knowledge comes from
Reports are generated by AI — Claude, by Anthropic — reasoning over the information you provide against its knowledge of documented reliability patterns: owner reports, NHTSA complaints, manufacturer technical service bulletins, recalls, and class-action records.
The free vehicle guides are hand-curated from the same documented sources: owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer TSBs.
About the pricing, honestly: fair-offer numbers are estimates from the model's knowledge of typical market pricing — not a live pricing feed. Local markets vary — sanity-check the number against comparable listings near you before you make an offer.
We never scrape live listings and we never talk to the seller. Kestrel only sees what you paste and photograph.
What Kestrel is not
- Not a mechanical inspection. Nobody puts hands on the car. Every report tells you to get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic — typically around $150 — and a report that told you to skip it would be lying to you.
- Not a title or history check. Kestrel cannot see this car's title brand, accident, or odometer history. Every report tells you to verify it yourself: NICB VINCheck is free (theft and total-loss records), and an NMVTIS-approved title report costs about $5–25. (That's the official government site — not an affiliate link. We don't have affiliate links.)
- Not financial advice. The financing section is posture and math discipline — it never quotes a rate and never names a lender, because we don't take money from anyone but you.
- Not infallible. The AI analyzes patterns; it is not a guarantee. Verify critical claims independently.
The fine-print version of this page lives in our Terms.
See the machinery for yourself
Read a full report before you spend a dollar — or start with the free quick read. No account, no card.
No bullshit, no upsells, no affiliate links. One report, one price — we'll never charge you rent for your own thinking.