Also look for modding history in two ways. One, does that model of car online have a big community who loves to mod it? Your insurance is likely not going to be good.

Second, has anything about the specific car you’re buying been modded? Shorter springs, air intake, exhaust changes, tires size different from stock size, etc. Anything looks off? Probably best to move on. It’s likely been an abused toy for someone before you.

Checking various fluids can also potentially help. I also try to consider if there’s any sign at all of major things having issues like transmission, or just small things like electronics I could live without.

Also like your idea about checking and comparing cost of tires for a particular car. In addition to that, the brand of tire and conditio of tires can also tell you a bit about who had been owning it and how they treated it.