Ki te kore te whaitua ka rongo i nga ahunga o nga motokarai whakamua, ko ngā motokarai katoa whakamua kei roto i tōna tono e mahi ana i runga i tētahi mātāpono whakamaurū. Ko te whakamātau ahunga e whanau nei: 1) tirohanga mekanika (whakatipu ā-motori, paiheretanga huri o te pūmotokari, paiheretanga o te rangitaki), 2) whakamātau i te reta (mateara, tuhituhinga pai), 3) tirohanga i te taonga (whakakikino matekura, whakarereke panui), me 4) whakawheako i te ara (whakahaere, waea, whakakikino pai). Ngaroia ai ngā motokarai whakamua ki ngā toru tohu ahunga: "Pai" (≤50,000 km, whakakikino iti), "Pai" (50,000–100,000 km, mahi katoa), me "Tika" (100,000–150,000 km, mehemea he whakakikino iti). Ki ia tohu, ko tētahi whakamātau ahunga matihiko e paana ana, inaianei ko te hītori tirotiro, ko ngā kaiwhakaaro haehae (mehemea he aha), me ngā whakaatu paiheretanga o ngā hanganga noho. Ka whakapai ngā motokarai whakamua mātāpono, pērā mai i te whakatūhono rehurehu, me te tirotiro i ngā pūnaho brēki, me te hokohoko i ngā waiwai, hei whakangungu i te paiheretanga. Tuku tonu ki tō tira motokarai whakamua mo ngā whakamātau ahunga matihiko mo ngā momo kaimahi, pērā hoki i ngā take utu me ngā kaupapa hoki iho hei whakangungu i te manaaki.