Now that we have gotten the pull the prop through thing off our chest I am going to answer the original post
IMO practical things to look for:
1) What is on the belly of the airplane will tell you alot. Fresh oil that is more than a light smear should be investigated by an AME. This once saved me from taking off in an airplane that had developed a crack in the oil filter and was probably only minuites away from loosing all its engine oil.
2) The exhaust pipe should be checked to make sure it is firm when you give it a shake. If it moves and makes a clunking noise get an engineer as there is likely a cracked /broken exhaust pipe or muffler. Also look nside of the tail pipe (ie the part that sticks out from the cowl). It should have a light coating of grey exhaust residue. If it is oily or covered in thick black soot , get an engineer to look at it. (oily means potential cylinder issues and black soot means a too rich mixture)
3) Check the shimmy dampner a notorious weak spot on light cessnas. If you see any drops of red hydraulic fluid on it than the unit is leaking and will probably not function properly leading to a violent nose wheel shimmy. Again get an engineer to look at it.