Classic Car Appraisal and Automotive Appraisals
Discover the damage or value of your treasured vintage car.
Our automotive appraisal team at Accurate Appraisal USA has a long list of automotive skills.
These include:
- formal automotive mechanic education
- racing experience
- hundreds of hours of appraisal courses and education
You’re not hiring just automotive enthusiasts, but well-educated specialists. They have an in-depth knowledge of the current automotive market trends.
Our team is certified to perform accurate classic car appraisals. Greg Barnette received his certification from the Bureau of Certified Auto Appraisers.
Why Should I Get an Automotive Appraisal?
There are a variety of reasons why you would need to obtain an automotive appraisal. An appraisal is a negotiation tool.
It can be used to negotiate with owners, banks, insurance companies, buyers, and sellers.
Knowing what a car is worth in the current market is extremely important. You’ll need an accurate value when looking to buy or sell a car.
Regardless of your reasons, you should get a classic car appraisal from a certified Appraiser. This will ensure an accurate appraisal.
Automotive and classic car appraisals are useful for a variety of reasons. They can help in many buying or selling scenarios and litigation matters.
Insurance
If you want to insure a vehicle, your must provide an appraisal before your insurance will build a policy.
Some insurances may need an appraisal if a car exceeds a certain value. This is especially true for an agreed value policy.
Accidents
An automotive appraisal prior to the damage shows the value of your car. Having this appraisal helps insurance companies determine if you’ve experienced total loss.
“Total loss” is when the cost to repair a car exceeds the value of the vehicle. Proving the cost of repair requires an appraisal.
Financing
To finance classic cars, most financing companies require a classic car appraisal. Financing provides an alternative to buying your dream car.
The loan agents have a good knowedge of the market. They still need an appraisal of the car to determine its condition.
Purchases
Getting a classic car appraisal provides many benefits to purchasing. It helps you determine how much money you’ll need for the purchase. It gives you a negotiation tool.
More importantly, an appraisal gives you the current value of the vehicle. The value of classic cars change constantly.
Outdated research may give you a different value. A certified classic car appraisal will give you the accurate value.
Selling
Similarly, having an appraisal will help you negotiate the sale of your classic car.
The value of the vehicle will change from the time you buy it to the time you decide to sell it. The appraisal will tell you the highest selling price of your classic car.
Court Cases
Courts require classic car appraisals for many cases. Any case involving disputes over the value of the vehicle need an appraisal.
You may be disputing the value do to theft, accidents, or any other legal matter.
The value comes in question during an estate settlement. An appraisal may be necessary for divorce settlements.
Donations
Many people donate their vehicles for tax write-offs. To get the full amount, an automotive appraisal is necessary.
Donate Online provides a search engine to find charities to donate your car to.
Accurate Appraisals USA provides the following appraisal services:
- Insurance
- Total Loss
- Bank loans
- Pre-sale
- Auction Value
- Collection Value
- Market Value
Why a Classic Car Appraisal is Important
Getting a certified appraisal from an expert can save you many dollars. The appraisal will keep you from selling for too little or paying too much.
You can find out what your current car is worth and determine the true value of a used car that you’re planning to buy.
Many people simply look at the “Kelley Blue Book.” It lists the current worth of a typical car of the type and model they’re planning to buy or sell.
You can also find out other information from the Kelley Blue Book.
It will tell you the standard features of a car. Using this information can help you better determine if a particular car is the right one for you.
The online version of the Kelley Blue Book is very user-friendly. You can quickly find out basic information about the car in question.
You’ll want to get a certified car appraisal from a qualified Appraiser if you want:
- a document that will hold up in a court of law
- to determine its real value for estate sales
- divorce
- tax donation
- insurance underwriting requirements
- other purposes
Keep in mind Kelly Blue Book does not list classic car values since the value changes so often.
Picking the Automotive Appraisal Type
The type of value is important as there are different needs for various situations. One example is: cars sell for different amounts based on how they sell.
Another instance is if you are planning to take the car to an auction or purchasing a car at an auction.
Our Appraisers can give you a value based on the auction value. The value of the car changes in a private sale.
The two amounts can be extremely different. Private sales, therefore, require a different type of appraisal.
It is critical the Appraiser properly identifies the market for the desired value. The Appraiser will examine the market for your vehicle to determine the value.
How Long Does a Classic Car Appraisal Take?
The inspection of the vehicle is normally 45 minutes. It includes photographs, paint thickness measuring, body filler analysis and typical operation test.
For more in-depth assignments, the Appraiser may perform a road test.
The scope of work will dictate the amount of time required to produce the written report. Final delivery of the report takes 3 business days after the inspection.
How Much Does a Classic Car Appraisal Cost
Classic car appraisals range in complexity depending on the scope of work.
The work changes based on the rarity of the vehicle and the number of unique features it has. A highly modified or extremely rare car take much longer to appraise.
Automotive Appraisals cost start at $200.00. The cost is based on complexity, a rare or modified vehicle can cost significantly more.