Having a full blown classic car inspection done, coupled with a certified car appraisal is where you should start if you’re serious about selling your muscle car or antique car in today’s on line market. Buyers typically expect that the one’s selling their own car will reveal the car in a very favorable fashion….to be expected. This process gets worse when you add in a broker that hasn’t really seen and studied the car. Most of those deals fall apart mid flight, due to lack of confidence on the buyers part. If they do end up selling, it’s for a lower dollar than they should have sold for, because smart buyers don’t overpay for a car they are not confident in. The key to success? Earn the buyer’s confidence. Not just through salesmanship, but through honest, accurate depiction. Having the car inspected by an outside, professional 3rd party inspection company will reveal the car’s strengths and weaknesses, and help both parties get down to the truth, which leads to a truthful and favorable outcome for both parties.  Our process includes jacking up the car and test driving it when possible, along with magnet test results, and in some cases video presentations, when personally conducted by the owner. Even if you have some computer skills, the management of a successful selling campaign on line can be a arduous process. Having the time to send out 100’s of photos, over and over to different prospective buyers, teaching them how to link to and or view videos, answer dozens of questions, and continually follow up  with people is what is required. You can utilize the reports and photos that Autoappraise.com will create for you on site to sell your car, or better yet, you can let us step up and handle the whole task for you. We have sold EVERY car that has been consigned to us, through our unique process of thorough accurate depiction. Don’t just take our word for it. Auto Appraise will put you in touch with the actual sellers of the cars we’ve consigned, so you can hear the stories of our success from them….which is really their success. Put the hard work and skills of certified auto appraiser  Jason Phillips to work for you. Please call us to discuss your unique situation. We offer discounted service for car collections. Auto Appraise Inc. is well reviewed in the Classic car field, so check out what our client’s are saying! Call us to discuss your needs. 800-301-3886, or 810-694-2008. M-F, 9am-7pm, Sat 10-2pm, EST.

Technorati Tags: auto appraisal, auto appraiser, buying a used car for sale, Classic car chat, classic car for sale, consignment, muscle car for sale

This truck has an all steel body and fenders, as well as running boards. The body is clean with excellent magnetic adhesion. It’s been in a storage locker for approximately 3 years. Red exterior was professionally applied, and still looks great, minus it’s small usage wounds, chips and oxidation. All the chrome was replaced when done a few years back, but the salt air is eating away at today’s thin aftermarket plating. We have over 200 still photos and will be happy to get those to you for an up close look at what we discovered during this 3 hour long inspection. With a professional level detail and some fresh fuel, it could certainly be enjoyed as it sits.

During the frame off, a GM front sub-frame was added with independent coil overs. Welding looks professionally executed.  The front suspension was upgraded to rack and pinion with power disc brakes. It handles and steers great. The rear end was upgraded to late model GM 10 bolt with standard multi-leaf and drums. Gear ratio is unknown and it’s seems quiet. No leaks seen. All newer shocks. The frame was sandblasted and repainted chassis black, and all new fuel lines, brake lines, clips, gas tank and mounting hardware were used underneath. Hidden power brake booster on rail is accessed through removable door in floor.  New dual exhaust was installed on stock 350 manifolds. Mufflers and some brackets/components underbody are showing surface rust from salt air, see photos. The interior has been restored in a taupe grey paint on dash, seat frame and cab interior. Replacement cardboard headliner is slightly warped but in good condition. Door card inserts look nice and handle chrome looks newer. All new gages with a clean updated underdash wiring and ducts for vintage A/C which blows cool. Seat cover is excellent a seat is firm. Nice aft-mkt. wood steering wheel needs a horn cap. All replacement glass with new seals were installed. All pieces in excellent shape. The box received a new wood planking kit and trim, but boards could stand to be re-varnished, and chrome slats cleaned up with an SOS pad. Orange peel is heavier in insides of box and some scratches noted on tailgate. Underhood the firewall is stock and was repainted exterior color when truck was disassembled. Steel black inner fenders are in good shape but in need of detailing. Rebuilt small block 350 runs great, sporting finned aluminum vette valve covers. Gaskets were recently changed by the current owner.  Some of the brackets need detailing and repainting. Updated aluminum radiator with electric fan works well. The truck seems to run cool. Mild to stock cam noted with nice smooth acceleration. 350 turbo tranny was rebuilt with no performance shift kit noted. Shifts are firm and crisp both up and down. The truck seems to have very nice drivability.   810-691-2664

UPDATE: This truck has been sold, Thanks.

Technorati Tags: chevrolet, classic car

This 1963 Ford T-Bird is a wonderful survivor car. The owner, who recently passed purchased it in 07 for close to $50,000, according to the records.  It has excellent magnetic adhesion all around with visible factory spot welds present everywhere. It’s had one nice repaint in the original medium blue metallic. Paint underhood and inside trunk appears original.  All trim is still very presentable, some with varying grades of patina present, but all very acceptable on a 2-/3+ show-able driver car. The complicated top system has gone through the typical $3000.00+ rebuild of all the solenoids with a replacement canvas that is very nice. This top works flawlessly, see pics. You’ll see in the YouTube test drive linked below that the 390 c.i. engine runs very well and the tranny shifts nicely. The underbody and trunk remain very solid. No patch panels, no repairs, no rot. All is very solid underneath. It could use a good long day’s worth of steam cleaning and paint detailing to the underbody on a hoist, to really make the bottom stand out. All dye holes are clean and uniform on the frame rails, and the spot welds from the rail flanges to the pans are easily seen. It’s obviously a collision free body. Interior is a combo of mostly new vinyl components and carpet, mixed in with well survived original pieces. The whole car presents in a really nice fashion. The previous owner, spent a lot of time and money in upkeep, and it shows. Links are posted below to youtube videos of the car. Autoappraise.com conducted a 3 hour long inspection on this car. We have over 200 photos and a well written detailed narrative report that will soon be viewable on our blog, see link below. The best thing about the car….just get in and drive, it’s ready for summer without delay. We are asking $35,000. 800-301-3886 or 810-691-2664, or email cars@autoappraise.com. http://www.autoappraise.com

Technorati Tags: auto appraiser, classic car, Classic car chat, for sale

This 1963 340 HP Chevrolet Corvette has been meticulously frame off restored over a 3 year period by an experienced Corvette enthusiast. It’s a correct, original red on red roadster with it’s original number’s matching engine, transmission and rear end. Look closely at photos and you will see the real difference when someone spends over $125,000 doing up a rock solid original car. This car is right, down to the correct color fuel line clips. Bonding strips and fiberglass from under are clean and clearly visible.  The restoration has less than 3500 miles of road time logged. It’s truly a beautiful car….as close to a show car as you would want to drive occasionally. From date coded hoses to paint daubs, this is an amazing car. In today’s dollars, it would be difficult to even do this car again due to the lack of  NOS chrome available. Aftermarket parts are just not the same.  Another 200 photos can be studied along with a comprehensive inspection report at http://www.autoappraise.com. You’ll need to email cars@autoappraise.com and ask for a password to additional info. Here’s a shorter version of what’s in the report. Please access and read the report before you call, as I am on the road often and am not always easy to reach. 810-691-2664. We are asking $67,500.00

Casting numbers, casting dates and stampings were located and photographed. BODY TAG: k3 build date, 490m trim, 923A paint. ENGINE: 3787820 casting, F253 julian cast date, F0630RE assembly stamp, with corresponding VIN stamp 3120xxx. Brioche marks are visible on pad surface. Other engine component numbers were documented and can be accessed in report. TRANSMISSION: 3831704 main case, 3788421 scatter shield, vertical flange stamp corresponds to VIN 3120xxx. REAR END: Stamped “CE” code, dated 7 15 63. To summarize, the vin tag is correctly spot welded and the trim tag correctly riveted, and all the numbers above correspond and are correct for this car. Links to youtube.com are posted below, including cold start and test drive. If they don’t connect directly, just copy and paste them into youtube.com.

UPDATE: Thanks for looking, we have sold this client’s car.

Technorati Tags: classic car, corvette, for sale

In this article, Auto Appraiser Jason Phillips breaks down the 1-6 “condition numbers” that often get assigned to determine a vehicle’s worth, and the general weakness of this approach in a real attempt to place a proper value.
The first question one should ask would be…”is the car untouched and all original”? From my past experience, it’s very rare when a buyer runs across this situation. This is the easiest situation to assign a single number to a car with equally aged components. Seller’s often unknowingly represent their cars this way, when in fact they have been partially or fully repainted, or modified in some amount they consider not worthy of mentioning. Sometimes, they’re not even aware of previous changes, due to purchasing the car in that condition. Other times alterations are “bolt-ons”, absent the original parts accompanying in the trunk. Sometimes a beautiful exterior re-paint has left the door/trunk jambs in single stage, unattended condition. Sometimes those new base/clear repaints get reacquainted with their old; patina soaked or pitted original bright work. One thing is for certain; other than an untouched, unaltered “barn find”, it’s very difficult to describe most cars with only ONE NUMBER!
After 21 years in the hobby/ workforce, I consider myself a veteran auto appraiser. Appraising and training others to appraise is my full time career. I say this not to establish bragging rights, (though my mother is very proud) but to help establish a foundation of where my opinion comes from. I’ve had the honor of creating an education from inspecting over 6,000 vehicles. Of those, I can count on two hands (O.K., maybe three) the number of actual untouched original vehicles viewed. While a multitude of these appraised cars were close to “bone stock originals” improved upon minimally, the vast majority had at least one exterior repaint, re-covered seats, replacement carpets coupled with some interior paint freshening and re-plated bumpers. The rest fell somewhere between frame up and frame off restored, excluding the “street rods” and “resto-mods”. On cars such as these, it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to assign just one narrow, categorized number for valuing! To further complicate matters, consider the following; of those touting “frame off” restored, the quality of workmanship varied between that “at home” amateur father and son first project look, all the way up to “House of Kolors” over-restored dialed in to the max beauty look!
If my past experience as an auto appraiser has taught me anything, it really all comes down to this: most cars have a “split personality” regarding value. That is to say varying levels of new and aged improvements made on various components, and the quality level at which said improvements were tastefully executed plays a huge role in determining value. Ill-fitting poorly made Chinese reproduction parts are no substitute for true OEM components and or nicely restored original pieces. Stop signs and home heating duct do a sufficient job of patching holes in a trunk pan, but are not equal to a replacement trunk pan that’s been properly installed. New seat covers and carpet DO NOT equal a restored interior. Neither does spray canned black control arms and coil springs with new yellow shocks installed inside them equate to a rebuilt suspension. And NO, roofing tar does not make a sufficient frame repair, regardless of how smooth you may get it to look over the rust holes!
In summary, breaking down the car by each major section and assigning a number or grade is the way I come to a logical conclusion on placing value. Having a solid basis of knowledge on restoration costs, OEM parts expertise vs. aftermarket parts and their associated value, as well as a good eye for quality workmanship are the key factors you should apply when assessing values on your own. Just for grins, Try numbering your own classic car by section and see what you discover. If you end up with mostly #1’s and #2’s, well then……ask your best car buddy to do it for you again, JUST to be sure you’re not missing the mark or showing any subjective favoritism!

Technorati Tags: auto appraisals, auto appraiser, Classic car chat

During an auto appraisal, Jason Phillips took the pictures of a wonderful 1961 Oldsmobile Super 88 Convertible that you’re seeing below. It’s difficult to argue that there was a more beautifully designed bumper on a 60’s era car. It’s design intentionally flowed into the bold feature lines and drastic angles of the car. “You can see this car coming from a mile away”. No other GM car reigns so distinctive. This is one solid survivor convertible. It had been tastefully upgraded with a 1962 Starfire bucket seat OEM color matched interior. It features a stock factory tachometer built into the Starfire console. I have yet to look at the Oldsmobile production numbers, but I know they’re fairly low.

Ordering an auto appraisal on line is almost as easy as ordering Chinese take out. So, how do you know who’s knowledgeable, versus somebody that’s just copied some good sales info to a website in an effort to take your money? How do you know if insurance underwriters respect their opinions? How do you know if banks will even accept their work? How do you know if they’re even real. Don’t be charmed by price alone. Although price is important, be enamored by knowledge. Read referral letters and testimonials. Contact by e-mail or phone any referrals that posted their contact information. If there is no path provided to contact the past customers, then you too should pass on choosing that company. Autoappraise.com has over 100 testimonials posted, each allowing personal contact through e-mail, and some have left telephone numbers. They have 265 inspectors and auto appraisers nationwide. They are staffed with knowledgeable and trustworthy people. Call them at 800-301-3886.

Technorati Tags: auto appraiser, technical

auto appraiser Jason Phillips recently inspected this code 912A silver blue 1963 Split Window. The car was ordered sold by the court of local jurisdiction, who assigned the work to auto appraiser Jason Phillips and staff. It had the same owner since 1964, and has a very nice original interior. It features correct 63 gages, correct 63 only adjustable seat frames, but it does have a 64 hood. It has a solid, unrestored underbody, good solid frame, and runs well, with it’s correct 300hp number’s matching motor and original 4 speed. In the history of Corvettes, this was the 1st coupe ever available in the Corvette line. It also was the introduction of IRS, replacing the “straight axle” set up with nylon straps. This car has a driver quality, older repaint that was never really sanded and buffed out very well. A wet sand and wheel will bring it up a couple notches. If you are interested in purchasing this car, please contact me. 810-694-2008. The asking price is $39,500.

Technorati Tags: chevrolet, corvette, numbers matching

Certified auto appraiser Jason Phillips has recently inspected both a 66 and 67 GTO. The post December 1966 build date for 67 models makes it a whole lot easier on verification of engines. Pontiac Motor Division began Stamping VIN’s on the motor in Mid December, 1966. If you have the still original block in a 1967, then it SHOULD be stamped next to the timing chain cover, just beyond the lower radiator hose inlet. The stamp is vertical, and often up higher on the pad. This 67 was clearly marked. The seller had the PHS documentation, even better. If you’re a buyer, and he/she does not have PHS, be sure to order it. Jim at Pontiac Historical Services can fax you back the essentials on a car history in about a day’s time. It’s well worth the money he charges to have this in hand. There you’ll find the engine unit number on the car’s billing history to match up against the right front engine stamp. This was especially useful on the 66 I did, as there was no vin stamp on the 66’s. The PHS will also provide other build history on the car. I have 265 inspectors at work nationwide, and I never send one out to do a Pontiac inspection before I order my PHS on line. The 66 turned out to be very nice, but not a matching car. It’s still for sale if you’re looking for one.

Technorati Tags: 1966, 1967, GTO, numbers matching, Pontisac

So many people ask me when I’m conducting an auto appraisal if I can confirm the “matching numbers” on the motor and transmission. When selling, seller’s often refer to their cars as numbers matching, but only because most of them cannot be confirmed on sight. FE blocks (12 versions in all) for the most part were not vin stamped, unlike GM cars and Mopar’s. Casting dates is about all you’re going to end up with off the engines. During an on site inspection, these are not possible to see on a small block, unless you brought your tool box! Some dis assembly IS required.

Technorati Tags: ford, mustang, numbers matching