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INSPECTION COSTS.
Unlike "competitors" I fully disclose the costs involved as I know MY service will have you come back if you ever need one again! My Reports are not quickie Kelly Blue Book copies and a blurry picture from afar, my comprehensive Report will give you the confidence making the RIGHT decision when considering buying a car sight unseen!!!! The service fee for an appraisal varies due to the vehicle's location and my travel expenses. A local (non-rush) full-blown Inspection runs around $400. So please realize these are NOT the drive-by "Inspections" from a burger-flipper you see offered all over the place for $79 or so, you get what you pay for! I get complaints from clients all the time who think those are a complete waste of money. I have actually tried one of those myself and can honestly say my dear mother (who knows NOTHING about cars other than fill-r-up!) can do a better job! I wanted to make that clear, these are Inspections based on more than a 1/4 Century (mechanic and restoration shop owner) experience so please call them if you want a cheap job! In these fast-paced modern times, 95% of the reports are emailed to the client for faster decision making. We can discuss the details over the phone afterwards, overseas clients need to consider the time difference between continents. I gladly make myself available evenings and weekends when needed and I'll stay in direct contact through the whole process.
I will gladly provide a FREE quotation in advance of any service, so just call me for that. I actually DO honor rush orders! Payment is due before any action for inspection is taken, regular customers know I'll bill them afterwards. I offer several convenient payment options like Money Order, Personal Check, Bank Wire Transfers, but fastest and most convenient would be Paypal or Western Union.
These are especially interesting when a car is on an auction like eBay or other sites where cars are offered for sale. Mostly, auction sites demand a fast turnaround of the report, so I'm fully equipped for that task providing the car is in my (South-West USA) vicinity. Multi-car discounts are available on a pre-paid basis.
INSPECTION TERMS.There are only certain tests I can *LEGALLY* perform in trying to determine a cars REAL value. In order to not run into liability problems, there are certain things I can NOT perform on someone's vehicle.
Let me give you an example: Mercedes SL's (W107) are VERY heavy undercoated and it's almost impossible to determine the condition of the floor boards from below. So, I would inspect them from inside the cabin. Well, Mercedes Benz tends to GLUE the mats to the floor boards. I used to pull these mats out, but ran across one owner who had me replace them back to their original condition, on my costs!
Of course, he IS right, nobody should tamper with his vehicle. But try to explain that to my client with just a "guess" about the floor boards! So, I have put together a disclaimer that should explain how far I can go in testing a vehicle:
DISCLAIMER.I will make every effort to give the prospective buyer the most complete report possible, while leaving the inspected vehicle in it's original condition. In this, I highly depend on what tests the owner agrees me to perform on the vehicle. If a seller denies access to a certain part / area of the vehicle, all I can do then is relay my best impression to my client.
(In English: When, for instance, the owner will NOT have me hoist up the vehicle, I'll try to do EVERYTHING I can to check the underside but ALSO to find out what is the reason for him to not allow this......)
My inspection can, because of these restrictions, NEVER be a complete presentation of an object with such complexity. But what I CAN offer is WAY more than a mere visual report, your Appraisal will be a COMPLETE overview of car AND owner! (In which the latter *could* be the determining factor in the customer's decision!) You can be sure that, even with owner's restrictions, you'll get the most honest rundown of the facts that determine the vehicles value. And THAT is exactly what my task is.
ESCROW COSTS.In the case the actual sale will go through me (this is in about 75% of all cases now) I will make sure the car gets it's final inspection before it is picked up. I will also make sure ALL the paperwork is correct and that I have a signed Bill of Sale so there can be no questions afterwards. The financial transaction will go through my bank so there is no risk for the buyer (or seller), please ask me for references - they will be happy to tell you how perfect this works. I will then keep the car in my facility until it is picked up. My fee for an average purchase (of around $20,000.00) is $350 all in. This is in addition to the actual inspection and transport, just to be clear in this as I have to go out there twice. DON'T JUST TRUST ANY SELLER, I CAN TELL YOU SOME HORROR STORIES!!
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