USPAP-compliant appraisals by best-in-class appraisers
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Joe Kattan
Jason Dolph, CAGA
Tim Roy, ASA, CEA
Marnie Erkelens, CAGA
Aron Blue
About AppraiseItNow's Car Appraisal Services
AppraiseItNow provides certified car appraisals for a wide range of legal, tax, insurance, and transactional purposes. Whether you need a valuation for a charitable donation to support an IRS Form 8283 filing, an estate or gift tax matter, a divorce proceeding, an insurance claim, or a private sale, our appraisers deliver accurate, well-documented reports that hold up to scrutiny. Car appraisals are a specialized subset of our broader automobile appraisal services, covering everything from everyday passenger vehicles to high-value collector cars. Our mission is to deliver defensible, USPAP-compliant valuations with exceptional speed, professionalism, and client service.
Our appraisers serve individual car owners, collectors, attorneys, CPAs, estate administrators, lenders, insurers, and dealerships that require independent third-party valuations. Most car appraisals are completed remotely using photos, vehicle history reports, and owner-provided documentation, though onsite inspections can be coordinated when the vehicle's condition, intended use, or scope of work requires a physical review. We offer Fair Market Value (FMV), Replacement Value, Orderly Liquidation Value (OLV), Forced Liquidation Value (FLV), and Actual Cash Value (ACV) appraisals for various intended uses.
What Types of Cars Do We Appraise?
AppraiseItNow appraises a wide range of car types, from daily drivers to rare collectibles. Our appraisers have experience with vehicles across all price points, conditions, and use cases.
- Daily-use passenger cars, sedans, coupes, and hatchbacks
- Luxury and exotic cars, including high-value European and performance marques
- Classic and antique cars, generally 25 years old or older
- Muscle cars and American collector vehicles
- Modified or custom-built cars with aftermarket upgrades
- Salvage, rebuilt-title, and flood-damaged cars
- Project cars and partially restored vehicles
- Electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid cars
- Low-mileage or barn-find cars requiring condition-based valuation
Who Does AppraiseItNow Serve?
AppraiseItNow serves individual car owners, collectors, and donors alongside professional advisors including attorneys, CPAs, and estate planners who require independent, credentialed valuations for legal or financial matters.
How much does a Car appraisal cost?
Appraisal Type
Standard Fee Range
Pricing By Volume
What Drives Cost?
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5-Star Valuation Services, Loved by Hundreds
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Auto Appraisals for commercial and personal clients
Servicing Commercial & Industrial Businesses
AppraiseItNow serves major businesses and commercial clients, including:
- Banks and lenders
- Asset-heavy companies with rolling stock
- Internal finance teams
- CPAs
- Attorneys
Servicing Individuals & Households
AppraiseItNow also serves individual consumers with projects large and small. These clients often include:
- Vehicle owners or estate inheritors
- Individuals making non-cash charitable donations
- Couples going through marital divorce
- Families dealing with estate planning or post-death estate matters
- Individuals dealing with insurance coverage, claims, or other third-party disputes
- Individuals going through major financial or other life events
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How our Valuation Process Works
Written USPAP-compliant vehicle appraisals for when defensibility matters.
Given the USPAP-compliant nature of AppraiseItNow’s appraisal reports, we prepare our deliverables for major legal, tax, and financial reporting purposes for individual and commercial clients.
Popular uses of our appraisal reports include:
Tax, Estate & Financial Planning
- Gift Tax - IRS Form 709
- Estate Tax - IRS Form 706
- Charitable Donations - filing of IRS Form 8283
- Estate planning, equitable distribution, and probate
- Bonded Title with DMV
Transactions, Lending & Investment
- Auto Loan Financing
- Purchase price allocation & cost segregation
- Mergers & Acquisitions (transactional due diligence)
- Financial Reporting
Insurance & Risk Management
Life Events & Special Circumstances
- Divorce
- Social Security reporting or Medicaid Application Filings
- E-2 visa applications
What types of cars does AppraiseItNow appraise?
AppraiseItNow appraises a wide range of passenger vehicles, from everyday commuter cars to high-value collectibles. Whether you own a standard sedan, a luxury vehicle, a classic or antique car, or a collector car, our appraisers have the expertise to deliver a credible, defensible valuation.
Are your car appraisals USPAP-compliant?
Yes. All car appraisals completed by AppraiseItNow follow the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, specifically USPAP Standard 8, which governs personal property appraisal reporting. Our reports meet the requirements of the IRS, insurance carriers, lenders, and courts.
What are common reasons someone needs a car appraisal?
There are many situations where an independent, certified car appraisal is required or strongly recommended, including:
- Charitable donation to a nonprofit (IRS Form 8283)
- Estate settlement or estate tax reporting
- Divorce proceedings and equitable distribution
- Insurance coverage, damage claims, or total loss disputes
- Bonded title or personal use transactions
- Legal proceedings and litigation support
- Purchase or sale of a high-value or collector vehicle
Can you appraise cars in poor condition, with unknown provenance, or with limited documentation?
Yes. Our appraisers are experienced in valuing vehicles across all condition levels, including cars with significant wear, accident history, or incomplete documentation. Condition is a core factor in the valuation formula, and our appraisers account for deductions related to damage, mileage, and market perception when comparable sales data is analyzed.
Can you appraise large collections or multiple vehicles?
Yes. AppraiseItNow regularly appraises multi-vehicle collections, small fleets, and large commercial fleets. Volume pricing is available, and our team can coordinate appraisals across multiple vehicles efficiently, whether they are located at a single site or spread across different locations.
Do you provide online or remote car appraisals?
Most car appraisals are completed remotely using photos, vehicle history reports, and documentation you provide, making the process fast and convenient. For larger projects, collections, or situations where a physical inspection is required by scope or intended use, we can coordinate an in-person appraiser anywhere in the United States.
How much does a car appraisal cost?
Car appraisal fees depend on the purpose and complexity of the assignment. Standard appraisals for personal use or bonded title start at $195, while advanced appraisals for charitable donations, estate tax, divorce, insurance claims, and legal proceedings start at $295. Volume pricing is available for fleets and collections:
- 1 vehicle: $195 to $495
- 5 vehicles: $795 to $1,500
- 10 or more vehicles: $1,800 to $4,500 and up
Do you offer discounted pricing for large volumes?
Yes. Clients appraising five or more vehicles receive collection or fleet pricing that reduces the per-vehicle cost compared to single-vehicle rates. For ten or more vehicles, aggregate pricing applies and offers the greatest per-unit savings, making it well-suited for fleet operators, dealers, and estate administrators managing large inventories.
How long does a car appraisal take?
Most car appraisals are completed within 3 to 5 business days from the time all required information is received. More complex assignments, such as rare collector cars or large multi-vehicle collections, may take longer depending on the scope and number of assets involved.
Who prepares the appraisal report?
Car appraisal reports are prepared by certified automotive appraisers with hands-on experience valuing passenger vehicles, collector cars, and specialty vehicles. AppraiseItNow's team includes credentialed appraisers such as Marnie Erkelens, CAGA, who specialize in vehicle valuations and produce reports that meet USPAP reporting standards.
Do you prepare appraisals for IRS Form 8283 (Noncash Charitable Contributions)?
Yes. When you donate a car to a qualifying nonprofit, the IRS requires a qualified appraisal completed by a qualified appraiser to support your deduction on Form 8283. AppraiseItNow's car appraisals are prepared to meet IRS requirements for noncash charitable contribution reporting, and our advanced appraisal tier is specifically designed for this purpose.
Do you buy, sell, or broker cars?
No. AppraiseItNow is an independent appraisal firm and does not buy, sell, or broker vehicles of any kind. This independence is essential to producing unbiased, defensible valuations that are accepted by the IRS, insurers, and courts.
What information do you need to get started?
To begin a car appraisal, it helps to have the following ready:
- Year, make, model, and trim level
- Current mileage
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
- Photos of the exterior, interior, and any damage
- Vehicle history report (such as Carfax or AutoCheck) if available
- Any documentation of modifications, restorations, or special features
- The intended purpose of the appraisal (donation, estate, insurance, etc.)
Can AppraiseItNow appraise cars located anywhere in the U.S.?
Yes. Remote car appraisals are available to clients in all 50 states, and most assignments are completed without requiring a physical inspection. For larger collections, fleet appraisals, or cases where an onsite inspection is necessary, we can coordinate a qualified in-person appraiser in any state.
Will my appraisal be accepted by the IRS, insurers, or courts?
AppraiseItNow's car appraisal reports are USPAP-compliant and prepared by qualified appraisers, meeting the standards required by the IRS, insurance agencies, lenders, and courts. Our reports clearly disclose all assumptions, limiting conditions, and methodologies used, which is a core requirement under USPAP Standards Rule 8-1 for personal property appraisals.
What value types are used for car appraisals, and which one do I need?
The right value type depends entirely on the purpose of your appraisal. Fair Market Value reflects what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller with no pressure on either side, and it is the standard used for IRS donations, estate tax, and divorce. Replacement Value reflects the cost to replace the vehicle with a comparable one and is used for insurance coverage purposes. Actual Cash Value accounts for depreciation and is commonly used in insurance claims and total loss settlements. Orderly Liquidation Value and Forced Liquidation Value apply when a vehicle must be sold within a defined or compressed timeframe, such as in bankruptcy or fleet liquidation scenarios.
How does accident history affect a car's appraised value?
Accident history can reduce a car's appraised value even when repairs have been completed properly, a concept known as diminished value. A qualified appraiser analyzes how dealers and buyers in the market respond to disclosed accident history, using vehicle history reports and comparable sales data to quantify the difference between a vehicle in repaired condition and one with a clean history. This distinction matters most in insurance claims, legal disputes, and pre-sale valuations where accurate market perception is critical.
What is the difference between a dealer quote or online estimate and a certified car appraisal?
Dealer quotes and online tools like Kelley Blue Book or NADA Guides provide general market estimates based on broad data inputs, but they are not appraisals and are not accepted by the IRS, courts, or most insurers for formal purposes. A certified appraisal involves a qualified appraiser conducting a vehicle-specific analysis, including a review of condition, mileage, comparable sales, and any special features or deductions, and producing a signed, USPAP-compliant report that can withstand scrutiny in legal, tax, and insurance contexts.
APPRAISEITNOW APPRAISERS ARE BEST-IN-CLASS & CREDENTIALED BY LEADING APPRAISAL ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE ISA, ASA, & MORE.
