Automobile Appraisal Specializing in Antique, Classic, and Custom automobile appraisals.

Durham Consulting and Appraisals offers a nationwide network of certified professionals to help with your entire classic car appraisal needs as well as total loss and diminished value appraisals on your late model automobile. If you’re looking for a professional auto appraiser, we can help. Durham Consulting and Appraisals has experience with all types of vehicles whether your car is a brass era, antique, classic, 50’s collectible, high performance muscle car, exotic, custom street rod, custom truck, prototype, replica, or late model involved in a total loss or diminished value claim. Insurance companies, Canadian Government Agencies and Courts of Law recognize Durham Consulting and Appraisals as automobile appraisal and value experts. P.A.V.E. Member


Appraisal Fees

Motorcycle Appraisal Specializing in Foreign & Domestic, Stock or Custom, and Police Designated motorcycles.

Our Motorcycle Appraisal Service offers a complete and thorough evaluation of the motorcycles varied custom features. Items such as a customized or converted frame, custom paint design and application, upgraded drive train, enhanced mechanical components, unique seating features, and complete custom/ matching accessories. Also conducted are various fact-finding sessions and interviews to substantiate any evidence presented. With the information gained, a fair current market or actual cash value is assigned. Our expert-experienced knowledge, along with an extensive catalog of components and their respective values is referenced when establishing the appraised value of your particular custom motorcycle. A basic review of comparable "custom" bikes is also performed and listed.

Appraisal Fees

Inspection, evaluation and documentation of most special-interest motorcycles......... > $ 195.00

Marine Appraisal Vessel craft of any description used or capable of being used on the water

Durham Consulting and Appraisals conduct surveys on wood fiberglass, aluminum, and steel yachts, which can be performed under water, at dockside, or in dry dock. Our company is certified to perform pre-purchase and finance surveys, insurance appraisals, full condition and valuation surveys, maritime consulting and osmosis analysis. We provide the most comprehensive, complete, accurate and professional marine survey.

The price that a boat valued at is determined by the following.

• Condition of the vessel. This is how well the boat has held up. Is the interior new or old, how well are the fabrics holding up? Does the woodwork need finishing, what is the condition?
• How many hours are on the engine and what is its condition?
• Does the hull have scratches or gouges to its gelcoat?
• What about the hull under the waterline, any collision damage, blistering, or electrolysis?

All these items and many others factor into a vessels condition. For vessel in poor condition 10% to 50% may be subtracted from the book value. For vessels in excellent condition 10% or more may be added.

Optional Equipment is another consideration. These add to the appraised value of a boat. For example some boats have been equipped with additional electronic equipment and features; this naturally needs to be taken into account when pricing a boat. Such items as radar, global positioning systems, depth finders, auto pilots, outriggers, anchor windlasses, radios, hard tops just to name a few, will add to a boats value.

Book Value as determined by the BUC Research Guide, The Blue Book, NADA, and the Power Boat Guide all are consulted before pricing a vessel. By cross-referencing these publications we can obtain an accurate value for most vessels. Bank, finance companies and insurance companies rely upon this value. We pride ourselves on obtaining and accurate value on the vessel that you purchase.

Boat value will also vary geographically by different areas in a country and from country to country. The same boat in the Northeast Atlantic, Great Lakes, Northwest Pacific and the Southern United States will not retail for the same price, and must be geographically adjusted.

Appraisal Fees

Inspection, evaluation and documentation of most marine vessels.. .................. > from $ 125.00
$10 - 15 per ft

Heavy Equipment Appraisal

Call for pricing

Charitable Donation
DC&A's certified appraisals document value for tax-deductible donations to the non-profit of your choice. Our fees for this service start at $250. Mileage of 50 cents per km may apply. Ask about multi-car and club discounts. If you would like to donate your special interest vehicle to a non-profit, DC&A can provide information on schools and museums that are currently accepting donations.

Property Settlement - Estate or Divorce
DC&A can provide an independent appraisal to help you establish the true market value of automobiles involved in estate or divorce settlements. Our fees for this service start at $250. Mileage of 50 cents per km may apply. Ask about multi-car and club discounts.

Accelerated Depreciation:
What is diminished value and how do I know when I am entitled to it?
Diminution of value happens when a vehicle is wrecked or damaged in an accident. The vehicle is then repaired or restored back to a roadworthy condition. The insurance company agrees to pay for the repairs. You have your car back, but it’s just not the same.

To help you see what has happened to your car’s value, let’s take a trip to the local car dealership. You’ve decided you may want to buy a car. You know what make and model you’re looking for and you find two of them sitting on the dealer's lot. You start to compare options, mileage and features and find they are practically identical. As the sales person explains the features available on each car, you learn that one of the two cars was involved in an accident requiring substantial repairs. You are told that you can be assured that it is now good as new. But can you? Would you be willing to pay the same amount for a car that has been repaired?

In a recent 2007 Canadian study, 43% of the people surveyed would not buy a car that was in an accident. 42% said they would buy a car that has been in an accident but only if it was being sold for a large discount.

So what does that say about your car? Is it worth as much now that its been repaired as it was prior to the accident damage? Insurance companies have been wrestling with this question by their claimants for many years. Does your insurance company pay for diminished value? Has your car diminished in value because of the repairs required by an accident? How do you know?

You don’t, but we do. DC&A is your local diminished value professional. We make it our business to know. We attend auto auctions nationwide, to gather information on cars sold that have sustained accident damage. We then compare the sale price of these damaged and repaired vehicles to the sale price of those that have not been in an accident. This use of comparables gives us a percentage of loss of value for each type of automobile. The results tell the story.

During a recent 2007-Southern Ontario dealer survey, conducted by DC&A, we found that dealers diminished a car’s value by 15% to 50% because it had been involved in an accident requiring significant repairs. Even though repairs have been made properly, there is a loss of value due to inherent diminished value. Should repairs be done poorly, and not up to industry standards, there may be additional repair related diminished value.

What are some of the factors that cause diminished value? Some of these factors, but not all are:

• Overall percentage of damage to the car versus its original value.
• Year, make or model.
• Any frame damage.
• Use of non-OEM parts. Parts that are not the original parts placed on the car by the manufacturer.

What does this mean for you? The diminution of value is the difference between what your car was worth before the accident and after the repair. Let DC&A help you determine your car’s diminished value. Our fee for this service is $375. Mileage of 50 cents per km may apply.

Total Loss:
When a vehicle has been declared a "Total Loss", DC&A can help to independently establish the value of the vehicle at the time of loss. Our fee for this service is $375. Mileage of 50 cents per km may apply.

Bank Loan Value:
To establish the true market value of the vehicle you are planning to buy, banks, credit unions and individual lenders may require an independent appraisal. Prompt attention is given to your appraisal needs and appraisal reports may be faxed directly to your lender upon your request. Our fees for this service start at $195 and include a 2-3 business day turn around time. Mileage of 50 cents per km may apply.