Appraisal
The most to pay for one car, and why.
Appraisal reads a car by VIN, or as it arrives from Buy Signal, Sourcing or Quick Tools, and works out an indicative max bid from the comparable cars listed near you, adjusted for mileage, less your reconditioning, carrying cost and target gross.
An offer without its working is a guess.
Appraisals often come down to a number someone remembers or a guide value that ignores the local market. Either way, the reasoning disappears the moment the offer is made, and nobody can tell afterwards whether the car was bought well or badly.
AXLE shows the working. The comparable listings, the mileage adjustment, the median days those comps have been listed, and each cost taken off the retail figure are on one page, so the max bid is a calculation you can check.
Appraisal: what it gives your team.
Indicative max bid
Median asking of the comps, adjusted to this car’s mileage, less recon, carrying and your target gross.
Asking band
Low, median and high asking among the comps, with the max bid marked on the same scale.
Turn and trend
How long the matched comps have been listed and how many there are, so you can see how quickly the segment moves.
Most to pay, line by line
Each deduction from the retail estimate is shown with where it came from: an estimate, your settings or a platform default.
Vehicle history on request
Pull a vehicle history report from the page; a report already on file opens free.
Payment for a retail buyer
An estimated payment at the median asking, for a quick read on how the car would sell.
From question to next step.
- 01
Load the car
Type a VIN, or arrive from Buy Signal, Sourcing or Quick Tools with the car already set.
- 02
Read the market
Check the comps behind the median and how long they have been listed.
- 03
Check the costs
Confirm recon, carrying and target gross for this car.
- 04
Decide the offer
Use the max bid as your ceiling, or send the car to Sourcing to compare with others.
Built for the people who run the lot.
Buyers
Know your ceiling before you bid, and why it is where it is.
Used-car managers
Review appraisals against the same method, whoever wrote them.
Owners
See the gross the store expects to make before the car is bought.
Appraisal: common questions.
This figure is a market-derived estimate, not a certified appraisal. It does not account for condition, title status or local demand beyond the data shown. The offer you make is your decision and your responsibility.
Is this a certified appraisal?
No. It is a market-derived estimate from comparable asking prices and your costs. Inspect the car and confirm its title before you buy.
Where do recon and carrying come from?
Recon is estimated from mileage unless you enter your own figure; carrying uses your Settings. Each line says which.
Does a vehicle history report cost extra?
A new report uses one credit from your plan’s monthly allowance. A report already on file opens free.
Can I appraise a car I do not have a VIN for?
Yes. A year, make and model gives an indicative figure; a VIN makes the comparison exact.
Works with
Your next step