4.5: Occasionally we will find a 15+ year old vehicle with a 4.5. This would be an incredibly clean unit that really stands out. A 4.5 would be low kilometers, with a very clean body, and in solid condition.

4: I usually recommend to my clients that we strive to get a 4 grade unit in auction. A typical 4 grade will have an interior and exterior that are well above average. Some impeccably good condition vehicles will receive a 4 grade in the auction inspection. You can expect very minor scratches/dings to be on the vehicle as per the auction sheet diagram. While there still can be issues with a 4 grade, those usually can be weeded out when we provide you with an auction sheet translation and have a 2nd check done on the vehicle.

3.5: Many 3.5’s turn out to be excellent units. It’s sort of a “gray area” because there are some 3.5’s that really could have been a 3 if they got a slightly more strict inspector, and some that should be closer to 4 if they got a less anal inspector. Now, you can expect some noticeable marks/dings on the vehicle, and potentially a few imperfections that you’d want to deal with. Again, you’d have to judge based on the inspection sheet diagram whether or not the blemishes are significant enough to warrant  a pass on the unit. Another interesting point to note, is that sometimes if a vehicle has slightly higher km’s, it will receive a 3.5 instead of a 4! And vice versa. It’s important to note that the KM’s actually play a role in the grade a vehicle is assigned.

3: 3 grade vehicles often have fairly conspicuous blemishes, and typically have had a minor accident in their history. You can determine which panels were replaced, of course, by looking for the panels on the auction diagram that have an ‘XX’ on them. If the translation and 2nd check come back clean, and you’re o.k. with a vehicle that’s not mint, you can sometimes get a bargain for a decent vehicle at this grade, but this is only for clients with a high risk tolerance. I don’t like to recommend 3 grade vehicles generally.

2.5 – 0: A vehicle in this grade range is simply not worth pursuing, as they will be quite aesthetically rough, and almost guaranteed to have mechanical complications.

R: An R grade vehicle is a unit that has an accident history in it’s past that has been repaired. You can get an idea of the severity of the accident by noticing which panels have been replaced, and upon translation you can determine whether any core/rad supports, cross members, pillars, or parts of the floor have remnant deformations from the accident repair.

A: An A grade interior is essentially perfect..this is something you won’t really find on a 15+ year old car… not because the interiors aren’t mint, but again they just seem to reserve this grade for newer vehicles as a rule of thumb

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B: This is a great interior score, and it means it is very clean, no rips, no tears, essentially like new.

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C: C grade interiors are often excellent, and as long as there’s no excessive negative inspector remarks about rips, tears, burns… then a C is very often not noticibly different from B. Possibly the interior hasn’t been washed/detailed before coming to auction.

D: This is where we start to see signs of excessive wear. A D interior can be quite rough, with very worn seats, cigarette burns, dash deformation, headliner marks etc.

E: Conspicuous interior wear and damage

A1 Small Scratch
A2 Scratch
A3 Big Scratch
E1 Few Dimples
E2 Several Dimples
E3 Many Dimples
U1 Small Dent
U2 Dent
U3 Big Dent
W1 Repair Mark/Wave (hardly detectable)
W2 Repair Mark/Wave
W3 Obvious Repair Mark/Wave (needs to be repainted)
S1 Rust
S2 Heavy Rust
C1 Corrosion
C2 Heavy Corrosion
P – Paint marked
H – Paint fadedX Need to be replaced
XX Replaced
B1 Small dent with scratch (size like a thumb)
B2 Dent with scratch (size like flat of the hand)
B3 Big Dent with scratch (size like elbow)
Y1 Small Hole or Crack
Y2 Hole or Crack
Y3 Big Hole or Crack
X1 Small Crack on Windshield (approximately 1cm)
R Repaired Crack on Windshield
RX Repaired Crack on Windshield (needs to be replaced)
X Crack on Windshield (needs to be replaced)
G – Stone chip in glass