How the first number is determined
When you request a valuation on Cars24, our system pulls together everything you tell us about your car ,make, model, build year, kilometres travelled, and how you’d describe its condition ,and lines that up against what similar vehicles are actually selling for across Australia right now.
This gives you a realistic starting range within minutes, without needing to leave the couch. It’s a genuinely useful number because it’s grounded in current market activity rather than guesswork. But it has one built-in limitation: it can only be as accurate as the information fed into it. Nobody can spot a worn CV joint or a resprayed guard panel through a web form, no matter how detailed the questions are.
What actually happens at the inspection
This is the point where estimate meets reality. One of our assessors goes over the car in person, working through a structured checklist that covers the parts of a vehicle that matter most to its resale value:
- Body and paint: panel gaps, filler, mismatched paint, and evidence of prior repair work
- Engine bay and drivetrain: leaks, unusual noises, belt condition, and overall running health
- Interior: trim wear, electronics, air conditioning, and general upkeep
- Tyres and brakes: remaining tread, uneven wear patterns, and pad thickness
- Paperwork, service records, logbook stamps, and any finance still owing on the vehicle
- A short test drive, how the car actually behaves, not just how it presents
None of this is about catching anyone out. Most people describe their own car fairly, based on what they notice day to day. The trouble is that an assessor is measuring your car against thousands of others in the same class, using the same yardstick every time, so details that feel minor to an owner can carry real weight in a valuation.
Read more about how to sell a car without insurance
What tends to move the number
Wear that’s easy to overlook. Kerbed rims, stone chips, a cracked interior trim piece small things owners stop noticing after a few months behind the wheel.
Mechanical items that don’t show up in a description. A dashboard warning light that’s been living with the car for a while, a clutch nearing the end of its life, or suspension components that have seen better days.
Tyres closer to replacement than expected. Tread depth is one of the most commonly misjudged details in a self-assessed valuation.
Service history gaps. A car with patchy or missing records is harder to price with confidence than one with a complete paper trail.
Timing. If a couple of weeks pass between getting your estimate and attending your appointment, wholesale pricing for that particular model may have shifted in the meantime, up or down.
Why we don’t just give everyone the same number
It might seem simpler to skip the inspection and lock in the online estimate as final. In practice, that approach punishes the sellers who’ve actually looked after their cars.
If every offer were finalised sight unseen, a buyer would have to price in the risk of the worst-case car to protect against being caught out, which means well-maintained vehicles get underpaid to subsidise the ones with hidden problems. Inspecting each car individually means your final number reflects your car specifically, not an average of everyone else’s.
Read more about final price in auction.
Getting the smallest possible gap between the two numbers
- Describe your car’s condition honestly when you request the online estimate; it sets more accurate expectations from the start
- Sort out cheap, obvious fixes beforehand (a dead globe, a flat battery) if it makes sense to
- Bring your service book or digital records along to the appointment
- Give the car a proper clean, inside and out, before it’s assessed
- Book your appointment soon after getting your estimate, while pricing conditions are still current
What the Cars24 inspection looks like in practice
Our assessors work through the checklist on-site, talk you through anything that’s changed the number, and hand you a confirmed offer before you leave. If you’re happy with it, we handle the paperwork and payment the same day, no back-and-forth with private buyers, no offer that gets renegotiated after you’ve already said yes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn’t my final offer match my online estimate exactly?
The online estimate is based on the details you provide and current market data; it’s a strong starting point, but it can’t account for anything that only becomes visible in person, like mechanical wear or bodywork history.
What does an assessor actually check?
The body and paintwork, engine and drivetrain condition, interior wear, tyre and brake condition, service documentation, and a short test drive to see how the car performs on the road.
Can the price go down for no clear reason?
No, any change to your offer is tied to a specific finding from the inspection, whether that’s a mechanical issue, cosmetic damage, or a documentation gap. It’s never an arbitrary adjustment.
Does the market itself affect my price?
Yes. Used car values shift with demand and supply, so if there’s a delay between your online estimate and your inspection appointment, current pricing conditions may have moved either way slightly.
Is the online estimate still worth getting if it might change?
Definitely. It gives you a realistic, data-backed range to work from and helps you understand roughly what your car is worth before you commit time to an in-person appointment.
Who sets the final price?
Cars24’s assessor confirms the final figure on the day, based on the inspection findings measured against current market data for your specific make, model, and condition.
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