Vehicle Appraiser
Comparable-backed vehicle valuations with cited transaction evidence — defensible for any appraisal purpose
Purpose
Book values — Kelley Blue Book, Black Book, NADA — are benchmarks, not valuations. They reflect national averages from datasets that are weeks or months old, and they cannot tell you what a 2021 Honda CR-V with 68,000 miles is actually selling for within 75 miles of the claimant's ZIP code today. When a valuation needs to be defensible — in a trade-in negotiation, an insurance dispute, an estate proceeding, or a fleet revaluation — book values fail because they cannot be tied to specific, cited comparables.
Vehicle Appraiser pulls live active listings, recent sold transactions, and an algorithmic prediction to build a three-source valuation with every comparable cited by VIN, price, mileage, dealer, and distance. The output is an appraisal report a third party can verify — not a number from a lookup table. For CPO vehicles, it calculates the certified premium separately. For trade-ins, it delivers retail and wholesale-proxy values with a clear spread. For regional disputes, it maps geographic price variance across markets.
How It Works
Execution flow. MCP tool calls are shown inline on each step.
Reads marketcheck-profile.md to extract appraiser ZIP, search radius, specialization (trade-in / insurance / estate / fleet), min_comp_count, and country. US appraisers get full toolset; UK appraisers use search_uk_active_cars and comp median only.
decode_vin_neovinCalls decode_vin_neovin with the VIN to lock exact year, make, model, trim, body type, drivetrain, engine, and transmission. Assumed trims lose credibility in formal appraisals — the decode is non-negotiable for defensible reports.
predict_price_with_comparablesCalls predict_price_with_comparables with VIN, odometer, ZIP, and dealer_type=franchise for the central retail estimate. For CPO vehicles, runs a second call with is_certified=true to calculate the certified premium over standard market value.
↔ Parallel Execution
search_active_carsCalls search_active_cars with YMMT, ZIP, radius=75mi, and mileage band ±15K of odometer reading. Sorted by price ascending to show the full competitive range from low to high. Returns 20 listings with VIN, price, miles, dealer, distance, and days on market.
search_past_90_daysParallel call to search_past_90_days with the same YMMT and location filters to retrieve actual transaction prices from the last 90 days. Sold data is the strongest evidence in any appraisal dispute — it reflects what buyers actually paid, not what sellers are asking.
Combines the algorithmic prediction, active comp range, and sold transaction range into a recommended value range (low / mid / high). Condition adjustments applied: rough = low end, clean = high end. The overlap of all three sources defines the defensible valuation band.
Delivers a structured report with vehicle identification, valuation table, every cited comparable (VIN, price, miles, dealer, distance), methodology notes, confidence assessment based on comp count, and condition/purpose caveats. Report is formatted for third-party verification.
MCP Tool Calls
| Tool | Calls | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
decode_vin_neovin | 1 | Exact spec confirmation — year, make, model, trim, body type, drivetrain |
predict_price_with_comparables | 1–2 | Algorithmic retail prediction; second call with is_certified=true for CPO vehicles |
search_active_cars | 1–2 | Active comparable listings within radius and mileage band; second call for CPO comps if applicable |
search_past_90_days | 1 | Sold transaction evidence for the last 90 days |
get_car_history | 1 (optional) | Historical value trajectory when listing history context is needed |
Example Output
VEHICLE APPRAISAL REPORT ════════════════════════════════════════════════ Vehicle: 2021 Honda CR-V EX-L AWD VIN: 5J6RW2H87MA003941 Odometer: 68,412 miles Condition: Clean Purpose: Insurance claim / total-loss determination Location: Phoenix, AZ (ZIP 85001) | Radius: 75 mi VALUATION SUMMARY Algorithmic Predicted Value: $27,840 (franchise comps) Active Comparable Range: $25,900 – $31,200 (18 comps) Sold Transaction Range: $24,800 – $29,100 (11 sales, 90 days) ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── RECOMMENDED VALUE RANGE: $26,500 – $29,000 Mid-Point (Condition-Adjusted): $27,750 Confidence: HIGH (18 active comps, 11 sold) COMPARABLE EVIDENCE — Active Listings (Top 8 of 18) # VIN Price Miles Dealer Dist DOM ─── ───────────────── ─────── ────── ──────────────────────── ───── ─── 1 5J6RW2H84MA001234 $25,900 71,200 CarMax Phoenix 8 mi 14 2 5J6RW2H81MA005678 $26,450 66,800 AutoNation Scottsdale 22 mi 8 3 5J6RW2H83LA009012 $27,100 69,400 Hendrick Honda Mesa 31 mi 21 4 5J6RW2H85MA002345 $27,800 64,900 DriveTime 12 mi 6 SOLD TRANSACTIONS (Last 90 Days) # VIN Sold Price Miles Dealer Sale Date ─── ───────────────── ────────── ────── ────────────────── ────────── 1 5J6RW2H87LA008901 $24,800 72,100 AutoNation Jan 14 2 5J6RW2H82MA003210 $27,200 67,300 CarMax Feb 03 3 5J6RW2H84MA007654 $29,100 61,800 Carvana Feb 18 METHODOLOGY NOTES · Predicted value from MarketCheck ML model (franchise comparable set) · Active comps filtered to ±15K miles (53K–83K), 75-mile radius · Condition adjustment: Clean → upper half of comp range · Book value reference: NADA Clean $27,500 — within 1.8% of recommendation
Cost Estimate
100 appraisals/month ≈ $7–20
Limitations
- US market only for full toolset (decode, predict, sold history). UK appraisers get active listings and recent cars only — no VIN decode or ML price prediction.
- Comparable count depends on vehicle rarity and search radius. Low-volume trims in rural markets may have fewer than 10 comps — confidence will be flagged as LOW.
- Sold transaction data covers the last 90 days. For rare vehicles or recent model years, the sold dataset may be thin.
- CPO premium calculation requires two predict_price calls — adds one API call and marginal cost.
- Mileage band (±15K) may be widened automatically when comp count falls below min_comp_count from profile.
More in the Appraiser Plugin
Market price context and comparable landscape for appraisal anchoring
View details →Trend-adjusted valuations accounting for current depreciation velocity
View details →Data-driven market intelligence for defensible appraisal context
View details →Quick market price with retail and wholesale values in 60 seconds
View details →Full VIN decode, listing history, and current market value
View details →Same Capability, Different Plugin
These skills share the same underlying methodology but are tuned for a different audience.
Dealer appraisers use the same comparable methodology but frame output as trade-in acquisition vs retail pricing spread, targeting desk managers making real-time buying decisions.
View in Dealer →Dealership group appraisers run portfolio revaluations across multiple rooftops simultaneously, needing consistent methodology and regional benchmarking across markets.
View in Dealership Group →Lender vehicle appraisal adds collateral-specific framing: LTV calculation, underwater loan flagging, wholesale recovery estimates, and deficiency exposure — the same comps serve a different financial decision.
View in Lender →Insurer vehicle appraisal adds total-loss threshold calculation, condition-adjusted FMV, and settlement range tiers — the core methodology is identical but output is structured for claims dispute resolution.
View in Insurer →