How We Verify, Buy and Sell Classic Cars Privately

What we do

• Buy-side: quiet searches for named models, verification, negotiation, escrow and delivery
• Sell-side: discreet sales at honest money, one qualified buyer at a time, no public listings
• Import: enclosed shipping, customs through licensed brokers, registration and plates in all four markets

What we never do: hold inventory, push consignment lots, or pass on a car's story without checking it.

How we check authenticity and provenance

Every car gets the same file before a buyer is asked to commit, built from documents rather than from the seller's description:

• Matching numbers. Chassis, engine and gearbox numbers are read off the car and compared with the factory build record, where the marque keeps one.
• Factory certificates. A Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, a Jaguar Heritage certificate, Mercedes-Benz Classic records such as the factory data card, or Ferrari Classiche certification where it exists. These confirm original specification, colours and numbers, and show conversions, such as a right-hand-drive car turned left-hand drive.
• Stamping. Chassis and engine number stamping is inspected for signs of re-stamping, repair or replacement blocks.
• Service books and invoices. Stamps are cross-checked against invoices and specialist records, and the odometer against the dates. Gaps are written down, not smoothed over.
• Title and import status. Ownership, liens and import status are confirmed in the car's own jurisdiction, including Japanese auction sheets or a US title where the car comes from those markets.

A car can have a gap in its story and still be a good car. It then sells at a price that reflects the gap, with the gap in writing.

Who inspects the car

An independent inspector you approve, named before you pay. For each car we propose a marque specialist close to where the car sits, you see the name and can speak to them directly, and you can bring your own specialist instead if you already trust one for that marque. The seller's own mechanic is never the inspector. The result is a written report with photos covering structure, mechanical condition and the numbers above, delivered before any money moves.

We do not publish a fixed list of inspection partners. The right specialist for a Pagoda in Jeddah is not the right one for an R34 in Tokyo, and you approve the name every time.

How payment and escrow work

1. Price, conditions and timeline are agreed in writing between buyer and seller.
2. Funds are held by a third-party escrow agent or a lawyer's client account that both sides agree on in writing and that is named in the sale agreement.
3. Money is released against milestones both sides sign: inspection report accepted, documents transferred, car delivered.
4. Import costs, where the car crosses a border, are quoted separately and in full before anything ships.

You know who holds the money, and on what conditions it moves, before you send any of it. For the seller's side of the same process, see how to sell a classic car privately.

Fees

A written success fee on completed transactions, import management quoted per car, and nothing for conversations or searches. If the honest advice is to keep your car or skip a deal, that is the advice, in the guides and in person.