Handheld Vehicle Appraisal Tools - what are you using?

[Jeff Kershner]

Handheld Vehicle Appraisal Tools are those nifty little mobile devices that allow your to scan a VIN and through a wireless connection retrieve live, real-time data from sources such as Black Book, AuctionNet, NADA Guides, Kelley Blue Book, GALVES Auto Price List, CARFAX, AutoCheck and whatever else is out there.

I'm curious to who's using one and what have your experiences been?

These are typically more useful for your dealers car buyer that frequently visits the auctions and need to quickly review a vehicle in little amount of time.

There are only a few out there. The 2 that I know of are:

Laser Appraiser - Vehicle Valuation - Now on iPhone!

and

VinViper - Selig Technologies

Both seem to have their advantages and dis-advantages. Some are now making their way over to the iphone and android app stores as well.

Any experiences?

Note: If you are a vendor and you offer a Handheld Vehicle Appraisal Tool, use this opportunity to tell us all about it!!

 

[Craig]

vAuto has an iphone app.....waiting for the blackberry version though......like you Jeff I don't want to give up the Blackberry

 

[joe.pistell]

vAuto has an iphone app.....waiting for the blackberry version though......like you Jeff I don't want to give up the Blackberry

CB, I went from BBerry to Droid. Love my Driod. The speech to text is surprisingly accurate. Now if I can just get it to read emails to me when I'm rollin'.

 

[Craig]

CB, I went from BBerry to Droid. Love my Driod. The speech to text is surprisingly accurate. Now if I can just get it to read emails to me when I'm rollin'.

Joe,
Does the Droid have a vAuto or appraisal app? Or are you just jacking this thread to brag about your fancy new phone?

Couple people here have Droids and love them.....I like the regular keypad on my Blackberry and I'm all about text/email.....touchscreens don't excite me, but I like some of the other functionality and would love to appraise cars out of my phone........so if somebody has a Blackberry appraisal tool I'd like to hear about it.

 

[wdarrinb]

Ok guys I don't normally chime in on much but this is an area that I have a GREAT product and a true tool. Most have you have heard of Ecarlist from there inventory management tool. Well take this experience and kick it up a notch.. They have developed a hand held appraisal tool that is simply awesome! It not only brings in wholesale metrics (nada,blackbook,auctionnet) but also retail metrics (AT,Cars,Ebay) . It is currently available in the iphone app store with other platforms on the way. If you are a current ecarlist subscriber the app is free. Below is a link to check out a demo.

TrueTarget Mobile | Dealer iPhone App | Mobile Vehicle Pricing Analytics

D a r r i n B r o w n
Technical Operations Director | Grubbs Infiniti
817-800-5568 mobile | 817-359-4199 office | 817-318-1200 main
Web:Grubbs Infiniti - Infiniti Dealer in Euless, Texas servicing Dallas, Fort Worth, DFW, Arlington, Hurst, Bedford, Southlake, Colleyville, Grapevine
Twitter: Grubbs Infiniti (GrubbsInfiniti) on Twitter
Facebook: Grubbs Infiniti | Facebook

 

[lawdaddy]

I don't. But with the VIN Viper, I could. In fact, you can post to Facebook and Twitter. Really, if you are into that type of marketing, you could go out on your lot, snap some photos and run specials on Facebook and Twitter.

 

[vinviper]

The mobile app space has been blazing trails for the past year – pretty much if you are not looking into getting one, or have one, you are not at a disadvantage.

At VIN Viper we focus on scalability, the user interface and safe and secure applications. Our background includes developing applications for Fortune 100 companies so we didn’t “stumble” into this technology

VIN Viper is the only mobile company that can boast three (3) native mobile appraising apps on the most popular platforms – Android, iPhone and Windows mobile. Almost every other mobile app is a scanner that sends a VIN string to a website (not even using HTTPS – a secure method). That’s not an “app”, that’s a website shrunk to fit the real estate limitations of a smartphone.
Each company offers something different, but most of the initial vendors that touted “revolutionary VIN Scanning” have remained stagnant. They have overcharged dealers, not reinvested back into new technology and are being leap-frogged by companies like VIN Viper and eCarlist, as evidenced by their acquisition by DealerTrack.

Laser Appraiser was sitting front row and blew their golden goose, and as they say hogs get happy and pigs get slaughtered, DealerTrack bough eCarlist and not Laser Appraiser. If Laser Appraiser were as tech savvy as they posture (the “fast mobile appraiser”) they would have been bought by DealerTrack – instead they are nearing a very precarious fork in the road.

I strongly urge any dealer looking for a mobile solution to look at them all and to ask each company for a free trial. If they are unwilling watch out. VIN Viper will go head to head against anyone and we have the most bag for the buck.

No other mobile appraiser offers a desktop and mobile app for the same price. VIN Viper offers:
-Free Carfax/AutoCheck Integration
-Free MM integration
-Photos
-Email support
-Desktop access
-Multiple users
-Black Book, NADA, KBB

If you are unwilling to spend $50 a month for used car values for an app that instanty scan and decodes VIN's in seconds, MMR access, history reports and a desktop solution that prints appraisals or books out cars then cut $50 from your print advertising budget!

Download VIN Viper for free on the Android or iPhone or research us at www.vinviper.com. And yes, we offer FREE 7 day trials – all you have to do is ask.

Jason Seligman
President and Founder.

 

[ChrisMMT]

I use the VAuto Android application. Vin scanner with camera is nice, can run CARFAX from the phone and also check all book values.

 

[amykins]

I am currently using Autoniq on a Droid Charge. I am quite fond of the phone and the app. Mine is set up with Nada and Blackbook. Although Blackbook gets really wild on their values, If they are way higher on a car than Nada I can sometimes justify paying more for the car. We do have one bank that goes with Blackbook so it isn't without it's uses. The app will integrate with Carfax and Autocheck. Since I refuse to pay the kind of money they want for their "service" I certainly don't pay extra to have it on the app. Sorry, seen too many cars that were broken in half, reassembled and badly repainted with "clean"carfaxes.

 

[andwrig]

We have/are using both the eCarlist app and the vAuto app for both iphone and droid. Both are excellent. Overall the nod for me goes to to eCarlist for design, functionality and speed. vAuto has improved tremendously and the fact that it syncs with our vAuto account is huge. If you appraise a lot of cars or if you are a wholesaler, you will be more productive if you use one of these apps. Good stuff and good thread. This technology will continue to evolve...