We inspect classic and collector cars before you buy them, wherever the car is parked: a seller's garage, a dealer's lot or a storage unit. The technician:
What you get:
Which package: classic and collector cars go on our Enhanced ($399) or Elite ($649) inspection. If you enter a model year before 1981, our order page won't let you choose Essential. For a collector car built later, we recommend Enhanced or Elite.
What we don't do: we don't appraise the car, we don't verify that it's numbers-matching, and we don't confirm a model such as a Z/28 from the VIN. Nobody can confirm a 1969 Z/28 from the VIN alone. We explain why below.
Diagnostic scan availability varies by make and year. Vehicles from 1995 and earlier, including most classics, predate the standard diagnostic port, so the scan may not run at all; on those cars the engine is checked mechanically instead.
On a classic, then, the answers come from the technician rather than a computer:
The EPA has required the standard OBD-II diagnostic system on all passenger vehicles since the 1996 model year. Some 1994–95 cars already had it, which is why we say the scan "may not" run.
If you enter a model year before 1981, our order page won't let you choose Essential. For a collector car built later, such as a 1987 Buick Grand National, we recommend Enhanced or Elite for the same reasons:
What Elite adds over Enhanced: more photos (80+) and a detailed video walk-through, up to 6 areas of concern answered in writing, a 30-minute priority consultation with follow-up, Priority Scheduling included, a report by 11:59 PM Eastern on inspection day or $99 back, and one re-inspection credit valid for 60 days after your inspection.
| Enhanced ($399) | Elite ($649) | |
|---|---|---|
| Photos | 60+ | 80+ |
| Video walk-through | Summary | Detailed |
| Areas of concern answered in writing | Up to 3 | Up to 6 |
| Call with the inspector | 15 minutes, on request | 30-minute priority consultation + follow-up |
| Priority scheduling | Optional add-on | Included |
| Re-inspection credit | Not included | 1 credit, valid for 60 days after your inspection, if the seller fixes something and you want it verified |
Choose Elite when the price is high, when you're buying sight unseen, or when you have more questions than Enhanced's three areas of concern cover.
No. We can't, and neither can anyone else from the VIN alone, because the 1969 Camaro VIN doesn't record the Z/28 package. As the Camaro Research Group puts it: "The VIN does not tell if the car is a Z28, SS, RS, etc."
A 1969 Camaro VIN is 13 characters long. For example, a V8 coupe built at Norwood starts 124379N.
| Characters | Example | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 2 | Camaro |
| 3 | 3 or 4 | Six-cylinder or V8 |
| 4–5 | 37 or 67 | Coupe or convertible |
| 6 | 9 | 1969 |
| 7 | N or L | Norwood, Ohio, or Los Angeles (Van Nuys), California |
| 8–13 | 500001 and up (for example 5xxxxx or 6xxxxx) | Build sequence |
That means the VIN can rule a car out, but it can never rule one in:
We've inspected a 1969 Camaro that wore SS and Z/28 badges although its VIN showed a six-cylinder build. We found it by reading the VIN plate against the badges. It isn't a model check we offer: we don't confirm a model or package from the VIN.
Free online decoders won't fill the gap. NHTSA's VIN decoder rejects model years before 1981, when the 17-character VIN standard began.
A Z/28 claim rests on a chain of evidence, and every link in it can be copied:
Hagerty, reporting Corvette expert Kevin Mackay's explanation, summed it up: the term "numbers matching" means "the tags match the numbers stamped on the engine and transmission. All can be faked."
What we do:
What we don't do today: we don't decode trim tags or engine stamps, and we don't tell you whether a car is numbers-matching. If the Z/28 claim is a big part of the price, have a Camaro specialist authenticate it as well.
No. We don't appraise classic cars or give a market, insurance or agreed value, and our report isn't an appraisal. The report tells you the car's condition and gives non-binding repair-cost ranges for the issues we find, so you can decide what the repairs mean for your offer. If you need a value for insurance, ask your insurer first. Hagerty, for example, says it typically doesn't require appraisals.
Classic and collector cars are a regular part of our work. Recent ones include 1967–69 Camaros, a 1969 Firebird, 1965 and 1967 Corvettes, a 1957 Bel Air and a 1952 Dodge truck. They go on our Enhanced or Elite inspection. We aren't a single-make specialist, though. If originality is most of the price, add a specialist in that make to authenticate the car, and we'll cover its condition.
You get photos, a video walk-through, written answers to your areas of concern, repair-cost ranges for the issues we find, and a negotiation leverage summary when the findings support one.
Diagnostic scan availability varies by make and year. Vehicles from 1995 and earlier, including most classics, predate the standard diagnostic port, so the scan may not run at all; on those cars the engine is checked mechanically instead.
Yes. Enhanced and Elite include our Panel-by-Panel Repaint & Body Filler Check. The technician looks at each body panel for signs of repaint, body filler or earlier repair, and writes up what he finds on that panel. Our technicians have found excess filler on a lower fender where a magnet wouldn't hold, and heavy filler low on a door.
He records a paint-gauge reading where he takes one; we don't promise a reading on every panel. A steel gauge can't read a fiberglass body. Gauge readings are taken at points, so no check that leaves the paint on can prove a whole panel is free of filler. If filler would end the deal for you, have a body shop confirm it.
No. Nobody can from the VIN alone, because the 1969 Camaro VIN doesn't record the Z/28 package. The VIN can rule a car out, since one that starts 123 was built with a six-cylinder engine and was never a Z/28, but it can't rule one in.
We record the VIN, check the VIN plate, and compare the VIN with the paperwork. We don't decode trim tags or engine stamps, and we don't verify numbers-matching. For a car priced as a Z/28, have a Camaro specialist authenticate it.
We don't bring a lift. We're mobile, and we inspect the underside where the car is parked. We drive the car when it starts, runs safely, is legal and insured to drive, and the seller allows it.
Probably not, if it was built in 1995 or earlier. Diagnostic scan availability varies by make and year. Vehicles from 1995 and earlier, including most classics, predate the standard diagnostic port, so the scan may not run at all; on those cars the engine is checked mechanically instead.
Enhanced or Elite. If you enter a model year before 1981, our order page won't let you choose Essential. For a collector car built later, we recommend Enhanced or Elite.
Compared with Enhanced, Elite adds:
Not today. Our inspection records the car's condition, not its originality. We don't decode trim tags, engine stamps or casting numbers, and we don't authenticate documents such as a build sheet or a Protect-O-Plate. Tags, stamps and Protect-O-Plates can all be faked or reproduced, which is why authentication is specialist work.
No, not as part of the inspection. We check how the engine starts, runs and performs on the road, and we look for leaks. If you want a compression test, arrange it with a shop.
We can still inspect it. If it won't start or can't legally be driven, we inspect everything we can with the car parked.
Enhanced is $399 and Elite is $649. A travel fee may apply, depending on where the car is. We confirm it with you before the inspection.
Book your inspection.