Salem, Oregon Auto Appraiser

Salem, Oregon Vehicle Appraisal Service

Welcome to Leverage Auto Appraisals, your premier choice for vehicle appraisal services in Salem, Oregon. Whether you need an appraisal for your Car, Truck, SUV, Van, Camper, RV, Classic Car, JDM, Motor Coach, or Electric Vehicle, our team is here to provide accurate and fair evaluations. Certified by the Oregon Department of Transportation, our services are designed to meet the unique needs of the Salem community.

Salem, Oregon, the state capital, is renowned for its rich history, beautiful gardens, and vibrant cultural scene. Home to the stunning Oregon State Capitol, the enchanting Riverfront Park, and the historic Deepwood Estate, Salem offers a blend of historical charm and modern amenities. Ken Nix, our senior appraiser, has been serving the residents of Salem since 2010. Unlike many out-of-state companies from places like Georgia, Seattle, Los Angeles, Florida, or Canada, Leverage Auto Appraisals is based locally in Oregon. This local presence ensures we understand the specific market conditions and trends in Salem.

If you’re searching for “the best total loss appraisal near me,” Leverage Auto Appraisals is your trusted partner. Our 5-star rating and over 80 local 5-star Google reviews reflect our dedication to excellence. We offer a comprehensive range of Salem auto appraisals for total loss claims, ensuring you receive a fair and accurate evaluation for your vehicle. Our services include determining car value, assessing fair market value, and providing independent appraisals after an accident. We are also skilled at navigating the Oregon total loss threshold to help you get the maximum insurance payout.

Residents of Salem, Oregon, deserve an auto appraiser who is deeply familiar with the local market and can deliver precise and equitable appraisals. Whether you are near the bustling downtown area, the serene Minto-Brown Island Park, or one of the city’s historic districts, we tailor our services to meet your specific needs.

Our expertise in Oregon Total Loss Laws enables us to handle the appraisal process with precision and ease. We specialize in challenging incorrect valuations from CCC ONE and Mitchell, ensuring you receive the highest possible payout from your insurance company for your totaled car. Our services encompass car and vehicle appraisals, car value assessments, and fair market value determinations, guiding you on how to maximize your insurance payout for a totaled car.

Living in Salem, Oregon, you might be familiar with the complexities of dealing with insurance companies post-accident. Our mission is to make the appraisal process as straightforward and stress-free as possible. We provide meticulous and accurate Salem auto appraisals to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. Our local expertise and experience are critical in delivering top-notch service.

At Leverage Auto Appraisals, we are proud to be part of the Salem community. Our commitment is to provide transparent, honest, and precise appraisals for all our clients. Whether you need a classic car appraisal, an online consultation with a car appraiser, or an evaluation of your vehicle’s fair market value, we are here to assist you.

For more information or to schedule an appraisal, contact us today and experience the difference a dedicated, local appraiser can make in Salem, Oregon. To see our 5-star Google reviews, please scroll below.

CALL NOW 503.420.3001

Our Email Address: leveragepdx@gmail.com

Salem, Oregon Auto Appraiser

Salem, Oregon Vehicle Appraisal Service

CALL NOW 503.420.3001

Our Email Address: leveragepdx@gmail.com

Total Loss Appraisal Clause. Getting Your Real Market Value.

We don’t just write a Total Loss Fair Market Value appraisal like some companies. Our Total Loss auto appraiser will also negotiate with your insurance company’s appraiser to get a fair value for your totaled vehicle. This is included in the price of your appraisal, you won’t be upsold later on like some companies. ALERT! If you pay for an appraisal, and the appraiser charges you an additional amount to negotiate the claim, you may only be reimbursed for the cost of the appraisal only. That’s why we include claim negotiation at no additional charge with all of our total loss appraisals.

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Auto Appraiser

Over 14 years as an Oregon Licensed Auto Appraiser #V34-075

Negotiator

Ken Nix has over 40 years of negotiation experience, with 30+ years in the automotive industry, and over 14 years negotiating Oregon Total Loss Claims for Oregonians. We specialize in Oregon Total Loss claims so you don’t have to.

Only Works For Consumers

No conflict of interest here. While other appraisal companies may claim to work only for consumers, we really do. We only work for consumers, not insurance companies. I’ll state my reputation on that. – Ken Nix

photo of an Oregon Licensed and Certified auto appraiser's license as approved by ODOT to appraise vehicles in Oregon

Eugene Oregon Totaled Vehicle insurance appraisal clause dispute

Detailed Specs

In Oregon and Washington, if you feel you’ve been offered an unfair amount, you’ll normally have an appraisal clause in your policy that allows you to dispute their offer. The appraisal clause allows you to hire an independent auto appraiser to produce an appraisal and your insurance company will also have to hire an independent auto appraiser to produce one for them. The two auto appraisers will negotiate the value between them, if they can not come to an agreement, then an Umpire will decide which appraisal is more credible.

In Oregon, if we increase the value by one cent more than the last offer your insurance company offered you, they have to reimburse you for the cost of the appraisal.

If your claim is with your insurer, you may have the right to an appraisal if your policy
includes an appraisal provision. Your insurer must reimburse your reasonable
appraisal costs if the final appraised value is greater than the insurer’s last offer. This
provision applies to all new policyholders on or after January 1, 2010 and to current
policyholders upon the first renewal of their policy that occurs on or after January 1,
2010. Ask your claims adjuster or the Insurance Division for more information.

Lowball offers from CCC One are more common than you may think. In the case of Buratovich v. Farmers Insurance, documents obtained during discovery, reflected that Farmers Insurance had selected CCC One solely due to it’s evaluations having the lowest payout in regards to a Total Loss Claim. CCC has also recently come under fire in Georgia where consumer advocates claim they have substantially lower valuations than other companies.If your car, truck, RV, motorcycle, or other wheeled vehicle has been totaled, before you accept the insurance company’s total loss offer, you should speak to an Auto Appraiser.

There have also been several Class Action Lawsuits filed regarding Mitchell / J. D. Powers and Associates Total Loss Valuation Methods. This valuation has been involved in several cases where consumers have sought class action lawsuits against State Farm and Progressive for using Mitchell and J.D. Powers valuations.

Excellent

Leverage Auto Appraisals |Total Loss Appraiser

4.9

Based on 103 reviews

Chrissy Swartouy

Ken did a great job getting me top dollar for my Jeep! Well worth the money! I received about 33% more than what my insurance was going to pay me for my loss. You need an expert to negotiate with experts & Ken delivered. Just be very patient- it takes about 3-4 months during this process but well worth it! Highly recommended Ken with Leverage!

Response from the owner: Thank you for the kind words Chrissy. I truly appreciate your praise. Fortunately most claims do NOT take this long and typically wrap up within a week or two. However the timeline often depends on how long it takes the insurance company to hire an appraiser and it also depends on the opposing appraiser and the effort required to discredit their appraisal while defending my own.In your case we secured a $5,396 increase from State Farm’s final offer which is a fantastic result. I do believe your Jeep Wrangler was worth more given its lower mileage but being a 2004 with very low miles and in much better condition that 98% of 2004 Jeeps out there made it challenging to build a higher credible valuation with the available comparable vehicles. Many of the comps had higher miles, prior damage, improper repairs, or even current damage while being listed at much lower values. Which makes it harder to quantify or discredit, especially if there is no damage history or visible damage on the opposing appraiser's comps. In comparison someone could purchase a four-year newer Wrangler with about 10,000 more miles for the same value we settled for. That had to be considered in our negotiation.The extended timeline for your claim reflects my commitment to not settling for less. I will not take the path of least resistance or agree to a lowball offer just to expedite negotiations. If I believe a significant increase is achievable I continue to fight for my clients even if it takes longer.Recently negotiations have slowed due to the large volume of claims following the hurricanes. Many large appraisal companies hired by insurers are overwhelmed with appraisers handling 75 to 150 assignments per month which is far beyond what allows for quality work. In comparison, I only took on 25 assignments last month which gives me time to actually work each claim to the best of my ability. Many of these appraisers are from out of state and are not licensed or authorized to produce appraisals in Oregon and are using comps from the East Coast, Salt States, etc to lowball valueations. Over the past 14 years, I have been able to disqualify a large number of out of state appraisers. Unfortunately due to changes in ODOT's rules, since January 2024 it has become nearly impossible to disqualify these appraisers if they are working for an insurance company.Thank you again for your patience and trust in me. I am so glad we were able to achieve such a strong outcome for your claim.

Ron Burke

After calling Ken and explaining my details he worked with my insurance assessor. After a couple weeks he was able to get me a 29% value increase over what my insurance offered me for the total loss of my car. Thank you Ken and Leverage Auto Appraisals for your work to get me what I felt my vehicle was worth.

Response from the owner: Thank you Ron, That was a nice settlement, but a hard claim. I'm really surprised they let us get that much without pushing to go to umpire earlier. Over the past couple of months, anytime we should have a large increase like this, opposing appraisers are trying to push it to Umpire. Which in my personal opinion, is a rigged system. Most of the umpires work for insurance companies. I'm seeing more and more appraisers target the Pacific Northwest from Florida, Utah, Michigan, California, and the funny thing is a lot of them are the same auto appraisers working for insurance companies and I'm negotiating against them. Thank you for selecting me as your auto appraiser Ron. So happy I could help.Thank you, Ron! That was indeed a nice settlement, though it was a very challenging claim. I’m honestly surprised the opposing appraiser didn’t push for an umpire earlier, especially with an increase this significant. Lately, whenever we’re aiming for a large increase, opposing appraisers are quick to push to go to umpire. A system that, in my personal opinion, often favors insurers, as most umpires have close ties with them.It’s also interesting to see more appraisers targeting the Pacific Northwest from places like Florida, Utah, Michigan, and California. Many of them are the same opposing appraisers I encounter working for insurance companies in other claims. I appreciate you choosing me as your auto appraiser and taking the time to write a review.

Mario skoro

Ken at Leverage Auto Appraisal was fantastic! State Farm’s initial offer for my totaled car was much lower, but Ken stepped in and got me an additional $2,400 for my 2006 Lexus is350. I would’ve loved to get even more, but that’s no fault of Ken’s—he truly went above and beyond. He was professional, knowledgeable, and made the process easy and stress-free. His stories made the experience enjoyable, too! If you’re dealing with a total loss, don’t settle—reach out to Ken and his team. His fee is reimbursed by the insurance company, so it’s a win-win, and he does all the heavy lifting. Highly recommend!

Response from the owner: Thank you for the kind words Mario. It was a pleasure speaking with you. I hope I didn't bore you too much. I try to provide a very transparent conversation so everyone is on the same page. Thank you again for choosing me as your auto appraiser. - Ken

Skyler Mcclure

Went out of his way to help me and give me knowledge about some Oregon Laws that I was able to help.use againt my Claim Very Thankful for someone who's isn't all about the money!!!

Response from the owner: Thank you for the kind words Skyler. I actually started advocating for consumers back in 2005 when I realized I was justifying everything I did, no matter how bad it was. I didn't want my kids to grow up like that person, so I started helping people on forums first, then started my own forums where I helped people for free. In 2010, I moved to doing this professionally. I'm by no means rich, with the exception of my family and friends, which I could be compared to Elon there. LOL But, I make a nice living and it's a huge bonus to be able to help people along the way, even if I don't get paid. My son sent me a meme today, that was about how all the material things we cherish will either be trash or belong to someone else in 100 years. Family, Friends, Relationships and being your best should be on everyone's top priority. I'm a true believer in Karma, you reap what you sow. 'nuff said. - ('Nuff Said credit to Stan Lee who believed in fighting for the underdog.)

Angel Song

Ken is the absolute best. He’s nice to work with and works hard to get you a better payout. These insurance companies are swindlers and he evens the playing field. My car was stolen but he accepted affirm so I was able to pay his fee in installments. Totally worth it because he got me double what the insurance company was offering for my stolen vehicle! Now they also have to reimburse me for the money I spent on Ken’s services as well.If you are wondering if it’ll be worth it, give him a call and he’ll look over your case and tell you if he thinks he can get you more.

Response from the owner: Don't know if I am the best, but I do my best to work for my clients. Thank you for taking the time to write a review Angel, and for choosing me as your auto appraiser. - Ken

Connor

Great working with Ken! Very professional and knowledgeable. Did an excellent job explaining the whole process. Can’t recommend him enough.

Response from the owner: Thanks for giving me the idea to put together a video to explain the process better to clients. And, thank you again for choosing me as your auto appraiser! - Ken

John Maass

Our BMW was in an accident and totaled. The insurance carrier did the usual low ball routine and was very uncommunicative. I contacted Ken and was very impressed with his knowledge and expertise regarding the tactics in the insurance industry. This man knows his stuff and I would highly recommend him for any auto insurance claim disagreement.

Justin Matthews

If you’re at all on the fence, I could not recommend more having Ken and the team at Leverage auto help you get the most out of your total loss.Ken got me over $4,000 more out of my auto claim (140% of what my insurance offered me! Took me from 10k I was offered to 14k my car was actually worth). Plus in Oregon if your settlement increases at all, insurance has to reimburse you for all his costs. So at zero cost to me, I got a huge monetary increase.From start to finish, Ken explained the process to me, kept me updated, pushed my insurance to move much faster than they would have otherwise, and really helped me feel like I was appropriately compensated after a hit and run.Anyone and everyone who experiences a total loss should use his services. I will always go to him in the future if anything like this happens again, and would tell friends and family to do the same.Thanks to everyone at Leverage, and especially Ken!

Mike Stucky

I was told that Leverage was a good company to contact for a fair appraisal of a totaled vehicle. After speaking with Ken, I knew I had the right guy to advocate for me with the other appraiser hired by the insurance company to keep their payment to me as low as possible.I knew that my truck had intrinsic value, and so did Ken.A Pre-Def '06 GMC 2500HD LBZ Diesel. Those who Know, Know!Well...Wow!!! Ken got me the amount that truck would have brought if I could have sold it.An increase of 61% over what the insurance company had insulted me with in their initial offer.A total increase of $12,800If you need someone who understands what you're dealing with, and will fight to get you what you deserve from an insurance company bent on screwing you.You need Leverage Appraisals and Ken Nix!

barrett rosteck

Ken took the time to talk me through this unfamiliar process and indicated he felt the initial insurance offer was a low-ball estimate. He was able to find comparable cars and confidently negotiate an increase on my behalf.I was contacted by the insurance's hired appraiser when they were looking for pre-accident condition details on my car and even they mentioned they had been in negotiations with Ken over many cases in the past. His years of experience paid off for me! Thank you.

OREGON CERTIFIED AUTO APPRAISER

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OREGON CERTIFIED APPRAISER

When Hiring an Auto Appraiser, make sure they are certified by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Otherwise, the appraisal may not be considered credible. We are an Oregon certified and licensed auto appraiser. #V34-075

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CREDIBLE APPRAISALS

Some appraisal companies inflate their valuations in an effort to entice you to use them because they have the largest value. Largest doesn’t mean you’ll settle for more, normally it’s the opposite. Most insurance companies know who provides credible appraisals, and who provide inflated values

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AUTOMOTIVE EXPERIENCE

With over 13 years as a licensed and Certified Oregon Auto Appraiser, Ken has the experience to handle any job. He has over 40 years negotiating experience with over 35 years spent in the automotive industry.

Types of vehicles we appraise: Car, Truck, SUV, Vans, Motorcycles, Sprinter Vans, Off-Road Vehicles, Side by Sides, Street Rods, Muscle cars, Street Racers, Motorcycles, Camper, RV, Classic Car, JDM, Motor Coach, or Electric Vehicle.

Services Offered: Insurance Total Loss Disputes, Classic Car Insurance Appraisals, Accident Claims Adjusting (Automotive, Semi, etc.), Heavy Equipment and RVs, Pre-Purchase Inspections, Divorce, Bankruptcy, and Estate Settlements, Charitable Donations, 3rd Party Arbitration/Umpire Services, Industry-Recognized Expert Witness.

Brands We Work With: AC, Acura, Allard, Alfa Romeo, American LaFrance, Audi, AMC, Aston-Martin, Austin-Healey, Avanti, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Canoo, Checker, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Citroen, Cobra, Corvair, Crosley, Cruise, Daewoo, Datsun, Delorean, Dodge, Duessenberg, Eagle, Edsel, Ferrari, Fiat, Fisker, Fleetwood, Ford, Geo, GMC, GTO, Holden, Honda, Hudson, Hummer, Hyundai, Imperial, Infiniti, International, Isuzu, Jaguar, Jeep, Jensen, Kaiser, Kia, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lancia, LaSalle, Lexus, Lincoln, Lotus, Lucid, MG, Mangusta, Maserati, Mazda, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Mini, Mitsubishi, Morgan, Nash, Nissan, Oldsmobile, Opel, Packard, Peugeot, Plymouth, Pontiac, Porsche, Rivian, Renault, Rolls Royce, Saab, Saleen, Saturn, Scion, Shelby, Smart, Studebaker, Stutz, Subaru, Sunbeam, Suzuki, Talbot-Lago, TESLA Toyota, Triumph, Tucker, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Volvo, Willys, Zimmer.

Specialized Models: Barracuda, Camaro, Challenger, Chevelle, Corvette, Cougar, Firebird, Mustang, Roadrunner, Shelby, Thunderbird.

Motorcycles: Aprilia, ATK, Benelli, BMW, Boss Hoss, Buell, Carver, Cheetah, Cheetah Trikes, Chongqing, Ecstasy Cycles, Electric Moto, Eller, Gambler, Ghezzi & Brian, Happy Motorcycle, Harley-Davidson, Hercheemoto.

Insurance Companies we help clients dispute low-value offers against: All major insurance companies that provide services in Oregon including State Farm, Geico, Progressive, Allstate, Farmers Insurance, American Family Insurance, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, USAA, Travelers, The Hartford, AAA Insurance, Safeco Insurance, Country Financial, Chubb, California Casualty, and Mutual of Enumclaw. We also help you dispute claims against business 3rd parties and their administrators.

You DESERVE A FAIR SETTLEMENT

LEVERAGE

Auto Appraisals

(503) 420-3001

Location

8885 SW Canyon Rd.
Portland, OR. 97225

Email

leveragepdx@gmail.com

Open Hours

Mon:10am – 5pm
Tue: 10am – 5pm
Wed: 10am – 5pm
Thur: 10am – 5pm
Fri: 10am – 5pm
Sat: 10am – 5pm
Sun: Closed