West Coast Auto Mall ,Palm Harbor Auto Mall, Advertised Clean Trade-In Value On Frame Damaged Car Chris Gamble, co-owenr advertised a clean retail value on my car that was nearly $5,000 less than it's true retail value Holiday Florida

I purchased a used car from West Coast Auto Mall. The owner knew the car was in an accident with frame damage. AutoCheck showed these auction details, which were not included in my CarFax report.

West Coast Auto Mall advertised this car with an inaccurate NADA retail value. Their advertisement was misleading because the car's true value falls far, far, far below his advertised estimate.

West Coast Auto Mall advertised my car's NADA retail value at $14,500. What do you think the car is really worth? Only about $9,600. Please do not misunderstand this comparison because this are both retail values.

What did West Coast Auto Mall's co-owner Chris Gamble have to say about this? I sent Chris Gamble an email here is an excerpt from his reply (and yes, I still have all his emails regarding the transaction):
Chris Gamble stated that, "The car has an NADA retail of $14,500. There is not a place on NADA that deducts for a car that has been in an accident."

With this nugget of information, I did some research with the NADA. I found out that Chris Gamble does not appear to wholeheartedly adhere to the NADA guidelines. For example, the retail value $14,500 for the car would have been accurate if the car was "clean". However, the NADA states that clean cars should have no glaring defects. Perhaps existing frame damage was not glaring enough? Furthermore, the NADA states that when you calculate a car's value to "remember that any reconditioning adjustment is your call based on experience. The value you just calculated is for a clean vehicle."

The NAAA requires that frame damaged cars must be announced at auctions, which in turn causes those vehicles to be sold at a lower price than 'green light' vehicles. I'm guessing that Chris Gamble has a value grading deficiency. Chris Gamble appears to know how to buy cars cheaply; however, he may not know how to accurately value them when it's his turn to sell.

So, if you see Chris Gamble advertising a NADA retail value, please be aware that someone is truly "saving thousands"... though it just might not be you. Unfortunately, that was my experience.

Shawn
Tampa, Florida
U.S.A.