Aston Barclay has introduced a more in-depth grading structure for all auction vehicles to make it easier, particularly for online buyers, to ascertain the condition of vehicles inside and out before they commit to buy.

With more and more buyers opting to purchase online at Aston Barclay auctions, the new grading system enables them to buy without seeing the vehicle in the metal, and saves them valuable time checking over vehicles.

Vehicles are independently inspected by Aston Barclay staff in advance of each auction and a matrix based value allocated for the cost of repair and a generic cost of a replacement part. The total value is then used to determine the grade of a vehicle. The overall exterior condition is denoted by a grading from A to E (A being the highest) and a number from 1 to 3 to assess the interior condition (1 being the highest).

“We introduced the system towards the end of last year and it is working well,” says Barry Watts, group operations Director at Aston Barclay Westbury. “Once buyers register for our online auctions they are then able to check the condition of each vehicle prior to sale.  Our online sales are currently running at about 5 to 10 per cent but are increasing on a weekly basis at our three auction sites throughout the UK.”

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