Autoist Group serves the people who are responsible for someone else’s vehicles: trustees and executors, estate and family law attorneys, family offices and wealth managers, trust officers and private banks, CPAs and business managers, and the insurers and lenders who need an independent value.
What you receive
- A written appraisal report with the valuation date, the definition of value, the market evidence, and a signed certification.
- A timeline and scope confirmed in writing before work begins.
- Physical inspection and photographs for every vehicle.
- One point of contact who will speak with your client, your CPA, or the court if needed.
- Strict confidentiality. We do not discuss client or vehicle details.
Who we work with
Trustees, executors, and other fiduciaries
Trustees and successor trustees, executors, personal representatives and administrators, conservators and guardians, agents acting under a power of attorney, receivers, and professional fiduciaries. We provide the valuation, documentation, and disposition support a fiduciary needs to show that a decision about a vehicle was informed and fair.
Estate, probate, and trust attorneys
Estate planning, probate, trust administration, and tax attorneys. Written appraisals for estate and gift tax filings, trust funding and distribution, and fair division among beneficiaries.
Family law attorneys and divorce professionals
Independent valuations of vehicles and collections for property division, written for counsel, mediators, and forensic accountants.
Family offices and wealth managers
Single-family and multi-family offices, private wealth managers, registered investment advisors, and financial planners. Consolidated schedules of vehicle holdings, current values for balance sheets and planning, and succession plans for collections.
Trust officers, private banks, and trust companies
Trust departments and private bankers who hold vehicles in trust or as collateral. Independent valuations, disposition plans, and a single contact for every vehicle in an account.
CPAs, tax advisors, and business managers
Appraisals that support estate, gift, and charitable-contribution filings, and valuations for clients whose business managers oversee their assets.
Insurers, brokers, and underwriters
High-net-worth and collector vehicle insurers, brokers, and agents who need an independent opinion of value for agreed-value coverage, scheduling, and claims.
Lenders and private finance
Banks and specialty lenders making loans secured by collector and exotic vehicles, who need a defensible collateral value.
Charities and foundations
Nonprofit boards and development staff considering a gift of a vehicle. See charitable vehicle gifting.
Private collectors and families
Owners planning ahead, and family members who inherit a car or a collection and need to know what to do next.
Situations that bring people to us
- The death of an owner, and the administration of the estate or trust.
- Funding, distributing, or restructuring a trust that holds vehicles.
- Divorce and property division.
- Estate, gift, and charitable-contribution tax filings.
- Insurance renewal, agreed-value coverage, and claims.
- Loans secured by a vehicle or collection.
- A planned sale or auction consignment.
- Succession planning for a growing collection.
What a defensible estate vehicle appraisal includes
- Identification of each vehicle, including VIN, mileage, equipment, and condition.
- The valuation date and the definition of value used.
- Comparable sales and market evidence, dated and sourced.
- Reasoned adjustments for condition, originality, and provenance.
- The appraiser’s qualifications and signed certification.
Working together
Tell us the situation by phone or through the form. We confirm scope, fee, and timeline in writing, then handle the inspection and the report. See our Form 706 vehicle appraisals, collection appraisals, and the trustee’s guide to vehicles in an estate.