Seller Preparation
How To Photograph Your Luxury Car For An Accurate Offer
The single biggest variable in how tight an offer we can send is the quality and completeness of the photos you provide. A seller who arrives with 20 good photos consistently gets a higher offer than one who arrives with two phone snapshots. Here is exactly what we need and how to capture it.
Required photos (12 shots)
- Exterior front three-quarter. Stand at the front-left corner of the car. The shot includes the front bumper, headlights, hood, fender, wheel, and most of the driver-side flank.
- Exterior rear three-quarter. Stand at the rear-left corner. Show rear bumper, tail lights, decklid, fender, wheel, and the side flank.
- Driver side profile. Square to the side of the car. Frame the entire car edge-to-edge.
- Passenger side profile. Same as driver side but from the other side.
- Direct front. Square to the front of the car. Show the full grille and bumper.
- Direct rear. Square to the rear. Show the full rear bumper, tail lights, license plate.
- Interior - driver seat angle. From the passenger seat looking across to the driver seat. Show steering wheel, instrument cluster, center stack.
- Interior - passenger seat angle. From the driver seat looking across.
- Engine bay. Hood open, photographed from directly above or from a corner. Show the engine and the engine bay edge.
- Odometer reading. Close-up of the odometer display showing current mileage.
- VIN plate. Close-up of the dashboard VIN plate at the base of the windshield, driver side.
- Door jamb sticker. Driver-side door open, photographed sticker showing manufacture date and VIN.
Recommended additional photos
- Each wheel close-up (verifies wheel condition, brake calipers, tire condition)
- Undercarriage if jackable (verifies absence of structural repair)
- Any damage close-up (any chips, dents, paint imperfections)
- Trunk or cargo area open
- Optional equipment (factory sport exhaust, ceramic brakes, special audio, etc.)
- Service records folder (if you have the original manufacturer service booklet)
- Original window sticker (for cars 2010 and newer)
Lighting and conditions
The best photos for our purposes are taken in indirect natural light. Overcast days are ideal because there are no hard shadows. Direct midday sun creates contrast that hides details. Garage lighting can work if it is bright and even, but avoid mixed light sources (window plus fluorescent).
Avoid: photographing through reflective glass, with dirt on the lens, with finger over the lens, in heavy rain, or with a backlit subject (sun behind the car).
Background
A clean background helps but is not essential. We are evaluating the car, not the surroundings. The garage works. The driveway works. The street works. What does not work is a chaotic background that hides details (tarps, clutter, other cars stacked behind).
If you are storing the car at a public facility, you may need to pull it outside for the exterior shots. Most storage facilities are happy to accommodate.
Phone vs. camera
A modern smartphone (iPhone 12 or newer, recent Pixel or Samsung) is fine for our purposes. We rarely need DSLR-quality images at the underwriting stage. Save the professional photography for the resale listing after we acquire the car.
What good photos cost you
About 30 minutes of your time, including moving the car if needed. The return is that we can underwrite to the actual condition of your car rather than the worst-case scenario we would have to assume without good photos. In practice this means a tighter offer (less margin for "what we cannot see") and fewer surprises at pickup.
How to send them
After you submit the offer form, you receive a secure document upload link by email. Upload directly through the link. Maximum 50 photos, each up to 25MB. We compress and re-archive automatically.
Ready to submit? Bring the photos. We will price your car against the documentation you provide.