General Grading System Guidelines
Most auctions have a grading system that uses numbers and letters to indicate the car’s condition. The auction sheet ‘Inspection Report’ often includes overall, interior, and sometimes exterior ratings. This system is a useful way to categorise the quality of the vehicle while quickly searching car listings.
Here’s how it will look…
Overall Grade
In most cases, you will see either numbers, or a letter or two:
S Perfectly new.
6 New and never been driven.
5 Near new. Everything is in top condition.
4.5 Excellent condition. May have some minor imperfections (small scratches or dents).
4 Good condition. Normal wear and tear at the worst.
3.5 Average condition. All areas are in an acceptable state.
3 Various scratches or dents. Some paint missing.
2 In poor condition often rusty.
1 Very poor condition OR has been modified and in good condition.
0 or A Involved in an accident.
RA or R Repaired after an accident.
R1 Repaired modified car. For example, adding after-market parts for performance or appeal.
*** often damaged in ‘as is’ condition.
Interior Grade
Most auctions will also provide you with a grading of the interior’s condition:
A Good condition
B Normal wear
C Needs cleaning/repair
D Needs signficant cleaning/repair
The Car Diagram
All inspection sheets have a diagram of the car’s body. There will be a lot of different marks on the sheet, but these are the most common:
A Scratch mark
A1 About a thumb's width
A2 About a palm's width
A3 Larger than A2
B Section that needs repair work
C Corrosion exists
M Repaired mark
W Repaired wave. Very common to see W 1-2 or 3 on older cars.
R Rust exists
P Repainting needed
X Body panel needs replacing
XX Panel is replaced
A A line generally shows where a scratch is.
U Dent
U1 Thumb’s width dent
U2 Palm’s width dent
U3 Dent larger than U2
Genuine Cars
Remember all the cars on Savagesushi.com come with Japanese Auction sheets & de-registration papers.
This proves their authenticity.