Hello, my name is Ken Nix and I am the owner of Leverage Auto Appraisals. I have a lifelong passion for cars, having grown up in a Chrysler dealership owned by my uncle. My family’s involvement in the automotive industry extended to my mother as the office manager, my other uncle as the service manager, my cousin as a mechanic, and even my grandfather who lived on the premises.

My love for cars began at a young age, playing in old cars on our property, including a ’58 Chevrolet Impala that my brother wrecked drag racing in front of our house. I would pretend to win the Indy 500 in the Impala, a ’56 Chevy, or an early ’60s VW Beetle every day. As I grew older, I collected over 4,000 automotive magazines and books in the ’70s and ’80s, reading every one of them from cover to cover. I especially loved Sports Car Graphic, and I had a particular fondness for 911 Porsches, BMWs, VWs, and other European cars.

The Cobra on our front page is actually my brother’s car. 

I initially was going to be an attorney, and went to college for a year for pre-law. But, I burnt out and decided that I just wasn’t interested in law. I started my own business as a loan broker at the age of 21 and then proceeded to start the first Video Dating service in Northeast Texas, purchased a Limo Service, and was part owner of a night club called Carrington’s. That is until I was embezzled. I lost it all at 23. 

My dad made me go out and get a job, although the closest job was 50 miles away that I could find at a resort selling timeshares. I didn’t sell anything for 3 months. Then I ran into a guy name Zig Ziglar and he took me under his wing and I became top salesman. I then went on to being a closer, until I decided that I should go back to college. I decided that Computer Science was what I wanted to do. 

Back in the 80’s there wasn’t as big of a demand for COBOL programmers, so to make more money, I started selling cars at Ramey Chrysler Plymouth in Georgetown, Texas. 

After working in car sales for over two decades, I had an epiphany. I helped my sons build their own small business when they were in middle school painting addresses on curbs. One day I came home from work and my oldest son, who normally just painted the curbs ran up to me and said, “DAD! I sold 10 of them today!”. I was quick to tell him how proud I was of him and he replied back, “YEP, I JUST PEELED THEM LIKE A GRAPE!”. Which is car lingo of taking advantage of someone. My wife turned to me and said she didn’t even know who I was anymore. Then asked me the one question that no car salesman really wants to answer. If your parents were alive right now, do you think they’d be proud of the man you’ve become? Then she asked me a question that any father would hate to admit if he was a car salesman. Would you really want your kids to be like you? I quit and started a consulting business for automotive digital marketing. 

Word got around quickly that I was very good at marketing and I was hired by Diversiform for inside sales. Helping dealers throughout the Pacific Northwest to market their services. We were then acquired by Reynolds and Reynolds, the largest automotive company in the world. I worked for them acquiring new dealers and coordinating with dealers with CRM, Direct mail, and other services. 

In April of 2010, I obtained my Oregon Appraiser’s license and started to do appraisals for diminished value and total loss. 

To be the best, my father always told me to surround yourself with the best. So, I reached out to two of the best auto appraisers for diminished value in the country, Tony Rached of Diminished Value of Georgia, and Justin Petty of Petty Details in Texas. They provided me with years of information about Diminished Value and producing appraisals that stand up in court. I credit them for providing me with such a good foundation that has led to our success.

Since then, many people have helped me along the way, one of whom started as a client and became a trusted friend and advisor, Lance Sholes. Lance has been the used car manager for Ferrari and Maserati and the director for one of the largest auto groups in California and was the owner of Uniquely European. When I need help, Lance is usually the first person I turn to, especially with exotic cars.

I have over 30 years of experience in the automotive business, with over nineteen in the Portland, Oregon metro area. I have sold Porsche, Volvo, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota, GMC, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Chrysler, Kia, Hyundai, Mini Cooper, and just about any current style vehicle you can name. I was the go-to person for product knowledge when it comes to Volkswagen, Honda, and Toyota. I founded VolkswagenOwnersClub.com, MyFastGTI.com, and JettaJunkie.com, and I am currently an administrator for AutoGuide.com.

My connections in the automotive industry enable me to produce the most accurate appraisal, no matter what type of vehicle you may have. My background in sales gives me a distinct advantage when compared to our competitors. I have found that most auto appraisers’ backgrounds are in auto collision or insurance adjusting, and they have never sold a car in their life, making them unaware of what is happening in the market. I believe my background in actual vehicle marketing, sales, inspection, and valuations is the main reason why Leverage Auto Appraisals are so successful. I live to help people and advocate for them, and it’s a great feeling.

At Leverage Auto Appraisals, we focus solely on consumers in Oregon and Washington. We have no affiliation with any insurance company and are committed to always providing objective and unbiased assessments of your vehicle’s value, then negotiating with your insurance company to obtain the real fair market value you should be paid.

Over 99 percent of our client’s services have been free on 1st policy total loss claims in Oregon for the past 13+ years. Leverage provides credible appraisals to Oregon policyholders for total loss and we also negotiate your claim free of charge on all first-party claims. (with your own insurance company).

You need LEVERAGE

We provide credible total loss appraisals and Expert Negotiation to help you get a fair settlement on your totaled or stolen car or truck.

OREGON Certified/Licensed Auto Appraiser # V34-075

Detailed Specs

Oregon Law requires the automobile insurance companies to:

• Provide written notice to the vehicle owner explaining total loss. The notice should inform Oregon claimants, how car valuations are determined, and what steps an owner can take if they disagree with the insurer’s offer.
• Provide the Oregon car owner the appraisal or valuation reports that have been used to determine the value of the damaged vehicle. 
• Pay the total loss owner the amount that isn’t in dispute, while the negotiation over the car valuation continues. (For example, if the insurer offers $15,000 and the vehicle owner seeks $18,000, the insurer should pay the $15,000 immediately).
• Reimburse the car owner for reasonable car appraisal costs. This will apply when the car owner has a right to seek appraisal and the final appraised value is higher than the last offer of the insurer.