Dealers are reporting major benefits from using Valuation Anywhere, the used prices via SMS text message and web service from CAP.

Unique in the vehicle values information market, Valuation Anywhere brings customers mileage-adjusted benchmark used car or van values in seconds by simply sending the vehicle registration mark and mileage from their mobile phone. The system runs in tandem with a web application which offers additional pricing-related data when the user returns to their office.

Valuation Anywhere is earning praise from customers for its unique speed and portability. But as well as the convenience of offering instant used values in any location, dealers are reporting increased business efficiency benefits compared with using traditional book and PC-based systems.

As well as its unique speed and portability, Valuation Anywhere offers unrivalled vehicle coverage direct from CAP’s Platinum Black and Red Book databases, covering over 30,000 cars and more than 11,000 vans from one month to more than 20 years old.

The service is linked to an advanced user-friendly web application which is automatically populated with a wealth of additional data as soon as a valuation request is made. This includes comprehensive specification and equipment details for the vehicle, guaranteeing increased vehicle identification accuracy and protecting against fraud.

The convenience of instant used valuations via SMS text messaging from any location makes Valuation Anywhere the most powerful valuation tool available to trade professionals in the field, such as in an auction environment or for the immediate pricing of part-exchanges on a car retail site.

When the user texts a registration number and mileage to Valuation Anywhere, the system returns a precise CAP value, adjusted for condition, along with the vehicle’s model, variant and registration date. Simultaneously details can be automatically returned to the user’s email address while a full record is created in their Valuation Anywhere web account. Where the vehicle mileage is unknown a valuation for the vehicle at CAP’s standard mileage bands is returned.

Essential additional data triggered by a mobile valuation request includes VIN number, colour, standard equipment, fuel consumption and the options available when the vehicle was new. This protects users from fraud and ensures the greatest possible accuracy in identifying and pricing a vehicle for purchase and re-sale.

UK car dealer Pendragon has reported a halving of annual profits, and has predicted a difficult year ahead, according to the BBC.

The firm reported a 52pc decline in annual pre-tax profits to £46.5m, down from £97.7m in 2006.

The Nottingham-based firm, which operates 343 franchises, had already issued a profit warning in November and closed some of its smaller sites last year.

It said it planned to focus on older and cheaper cars, as selling nearly-new vehicles - under six months old - had become harder as new car prices fell.

Chief executive Trevor Finn said: "We acted early, closing poorly performing sites, and, as a result, are better placed to face the challenges in what remains an uncertain market in 2008".