Precious Metals Fine Motor Cars of San Diego

Precious Metals Fine Motor Cars of San Diego, which trades online as Precious Metals and under the pmautos.com web address, is a classic and exotic car dealer on Dalbergia Street in southeast San Diego. It sells and consigns collector vehicles, offers appraisals, and handles concours and collection management for owners. The company says it began as a service and restoration shop for a private collection of Lamborghinis and Ferraris, and that its staff has built a reputation over 35 years.

Who they are and where they came from

According to the company's own pages, Precious Metals started as a personal classic car service and restoration facility. Master technician Rick Cousineau teamed up with Perry Mansfield, MD in a small garage, restoring and preserving Mansfield's vintage car collection, and the shop grew from there as demand for its work increased. A Better Business Bureau record lists the business as starting on April 16, 2003, as a sole proprietorship, and shows it as not BBB accredited.

Today the face of the sales side is David Young, whose profile on the About page says he grew up near Detroit, moved back to San Diego at 19 and started as an entry level shop hand for a local collector. The home page describes a "combined 70 years of automotive experience" across the team and a restructuring toward sales and acquisitions of classic, vintage, exotic, performance and muscle cars.

How the business works

Precious Metals, which says it is a licensed California dealer, mixes several models. It sells vehicles it owns, takes cars on consignment with what it calls an aggressive marketing program, and offers auction and collection management. Its services page also lists pick-up and delivery, museum display and historical research, and a concierge service for owners who show cars at concours events. That service covers day-of-show handling, placement, logistics and presenting the car to the judges.

What they sell

The company's pages name Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Maserati, Bugatti and Bentley among the marques it handles. In practice, the October 2026 listings on ClassicCars.com were weighted toward American cars and trucks, with 17 vehicles including several early Ford Broncos, a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda, a 1962 Corvette, a 1964 Impala SS and a 1940 Ford F1 street rod, alongside a 1965 Jaguar S-Type and a 1991 Land Rover Defender 110. Its collection page also displays three Lamborghinis the shop has preserved and restored: a 400GT 2+2, an Islero S and a Jarama GT.

Stock changes often. To compare what is on the market elsewhere, browse California classic cars for sale.

Buying from Precious Metals

Many buyers deal with the company from out of state. The testimonials on its website describe sight-unseen purchases supported by photos, video and shipping arrangements, including cars sent to other states and abroad. The site says pre-purchase inspection and evaluation are part of its appraisal work, and one customer note mentions help finding a third-party inspection. Even so, the normal checks apply: ask for the VIN, title status and service records, request a video of the car running, and arrange your own inspection. Our guide to consigning a classic is also worth reading if you plan to sell through a dealer later.

Selling, consigning and appraisals

Owners can consign a car, ask the company to buy one, or order an appraisal. The appraisals page lists services such as fair market, insurance, estate, charitable donation, diminished value and restoration dispute valuations, with out-of-state evaluations available. The company says its reports typically run more than 20 pages and that it has restored more than 100 vehicles to concours standard. These are the business's own claims. Consignment fees are not published, so ask for the terms in writing before you hand over a car.

Reputation

The BBB lists the business as not accredited and shows the file opened in 2020. We could not view a letter rating or complaint count. The company's own reviews page carries dozens of mostly positive testimonials from buyers and sellers, many about long-distance deals. Because the business publishes that page itself, treat it as the company's selected feedback rather than a complete picture, and read independent review sites before you commit to a large purchase.

Visiting Precious Metals

The facility is at 3647 Dalbergia Street, San Diego, CA 92113. The website lists hours of 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday, with weekends and holidays by appointment. The phone is (619) 515-2220 and the sales email is [email protected].