Find the Value of Your Car, Truck, or SUV in Tampa, FLNADA values, prices & tools for consumers NADAguides new and used car, motorcycle, RV, boat, classic car and manufactured home values, prices, tools and information. NADA values & tools for businesses NADA Used Car Guide values and auction data for lenders and dealers, as well as insurance, government and other automotive professionals.Used Car Prices Black Book vs. Blue Book Learn how to when to look up Blue Book and Black Book used car values, and the difference between the two reference guides. The used car prices Black Book and Blue Book values serve different purposes. Both books claim to be the more accurate source of used car pricing guides. The Kelley Blue Book gets more traffic when it comes to being used by buyers. They have been around since 1918, while Black Book started in 1955. The Blue Book started with just used car ratings and values, but evolved to include new prices. The Blue Book, although being used the most, is usually thought as a little less accurate in their prices.
They offer no guarantee in their price valuations, and often times they are very different than the Black Book. The Black Book offer many different books, such as the Black Book Daily, Black Book First Values and a few others. The Black Book also has premium subscriber content that involved dealer auctions and wholesale prices. This makes their valuations more specific. The Blue Book is a consumer driven book, where drivers can look to see what they can expect to pay or receive for their vehicle. The Black Book on the other hand, is a dealer driven book. The pricing deals with wholesale values and the most up to date car sales. These books are both good for valuing cars, but they are on opposite sides of the spectrum. As a consumer you want the "KBB," while a dealer looks more at the Black Book. Finding a used car price online takes only a few minutes of your time. Kelley's Blue Book has the most user friendly used car price search out there, and their values are respected and highly accurate.
Here are some steps to get a quick price from Kelley Blue Book. Once you are on the KBB website, go to the used car page You can search by price range, body style (SUV, minivan, sedan, etc.) or by exact make, model and year Select the value you want, whether it be suggested retail value, trade in value or private party value If there are multiple trims for your model, select that exact trim The next step is very important. Input the mileage on the car as that can have a big effect on price All of the available features for that trim of that year are listed. Check off any features your car has Select the condition of the car. Most cars are "Good," while five percent of used cars fall in the "Excellent" condition category Your price will be displayed. You can also view the other value types by clicking their names on the same page Black Book DefinedEdmunds Used Car Price Guide vs. Kelley Blue BookCar Invoice Prices vs. Kelley Blue BookCanadian Used Car Prices: Do They Differ From the U.S.How to Use a Used Car Resale Price Book
Before you buy a used car from a car dealer, you should understand a little about pricing. A franchise dealer with a used car operation will usually price his cars at a certain percentage more thanwhat the car is deemed to be worth on the wholesale market. The wholesale value of a car is usually determined by factors such as the demand for the car coupled with the age, make, model, options, mileage and general condition. The dealer’s markup on a used car, van or pickup is frequently determined by any or all of several factors. The markup will also reflect such things as the condition of the car, the mileage, the make, model, options and most important, the market demand. The point, simply, is that used car markups will vary greatly for any number of factors. Your objective is to discover what has it cost him to buy and recondition the car and put it on his lot. That will give you the basis for planning your negotiation. Many dealers will also include a “negotiation pad” in their markups.
They recognize that most people won’t buy a car — new or used — unless they feel they’re buying it for less than the advertised price. So a dealer will build in a large enough cushion to give the buyer a discount and still end up with whatever he considers to be a reasonable, or maybe even a more than reasonable, profit. The key to a dealer’s survival and profitability in the used car business is to buy used cars at or below what the industry calls the “wholesale price” and then to sell them at a retail price that, in the final analysis, is whatever a buyer will pay. Here is an actual example: I tracked a GM car that was purchased by a dealer for $9,500. After spending $400 for repairs and reconditioning, he put it on the lot at $13,800. That’s a markup over his purchase cost of more than 45 percent! The used car sales manager confided that this markup gave him built-in room for negotiation. A buyer finally appeared, and after a negotiated agreement, bought the car for $12,450.
The customer felt he’d gotten a deal and the seller said nothing to disabuse him of that notion. Whether you buy from a private owner or a dealer, one of the most important pieces of information you can have is the current “wholesale” price of the car in your area of the country. One source of auto price information is the car loan department of your bank. They will usually have all the latest price books and possibly even auction reports that show what various makes are bringing on the auction market. The industry uses any of several books as price guides: The “NADA Official Used Car Guide,” “National Auto Research Black Book,” “Kelley Blue Book Auto Market Report” and “Galves Auto Price List.” These books — also available online — purport to reflect the average wholesale prices that various cars are bringing across the country. The only problem is that they usually don’t agree on a set price. Compare the suggested wholesale prices for a 2000 Chevrolet four-door Lumina from the same month: