What the Blue Book Says About Your Vehicle
When you're getting ready to sell your car, the Kelley Blue Book (KBB) is a vital resource for pricing information. But unless you're one of a select few, chances are you won't fully understand how the valuation was reached. As a result, you may overshoot your car's value and turn off potential buyers. On the other hand, you also face the risk of undervaluing your car and selling it for much less than it's actually worth.
Is Your Vehicle Good Enough for the Blue Book?
Like most users, you probably started with the blue book's "Suggested Retail Value" tool to price your vehicle. After inputting some information, you got an amount that was based on the assumption that your car is in "Excellent Condition." When only one piece of information doesn't come from you, you're left with the question: What exactly does "Excellent Condition" mean?
According to the Kelley Blue Book, a vehicle in excellent condition should:
Above and beyond these requirements, the vehicle must have a clean title history and pass a smog check. Under the hood, the engine compartment must be clean with no fluid leaks or visible wear/defects.
But one last detail separates the men from the boys, so to speak. The vehicle must have complete and verifiable service records, and less than 5% of cars fall into this category. Yet most sellers immediately assume that the suggested retail price for their vehicle is the lowest threshold for what they should request for their auto.
The Many Faces of the Kelley Blue Book
For a fuller snapshot of your vehicle's worth, you'll need to check Kelley Blue Book's range of valuation tools for "Dealer Trade-In Value," "Private Party," and "Suggested Retail." Compare the numbers and you'll see that you'll get far less for your auto from a dealer than you would from a private party, even if your car is in "Excellent Condition." Both figures, however, pale in comparison to the suggested retail value.
You may be wondering why the same auto can have three different values attached to it. The short answer: It's typical industry practice. Because they have overhead, payroll, and other expenses to cover, a dealer has to earn back the cost of buying your car--and more. They do this by offering you the trade-in value--or the least money possible--for your vehicle, then turning around and selling it at the much higher suggested retail price.
According to the Kelley Blue Book, you can expect to receive 15% more money in a private party sale than you would at a dealership. However, this doesn't account for the cost of advertising your car, and it certainly doesn't cover the effort and time you'll put into the sale. By the time you've fielded calls from interested buyers, scheduled the meet-ups, negotiated the price, and finally wrapped up the paperwork, your profits will seem like a fairy tale.
Break the Blue Book's Hold
You don't have to be treated like a number at the dealership, and you don't have to go it alone either. When it's time to sell your vehicle, come to an auto buying service. They'll appraise your vehicle at your earliest convenience, giving you a cash offer right then and there.
We at Cash4UsedCars.net are Southern California's largest and most respected auto buying service, and we've been in business for over 25 years, having bought and sold over 50,000 used cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs. We can buy yours, and we guarantee to offer more for your vehicle than any dealer will. More importantly, we handle all DMV paperwork, as well as the smog certification and transport for the vehicle.
It sounds like it's worth checking out, doesn't it? You can find out, right now, exactly how much money you can get for your vehicle and get that cash in your hand today. Just click here, fill out a brief form, and a valuation expert will phone you shortly. We look forward to doing business with you.
