What's the Real Blue Book Value of Your Used Car?
Car buyers tend to have a completely different way of determining the Blue Book value of your used car than you do. Dealers, sales managers, and front-line car salesmen - even private buyers - know that the values recorded in the Kelley Blue Book are just the starting point for determining a particular car's worth. Yet when we prepare to sell our used car, we instantly think the Blue Book figures are average prices or, sometimes, the minimum value we should expect.
The True Value of Your Car
The moment you try to argue the value of your car according to KBB, an informed prospective buyer will demand all of your service and maintenance records, run a title check to ensure your vehicle has never been in a recorded accident, and will run you ragged with questions about whether you've had any custom work done, ever had a paint job or fixed a dent, and will likely want you to pay for a complete vehicle inspection to check the engine and other components of the vehicle.
You quickly discover that what KBB says is the value of your car is really the value of a perfect version of your car, of which there are only 0.02% in existence.
What About Selling to a Dealer?
It is a truism of the auto business, unfortunately, that the worst way to sell your used car is to a dealer or to trade it in (which is actually the same thing). Dealers have to allow for covering their overhead and refurbishing the car to resell at a profit. That's if it's even a good enough auto to bother with.
In many cases, dealers just foist these cars off on wholesalers and let them hassle with it. So selling to a dealer is rarely the best way for you to get maximum dollar for your used vehicle.
So how can you properly negotiate the sale of your used car, using KBB? It helps to use Blue Book values as a starting point and to get a more holistic and accurate picture of your particular vehicle. For this, you should consult professionals who stay abreast of car prices on a daily basis and know how to factor in condition, geography, paint color, mileage, model demand and a host of other variables.
We invite you to contact us for a free appraisal of your used car, SUV, or truck. As a professional auto buying service with over 25 years of experience as Southern California's largest auto buyer, we'll be able to tell you how much your car is truly worth immediately and even provide you a cash offer for it.
Read more about how we work with private car sellers and what you can expect. We'll turn your idle vehicle into hard cash today if you like - just call us or fill out our contact form.
