Use NADA to Find Your Vehicle’s Trade in Value

Before you walk into the dealer showroom in an attempt to trade in your car, It’s a good idea to see how much your vehicle is worth. It only takes about five minutes to go to the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) site to calculate your cars trade in value. It makes sense to take advantage of the tool because it can help to put a little more money in your pocket in the long run. Here’s how to calculate the trade in value of your car with NADA.

• Go to the Consumer section of the NADA.com website and click on the “New & Used Prices & Specs” link and then click the “New and Used Car Center” link. Since NADA is used by businesses and consumers, make sure to access the Consumer section.

• Choose the car that you’re trading in. You need to select the make, year, model and style (trim) of the car. This is the basic information NADA needs to begin determining your car’s trade-in value.

• Insert the vehicle mileage and select the additional equipment options for your car. NADA pre-selects the standard issue equipment, but you have to tell them of the add on features your car has.

• Click “Continue” to see your trade in value report. In reviewing the report, you’ll notice that NADA provides three prices, Rough, Average and Clean, which refer to the car’s condition.

Tip

You should totally prepare yourself for trade in value negotiations by getting the Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds trade in values. The more information you have the better your negotiating position.