About Used Cars

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.

If you’re out searching for a used car, after doing the usual homework of getting the CARFAX report, checking the car’s fuel efficiency, reliability, and mechanical soundness, spend a little time comparing the current “new and improved” models to those of a year or two ago.

When a manufacturer releases a redesign of a particular car model, the older version drops in value. It doesn’t drop in reliability, efficiency or any of the things that really matter, it drops in value because it no longer looks, feels and smells like the latest and greatest edition of the style (if the Jonses purchase the latest model car, everyone wants to keep up with them).

If you’re truly looking for value in your new car (not just to keep up with the Jonses), check out Edmunds Upcoming Model Year calendar l when you begin shopping for your used car. Knowing which models have undergone a total redesign will be very helpful in getting a good deal on the newly outdated older model.

Anyone in the market for used car understands that one of the first things you to figure out is how much you can afford and whether or not the car that you’re looking at is worth the money.

The Internet has made it so much easier for folks to determine a used car’s value. You don’t have to rely on the price as set at the dealership or the asking price from a private party. With a few mouse clicks, you can find out for yourself whether or not the asking price is within reason.

Kelley Blue Book Value

Just about everybody knows and respects the folks that put together the Kelley Blue Book. Now you can determine a car’s Kelley Blue Book value online for free. All you need to do is visit the Kelley Blue Book and click on the used car link.

Once you’re on the used car page, select the year, make and model for the car you’re interested in. If you’re not quite sure what type of car you want, use the “Select Car Category” option. That way you can browse the value of sedans, SUV’s, luxury cars and more.

Before you can go any further, you must decide what type of valuation you want. Car value differs depending on the situation. A private sale price differs from a dealership price which differs from a trade in price. Before you can go much further in calculating the used car value, select one of the valuation methods. You can always come back and re-evaluate the car’s price. As a matter of fact it is recommended that you do.

Used Car’s Special Features

To get an accurate price quote, you should get a list of the car’s features from the dealership or seller. Although listing car features is not absolutely mandatory, it will help you to get a realistic value for the used car. Features such as heated front seats, alloy wheels or even a built in MP3 player all help to increase the value of the car. The more information you tell Kelley Blue Book, the more accurate the number.

After inserting the features, insert the car’s condition. You have four choices: excellent, good, fair and poor (if the car’s condition is poor, I think you need to choose a different car). Once you select the condition, Kelley Blue Book will display your car’s value.

Car Price Negotiation

Before you leave your computer to begin negotiating prices with the seller, do a VIN check. If you have the vehicle identification number, insert it in the VIN check box below the car price to get a free VIN check.

In addition to a VIN Check, you might as well take a quick look at the used cars for sale in the Kelley Blue Book database. Look through the database to find comparable cars to use as a basis for negotiating the price with the dealership.

Isn’t Technology Great?

Way back in the Stone Age, determining a used car’s Blue Book Value was relegated to those who actually owned a copy of the book. Now you can check car values for free online in a matter of minutes.