Edmunds publishes websites that help to educate and empower automobile consumers. If you're on in the market to buy a new car but have to trade in the old one, it would be in your best interest to use one of Edmunds online tools. Specifically, use to tool that calculates the trade-in value of your vehicle. Having this information before talking to a dealership can be the difference between getting optimal value for your trade in and leaving money on the table. Here's how to determine your car's trade-in value using Edmunds.
Visit the Edmunds website and click on the used car link to access the trade in section of the site.
Select the link entitled "Determine the value of your car" to begin determining your car's trade in value.
Choose the type of car that you're trading in. Edmunds has the cars listed in alphabetical order with hypertext links for each make. Select your make and then similarly select the year the car was made.
Select the model of your car and then select the style. The style is any way of further defining the characteristics of your car.
View the trade-in value and write it down. At this point in the process Edmunds will display the trade-in value for the car information you provided. While this trade-in value is all well and good it is not specific to your car in your area of the country. So, make sure that you've jotted down the trade-in value displayed and continue on.
Insert the vehicle details by selecting the "Sell" option, vehicle color and the number of miles from your car's odometer reading.
Include the optional equipment that your car has. The more features you car has the higher the trade-in value so take your time and make sure you include all of the optional features.
Tell Edmunds the condition of your car. This information is a little more subjective but be honest when selecting the condition of your car. If you have it in outstanding shape, which means you've detailed your car often, kept it running optimally, and it's clean inside and out then you can select outstanding. Most cars fall at the average or clean category.
Get the new trade-in value. Before you click get pricing report, confirm your zip code. You want to make sure Edmunds provides a trade-in value for your local area.
Compare the specific trade-in value to the general trade-in value. While this is not absolutely necessary, you can see where some auto dealers may use the general trade-in value (see step 5) for your car. Since you have specific details, make sure you print it and carry it with you to the dealership.
