No two appraisal guides offer the same value for a vehicle. You can check trade-in values to find out what your vehicle is worth to a dealership and private sale value so you know how to fairly price your vehicle. Or you can check the retail value, so that you do not pay too much for a dealership car. Edmunds and Kelley Blue book are widely used--check both sites and use a median of values to determine fair pricing. Appraisal guides do not consider current market conditions, such as the economy or gas prices.
Click on "Year, Make & Model" from the Used Car menu from the Kelley Blue Book homepage (kbb.com). Use the drop-down boxes to select year, make and model from the next page and put your zip code into the pop-up box to continue.
Choose the vehicle value you want. You can see other values from the results page so click on one type of value to continue. Choose the trim level from the results page.
Input the accurate mileage for the car. Review the options on the webpage--boxes with a check next to it signify a standard feature. Unchecked boxes signify optional packages or features. Choose the right features to produce an accurate value--some are worth thousands.
Read the condition details thoroughly and check the correct condition of the vehicle you're researching. Write down the correct value from the results page, or change values for the correct value results by choosing from the left-hand side menu.
Go to the Edmunds website (edmunds.com), and from the Used Car menu, click on "Prices, Reviews, Inventory." On the next page, choose "Determine the Value" from the right-hand side.
Choose the make of your vehicle from the Used Car Appraiser menu. Next, choose the year of the car on the next page and then the correct model.
Choose the level of the model. If you are unsure, check the vehicle for model labeling, such as LX, EX, SL or any other levels you see.
Input the exact vehicle mileage. Choose any extra options from the list, color and vehicle condition. Click on "Get Pricing Report" when complete. Choose from the private, retail or trade-in value from the chart and write the value down.
Add both the Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book values together and divide by two for a fair estimation of the vehicle's value.
