If you have a car that you want to sell, you will need to determine the price for which you want to sell it. The most frequently used guide for determining a price for used cars is the Kelley Blue Book. The Blue Book contains the suggested prices that are commonly accepted by the automobile industry and provide the benchmark prices used to write a price for used cars.
Obtain a copy of the Kelley Blue Book or navigate to the publication's website. The Blue Book website is free to use, and you can purchase the book from stores such as AutoZone, Walmart, Barnes & Noble or Borders as of 2010.
Locate the automobile in the Blue Book. The cars are listed in the Blue Book by make, model and year. If you are using the website, you must enter your ZIP code and the "choose the car value" category. The Blue Book is broken down into four values: "Trade-In Value," "Private Party Value," "Suggested Retail Value" and "Certified Pre-Owned Value." Choose the "Private Party Value" to obtain the value of the automobile for a private sale.
Select the automobile's options. Enter the mileage and choose all of the car's options to get the most-accurate suggested price.
Choose the condition of the car. There are four options: "Excellent," "Good," "Fair" and "Poor." Select the condition that most accurately reflects the condition of the automobile.
Adjust the price. After you have entered all of the information, the Blue Book price will be displayed. Using the price as a guide, adjust the price up or down depending on how quickly you want to sell the vehicle or the price that you think you can get in your geographic area.
