Kelly Blue Book

When it comes to buying and selling cars, one authoritative voice stands tall above the rest - "the blue book". Or as it is officially called, the Kelly Blue Book. Kelly Blue Book (KBB) is in the business of appraising the value of automobiles. Blue book value means the number the KBB shows for your year, make, and model of car. This is especially valuable in the market for used cars, whether you are selling or buying from a private party, or looking for fair trade in value from a dealership. In fact, dealers would often quote blue book prices when offering you a trade in, to show how fair they were being. Kelly Blue Book has largely moved their service onto the internet these days, with readily available price quotes for new and used cars.

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Kelly Blue Book Facts and history

The first question everyone always asks, what is a blue book? KBB started almost a hundred years ago in Los Angeles, where Mr. Kelley had a car dealership. To find used cars, he put together a circular listing what kind models and makes he wanted, and what prices he was willing to pay. Over the years, the list/book grew and grew and became a trusted resource in the car industry for valuing used cars - and yes, they were printed with a blue cover. KBB mainly served the car dealership industry until the 1990s when they began publishing car guides for consumers. Over the years they also added new car prices and dealer invoice and MSRP data, along with prices on all kinds of vehicles like motorcylces and RVs.

Kelly Blue Book website

The official Kelly Blue Book website is easy to find and easy to remember - KBB.com. They have a terrific site, and the good news is that is free for consumers to use and browse as they shop for new cars or used cars. The site is easy to navigate, with a few key sections: New cars, used cars, reviews and ratings, and financing and insurance. Under the new car section, they offer a plethora of information such as invoice, MSRP, and new car blue book values for every make of car -- Acura, Toyota, Mercedes, Jaguar, Cadillac, Chevrolet, VW, Honda, Ford, etc. Simply select a brand and model (or search by type, like SUV, sedan, pickup, wagon, van, hybrid, etc. ), then punch in your ZIP code for local data (and I'm sure targetted ads based on your local buying situation). You then select the year you want to see, and the basic model (LX sedan, etc.). This brings you to the main data screen for that car, with pictures, links and contact info for local dealers (told you they needed that ZIP code!), basic cost and finance information, and links to the good stuff -- the price with optional equipment screen. This breaks out the dealer and invoice cost for all the packages and options you can select for that car, the kind of stuff a car salesman doesn't want you to know. You can then select and price out options to get a car configured just the way you want.

Kelly Blue Book Used Car Prices

Used car pricing was the foundation for KBB, and it still shines as a great, free, online car resource. Again, you simply punch in year, make, and model of the car you are interested in finding pricing on, then fill out details on the car in question - condition, options, mileage. You can get price estimates based on how and where you will be buying and selling the vehicle - trade in value (amount you could expect a dealer to give you for your used car), private party value (price you could expect to pay or receive from a 3rd party), and suggested retail/dealer value (what price they would sell the car TO YOU at). Again, you can get pricing on any make or model of car, for any year. Kelly Blue Book is a must stop site for people planning on buying a new car, buying a used car, or selling a used car.

The Review and Rating section is also a great car buying resource, with information on various car types - compact, luxury sedans, large SUVs, etc. They cover the leading models in each group, with information on new models, pricing, options, and definitions of various terms (ULEV, Navi, HEMI, ABS, VTEC, etc.).

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