How to Price a Car on Kelley Blue Book

Shopping for a car can be a time-consuming endeavor. Whether you'll looking for a new car or a previously owned one that's simply new to you, it pays to do some research. Knowing the value of an automobile prior to a purchase or sale can save you time and money. For years, the Kelley Blue Book has been the industry-standard price guide for automobiles, and it's now available online as well as in print.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Use the Kelley Blue Book to Explore New Car Values

1. Determine the make and model of the new car you want to price.

2. Highlight and click on "New Car Pricing" at Kelley Blue Book online (see Resources below). On the following screen you may either choose the make and model of car from the provided drop-down menus or click on a category of car. The categories are labeled by type (i.e. sedan, hybrid or hatchback) and represented visually.

3. Click the appropriate picture to view a list of car manufacturers. Selecting one of the manufacturers will bring up a list of every new car model the manufacturer offers--along with pictures. Click on a model or return to the previous screen to select another make.

4. Take advantage of the drop-down menus when you know exactly what car you want to price. Click the "Go" button after selecting the information from the drop-down menus. This will bring you to a page that shows pictures of the two most recent years of the car model.

5. Select either the car's title or the "Overview" link to view an encapsulated summary of the available trims, transmission and engine types and MPG information. Other informational links to click on include "Pricing," "Photos" and "Reviews."

Use the Kelley Blue Book to Explore Used Car Values

6. Click on the "Used Car" tab at Kelley Blue Book online.

7. Enter the year, make and model of the car using the provided drop-down menus. Alternatively, select a body type from the pictures and answer the questions on the ensuing pages until you reach the value type screen.

8. Determine which type of value you want to see: Trade-in, Private Party or Suggested Retail Value. If you are looking to see what a dealer would offer you for your car, choose Trade-in. To see what your car is worth in a private sale, choose Private Party. The Suggested Retail Value will provide you with a dealer's reasonable asking price.

9. Click the chosen value and select the version of the car you want to buy or sell.

10. Fill in the vehicle details as accurately as possible on the next screen. You will need to know the mileage of the car, the ZIP code in which it resides and any additional equipment that it may have.

11. Click "Continue" when you have finishing configuring the car.

12. Read the vehicle condition descriptions and choose the one that best describes your car. While it's easy to determine when a car is in Excellent or Poor condition, it's not always as simple to distinguish between Good and Fair. Allay any uncertainty by taking the condition quiz.

13. Continue to the next screen to view the Kelley Blue Book value of the car. The suggested values for the top three conditions (Excellent, Good and Fair) will be displayed.

14. Toggle between the Suggested Retail, Trade-in and Private Party values of the car, using the provided links.

Tips & Warnings

• The information provided by Kelley Blue Book online is also available in print editions of the book. If you have multiple cars to sell or would like to do extensive research before purchasing, look at the print edition in addition to using the online version.
• Prices provided by the Kelley Blue Book are usually used as a guideline. Keep this in mind when working with dealers or private owners. Don't be hesitant to haggle!

Resources

• Kelley Blue Book online to price a car