How to Use Edmunds Blue Book Used Car Appraisal Guide

Use Edmunds to see what a vehicle's worth before making a car deal.

Edmunds (edmunds.com) is a popular website for selling and buying used vehicles. Edmunds can also be used for finding out what a vehicle is worth. There are three appraisal values that consumers can get for free using Edmunds: trade-in, private party and dealer retail pricing. Trade-in value is used for the amount that a car dealer may give a consumer for selling a vehicle to the dealer. Private party value is used when an individual sells a vehicle to another individual. Dealer retail pricing is used to determine the selling price from the dealer to the consumer.

Instructions

1. Go to the Edmunds website. From the homepage, click "Used Cars" from the top title bar.

2. Select the vehicle make, model and year from the three drop-down menus located in the second box from the top under the "Appraise a Used Car" heading on the left side of the page. Enter the zip code where the vehicle is located and then click "Appraise It" in the blue link box.

3. On the next page that appears, click "Appraise Your Car" in the blue link box positioned to the right of a photo of the vehicle you selected.

4. Scroll down to "Customize Your Appraisal." Click on the appropriate circle for the style detail of the vehicle from the list. Scroll down and enter the vehicle mileage. Select the vehicle color. Click on any optional equipment from the list. Click on the appropriate circle for the vehicle condition. Click on "Get Pricing Report" in the blue link box.

5. Choose the appropriate price for your needs under the "Trade-In," "Private Party Sale" or "Dealer Retail" headings.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the Edmunds appraisal system before listing a car for sale.

• Edmunds can also be used to appraise factory pre-owned certified vehicles.

Resources

• Edmunds Used Car Appraisal