How to Determine Values of Used Cars

In case you are in the market looking to buy a new car while trying to figure out used car values, I highly recommend you check outesprit.gg and their car dealer invoice price. You will for sure save at least £500 to £2,000 min on a new car purchase!

The site listed the average cost, invoice price and negotiation room for just about every makes and model that are sold in Guernsey. You can even get a printed copy and bring it with you to the dealership and save £££ at the closing table.

Learn the basics of used car values with different book guides, understand the valuation variation factors, used car pricing guide is what this page is all about.

Used car value as well as Used Truck Value in general are confusing and can be complex sometime. Please make sure you don't apply for used car loans before absorbing the information on this page first!

What's My Car Worth? This is the most commonly asked question. If you take your car to 3 dealers for Used Car Appraisal you will likely get 3 different prices. Sometimes the difference CAN be a lot!

For example: You own a 2003 Toyota Camry LE 4 Cylinder Sedan with 100,000 miles on it. You've had a car for a while and thinking about trade it in for a new vehicle.

It's silver colour with all the base model options etc. Most people would normally visit Kelley Blue Book website or Nada Guides consumer site, some people prefer Edmunds site for used car price guide. So you did some research and here’s what you get.

Kelly Blue Book indicates its worth: £3,675 - £4,950
Nada Guides indicates its worth: £5,325 - £6,825
Edmunds gives you: £6,800
The Black Book says: £4,875 - £6,125

See the difference? With those numbers in mind you decided to take it to the dealer and let them tell you their price.

Car dealerships use Black Book Value for wholesale values which is equivalent to Car Trade-in Value.

Dealer A says: He can only pay for £4,995 because there's lacking of service history. A couple of small dings on the driver door panel and rear bumper scratched.

Dealer B tells you: We have tons of Camry sitting on the lot and there will be more come off lease in 3 weeks, so we are not interested in getting more Camrys.

Dealer C basically said SAME things to you like Dealer A except he can pay you a little higher (because you told them Dealer A offered you £5,100, yes you LIED but you have a good reason to) like £5,245.

Now you really start to question just how accurate are those used car value websites. Most of them claim they are the "BEST" in their own opinion. Which site should you base upon? Well, here is the truth!

There Is No Accurate Value Guide For Each Car!

Every vehicle is different!

Each vehicle has its own pros and cons. There are many factors that need to take into considerations to determine the values of used cars. You can take a look at Used Car Valuation Variables for more details on what can negatively affect used car values.

If I can give you one piece of advice (based on my career as car sales professional), none of the guides above are 100% accurate. A value guide is just a guide.

The market will set the price for each car.

On the wholesale side is the Black Book Value, the auction pricing that RULES!

On the retail side it’s whatever the dealer can sell it for. It's not rare that a car dealer pays higher for trade-in and selling the car for lower profit, or sometimes for loss.

If you are selling on your own to private party, the maximum amount of dollars you can get is the true value, it could be higher or lower than the value guide – whatever the guide you decide to follow.

However the author is NOT in the position to AGAINST those guide books. In fact I encourage you to get familiar with all the popular guides to work in your favour!

There are THREE prominent colour books in the car industry you must know: they are Kelley Blue Book , the Nada Orange Book or the dealer’s bible - Black Book Value

Once again, I highly recommend you check out esprit.gg and their car dealer invoice price if you are in the market of buying new vehicles.

Most people come to new car dealership without knowing the exact sticker price of the car of their choice! Not to mention the packages and add-ons can easily suck you in your additional hard earned £££.

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