Edmunds.com has a lot of information for the car owner when it comes to buying or selling new and used cars. This articles focus is on their pricing report for used cars and trucks, also commonly referred to as a bluebook price guide. Edmunds.com lists trade-in, private party and dealer retail price values. This article further details the meaning of these three pricing categories and how to use Edmunds.com Pricing Report.
How to Use Edmunds.com Used Car Pricing Report
The following instructions are a step-by-step tutorial on using the Edmunds.com Pricing Report. From the home page
- click on “used cars” from on the top title bar
- on the second bar click on “appraise a car”
- choose a vehicle make from the list
- select a year
- select a vehicle model
- select a style
- scroll down and choose:
- vehicle details (mileage, color)
- select optional equipment
- select vehicle condition
- input zip code and click on “get pricing report”
Edmunds.com Trade-In Value
The trade-in value is the price that a car dealer would give the consumer when they trade-in their vehicle. Normally this is the price the dealer would give when the car owner trades in their older vehicle for a new car or higher priced used car. In most cases the trade-in value received is used as a down payment for another vehicle.
Some dealers may even buy a car owners used car even if they don’t purchase a vehicle from the dealer. If a dealer buys a used vehicle from an individual, trade-in value is what’s normally used.
Private Party Bluebook Used Car Value
Private party value is used as a guide for individuals that sell a car or truck to another individual. If someone is considering selling a car to another individual, the private party value should be used to determine what the car is worth. If an individual is considering buying a car from a dealer, selling the vehicle to a private instead of selling it to the dealer (trade-in value) could result in a higher down payment.
Dealer Retail Used Car Value
Dealer retail value is the price that’s used when the dealer sells a vehicle to an individual. In many cases the dealer buys a used vehicle from an individual at the trade-in value and sells the used vehicle at or near the dealer retail value. In some cases the dealer has certain reconditioning costs and other expenses in order to bring the vehicle up to a particular standard.
Besides Edmunds.com there are other popular bluebook car-pricing guides that are also popular. Kelley Bluebook is a popular pricing guide and is one of the few guides that also shows factory certified used car values. NADA is another popular guide that is commonly used by car dealers. If looking for trade-in value, NADA may be a better option because its popularity with car dealers.
James Clausen - Clausen received a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration in Automotive Management and Marketing at Northwood University, graduating ...
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