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About the Kelley Blue Book

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Related Tags: kelley | blue | consumers | book | cars

Instructions

History

Step 1:
Creating the Kelley Blue Book car market value guides became the full time business of the Kelley family in 1962. Before then, the family operated dealerships selling both new and used cars. This set them up in the perfect position to be excellent evaluators of the going cost of vehicles.
For almost 40 years before selling the dealership, Les Kelley distributed a list to other dealers of cars that he wanted to repair and sell. This "list" became the standard for analyzing the appropriate market value of a vehicle based on Kelley's reputation. The natural offshoot of this list was creating a regular publication that provided up-to-date vehicle pricing information for both sellers and dealers alike.
In 1993, Kelley provided its first consumer edition of the Kelley Blue Book for cars. In 1995, the company started a website charging $3.95 per pricing report. After many customer complaints, Kelley Blue Book decided to make pricing reports free and generate revenue from advertising on its site instead.

Significance

Step 1:
Kelley Blue Books are used to accurately evaluate the worth of a vehicle. This service is now available to everyone on the Internet and greatly aids consumers with valuing vehicles for sale. This guide provides customers with three pricing values of a vehicle: trade in value, private party sale value and suggested retail value.

Trade-in value reflects the costs expected with trade-in to a dealer. Private party value is the cost for buying a vehicle from a private seller. Suggested retail is the price reflects the dealer asking price.

Features

Step 1:
Kelley Blue Book offers a range of services for consumers. Not only can you get an accurate value for your own vehicle based on your location but you can also evaluate new cars. Kelley Blue Book breaks down vehicles by year, make and model. Consumers can conduct searches by categories such as sedans, SUVs, minivans, or hybrids.

It also offers vehicle comparison features and fuel economy comparisons to aid consumers in their purchases. Kelley also provides a classified vehicle sale section listing provided by Autotrader.

New and used cars are valued based on the options on the car, mileage, condition of the vehicle and geographic area. This allows consumers to establish a ballpark value for their vehicle or any vehicle they might purchase.

Considerations

Step 1:
Kelley Blue Book allows consumers to make an adequate assessment of their vehicle value in preparation for sale to a dealer or private party. This service also educates consumers on the current costs of new and used vehicles. Kelley provides additional resources in the form of articles on buying and selling cars, insurance, and many aspects of vehicle sale and maintenance.

Additional Services

Step 1:
Kelley Blue Book also offers consumers extensive new car review and ratings. This comprehensive section of their website can assist buyers before purchase. In addition, it offers a complete section of evaluating gas mileage on a vehicle to show fuel efficiency to aid you in choosing a practical car. Kelley also provides Carfax vehicle reports for assessing the history of a potential purchase.