Blue Book values...how accurate are they?

[Chris B.]

I have a 2008 Volvo S40 that is a total piece of [censored]!!!!!!!!! It has been in the shop 8 times in the 7 months I have owned it. I want to get rid of it. It is fully loaded with 7,500 miles on it and KBB has trade valued at $21,300 and NADA has it at $23,300. If I went to a Honda, Chevy or Toyota dealer could I expect them to give me between 21 and 23K for it if I buy car from them? Thanks guys!

 

[The Critic]

Lemon law it? In short, KBB is worthless. It's a joke. KBB gives car owners a warm fuzzy feeling by telling them that their cars are worth way more than they are actually worth. Galves and Manheim Auction values will give you the most accurate and up-to-date information on vehicle pricing. KBB does not update their pricing guides frequently enough to reflect the constant changes in pricing. If you post your vehicle in this thread, one of the members who's a salesman at a dealership will tell you how much your car is worth on a trade-in: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ee9c851 If I had to take a guess, your car is probably worth about $20k on trade-in.

 

[crinkles]

with our "red book " system down here i think the values listed are more like replacement values. So if it lists 14k then that is what buying a replacement from a dealer would cost. but, the dealer will only give you say 9k

 

[Cutehumor]

didn't you have problems with a chevy camaro too? or is that another chris?

 

[mrsilv04]

Any vehicle is only worth what someone else will give you for it. Blue book, black book..... they're called "guides" for a reason.

 

[ClarkB]

 Originally Posted By: The Critic

...Galves and Manheim Auction values will give you the most accurate and up-to-date information on vehicle pricing. KBB does not update their pricing guides frequently enough to reflect the constant changes in pricing...

To use their information, must one become a member or pay a fee? Clark

 

[Chris B.]

 Originally Posted By: Cutehumor

didn't you have problems with a chevy camaro too? or is that another chris?

I had a Z28 but only had piston slap......other then that it was a great car.

 

[Chris B.]

Mine is a T5 AWD fully loaded with every option. Ihope I can get 20K+ for it because that is wht I owe.

 

[bretfraz]

 Originally Posted By: ClarkB

 Originally Posted By: The Critic

...Galves and Manheim Auction values will give you the most accurate and up-to-date information on vehicle pricing. KBB does not update their pricing guides frequently enough to reflect the constant changes in pricing...

To use their information, must one become a member or pay a fee? Clark

Galves - Have to pay for a price report. Manheim - Must be a car dealer or have dealer access to data. The auction data is not available to the public. One thing to remember about Galves: It's focused primarily on the NY/NJ metro region and the NE in general. The further you get away from the area, the less accurate Galves info is. And MRSILV04 is right, these are only GUIDES, not bibles. If their numbers get you in the ballpark, they've done their job.