Allyson Palagi

Official Kelley Blue Book

What is Kelley’s Blue Book?  Started in 1918 Kelley’s Blue Book started as a way to easily find the value of used cars.  In 1966 a new car price book was released.  1992 desktop software was introduced to dealers to better price and advertise used cars.  1993 the consumer version of the Kelley Blue Book is published and became a best seller featuring 15 years of cars.  In 1995 kbb.com is launched.  2006 Kelley Blue Book celebrated its 80 th anniversary.

Kelley Blue Books Helps Consumers answer the following questions…

Using Kelley Blue Book  We are going to look at two examples and go step by step through the Kelley Blue Book website  First we will look at “What should I pay for a new car?”  Second we will look at “What’s my current car worth?”

What should I pay for a new car? In this example we are using a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro

Step 1

Step 2 If unsure of model/style click the “compare style” button. The 51,500 mileage calculation was picked by Kelley Blue Book to help compare average mileage/price.

Step 3 Here you can click “Price without added options” Or you can choose options, such as steering, breaking, entertainment and wheel style features. You can also choose from accessory packages.

Step 4 Pick from the various options of ways to buy in order to see what is the expected price one could pay for a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro.

Step 5 Various options on this page help you make better purchasing decisions: You can change where you buy your vehicle from You can see the fair purchase price You can locate nearby cars You can see what others paid And you can look at similar new cars and the price difference

What’s my current car worth? In this example we are using a 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue

Step 1

Step 2  As you can see many of the screens and options are similar throughout the Kelley Blue Book website.

Step 3 As you can see the options on step number 3 change with the make and model of the car you are looking at. This example is based off of an old family car, so picking the different options that the 1999 Intrigue had is especially useful when trying to find its worth.

Step 4 When selling to a private party, Kelley Blue Book asks the user to choose what type of condition the car is in. The condition of the car will effect the value that Kelley Blue Book assigns the car. The five different conditions are: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor Kelley Blue book does not provide prices for cars in poor condition

Step 5 Various options on this page help you make better selling decisions: You can change where you want to sell your car You can see the prices of cars in different conditions You can place an ad to sell your car And you can look at similar new cars and the price difference

What else does Kelley Blue Book do? Kelley Blue Book can help users find:  Local car dealers  Car reviews  Car awards  Top ten lists  Automotive industry coverage  Research cars  Figure out how much a car costs over five years  Find information on financing and insurance  Check credit scores  Discover rebates

Questions?  For any questions about Kelley Blue Book’s website feel free to ask after the class  Feel free to me either to set up an appointment or just ask for more help 

Sources  Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. (2014). Official Kelley Blue Book. Retrieved from Kelley Blue Book Official Guide: