YOU CAN COLLECT ESTIMATES ALL DAY. EVENTUALLY, SOMEBODY HAS TO ACTUALLY BUY THE CAR.
You decide you're ready to sell your car, so naturally one of the first questions is: What's this thing actually worth?
Most sellers start online, and there's nothing wrong with that. KBB, Edmunds and other online valuation tools can be useful places to begin your research. In fact, we'd absolutely call them starting points. They can give you a general idea of the range your vehicle might fall into based on the information you provide.
At CarBuyerUSA, however, we tend to call those numbers guesstimations.
That's not an insult to the calculators. It's simply recognizing what they are designed to do. They're estimating a vehicle's potential value using data, algorithms and the information you enter. They aren't necessarily telling you exactly what someone is prepared to pay for your particular car today.
WHY CAN KBB, EDMUNDS AND OTHER VALUES BE DIFFERENT?
Each valuation service has its own methodology and data. Enter the same year, make, model and mileage into several different tools and you may receive several different numbers. Condition also creates a gigantic gray area. One owner's definition of “excellent” can be another person's “good,” while somebody else is clicking “excellent” despite the bumper scrape, worn tires and check- engine light glowing like a Christmas decoration.
Your vehicle also has details that can affect how buyers view it: trim level, options, mileage, accident history, mechanical condition, maintenance, modifications and current market demand. An online simulator can certainly help establish a ballpark, but a ballpark is exactly what it is.
KNOW WHAT KIND OF NUMBER YOU'RE LOOKING AT
Not every vehicle value you find online represents the same type of transaction, which is another reason sellers can end up thoroughly confused.
Number You Found |
What You're Actually Looking At |
|---|---|
KBB valuation |
A useful guesstimation based on KBB's methodology and the information
entered |
Edmunds appraisal |
Another useful starting-point estimate using its own data and methodology |
Generic online
calculator |
A ballpark estimate; quality and methodology can vary considerably |
Dealer advertised price |
What a dealer hopes to receive from a retail buyer |
Private-party asking
price |
What another owner would like someone to pay |
Trade-in estimate |
An estimate based on trading the vehicle toward another purchase |
Online automated
estimate |
A computer-generated figure that may not fully account for the vehicle's
actual condition |
Price from an actual
buyer |
A number connected to someone interested in purchasing your specific
vehicle |
That last distinction is important. If you're genuinely trying to sell, eventually you have to move beyond researching estimates and find out what an actual buyer thinks the vehicle is worth.
AND PLEASE DON'T VALUE YOUR CAR FROM ONLINE LISTINGS ALONE
Here's another easy trap: you find a vehicle online that's the same year and model as yours listed for $31,500, so yours must be worth $31,500 too. Not quite.
You're looking at an asking price, not necessarily a completed sale. You also don't know everything about that vehicle, what the seller owns it for, what reconditioning was performed, how long it has been advertised or what it will eventually sell for.
Two vehicles that look identical in an online listing can have completely different histories and conditions. Mileage, trim, equipment, previous accidents, mechanical issues and even how the vehicle has been maintained can separate them quickly.
USE THE GUESSTIMATIONS — THEN GET A REAL NUMBER FROM A REAL BUYER
Do your homework. Seriously. Check KBB. Check Edmunds. Look at comparable vehicles. Those resources may give you reasonable expectations but then you recognize that number is completely out in left field.
Just don't spend three days collecting estimates when your actual goal is to sell the car.
That's where CarBuyerUSA comes into the picture differently.
With our team, you can get your vehicle value in 20 seconds, without providing your phone number or email address just to see what your vehicle may be worth. CarBuyerUSA isn't simply another website giving you something interesting to write down. We're a nationwide vehicle buyer. We've been purchasing vehicles for 14 years, have bought more than $1 billion worth of vehicles and have a 4.3-star rating. You also aren't required to buy another vehicle from us because we're not trying to turn your sale into a trade.
We're interested in buying your car. If you move forward with the sale, we'll work through the vehicle's actual details and condition with you and guide you through the process. We come to the seller, with same-day payment for drop-offs and next-day payment for courtesy pickups. So absolutely start with KBB and Edmunds. Use them as the guesstimations they're intended to be and educate yourself before you sell.
Then, when you're ready to move from researching your car to potentially selling your car, head to CarBuyerUSA.com.
The calculators can help you get an idea. CarBuyerUSA will help you get the car sold.
