How to Use a Blue Book

The Kelley Blue Book has been around since 1918 and has continued to provide trade-in values and suggested retail values to car buyers and sellers ever since. Although the traditional "blue" book is still in print, technology and the emergence of the Internet has brought Kelley Blue Book online. Users can now search using the vehicle's year, make and model to find out exactly how much their vehicle is worth all within a few minutes and with a few clicks of the mouse.

Instructions

1

Find out details about the vehicle such as make, model and year. If you know the specific details, click the "Search by: Year, Make & Model" to begin a detailed search. You can also search the Kelley Blue Book website by the body type.

2

Select the year, make and model from the drop down menu and click the "Go" button.

3

Enter your zip code to see the value of the vehicle in your area.

4

Select the type of value you wish to find out about the vehicle: trade-in value, private party value and suggested retail value. The trade-in value is the approximate amount a dealership is willing to give you to put toward another vehicle. Retail value represents a reasonable price for the vehicle if you want to buy the vehicle. Private party value represents a reasonable offer if you wish to sell your vehicle as a private owner.

5

Select the details of the engine, transmission, mileage, trim and equipment.

6

Choose the vehicle's condition and press "Continue."

7

Wait for the site to generate your trade-in value. The "Blue Book Trade-in Value" will appear with the condition and value of the vehicle.