[trader220]

Originally Posted by jcommin

That's the gift of used cars. They are hard to shop against as opposed to buying a new one.

New cars have posted prices and details for optional equipment.

A used car- you have know idea what price point it was bought at and no two cars are equiped exactly alike as well as the condition or mileage.

When I look at buying a used car, I look at the price it was sold at and not the asking price. The NADA book values are close to real values as opposed to KBB or Edmunds.
Ebay is a good place to see how much a car sold for.

I don’t think eBay is all that great for valuations. Look at the completed auctions section and see how many times you see the same car that appears to have been sold and gets relisted.

I agree KKB and Edmunds are not of much help in many cases. If you’re looking for a late model Camry or Honda KBB is spot on. That’s because if you live in a fair sized metropolitan area there will be at least 700 to 1000 listed for sale on the internet within 75 miles of your zip code. KBB uses an algorithm which looks at the data on hand and values the data closest distance wise to you. If you’re looking up what your 2003 Audi A4 3.2 manual sedan is worth there may only be 5 to 10 listed anywhere in the country therefore KBB’s “trade in value” is pretty much a guess. Don’t forget that condition plays a bigger and bigger role in the values the older and more miles any car has on it.

I agree new cars are a commodity, every dealer has the same cars or can get you the same car pretty quickly. Used cars are typically 1 of 1, since no two will have the exact same mileage, scratch or crease on the seat. If anyone tells you their used car is "flawless" you can laugh and keep looking.