Kelly Blue Book Versus Wholesale Prices
Question From Anne: How much can I expect to get for trade in value of 2001 Buick Lesabre with 150,000 miles in good condition? What is difference between blue book and wholesale price? Thanks
Queen of the Road: Hi Anne. Welcome to AutoBragBlog!
Kelly Blue Book (www.kbb.com) is an excellent resource for consumers to find pricing information on what their cars are worth. Unfortunately, the system is a bit skewed in that the prices for “excellent” condition are used by dealerships to sell used vehicles. On the other end of the spectrum the “fair” to good” prices are utilized to by dealerships to purchase your used vehicles. This is the general perception.
However, the real secret is the dealership will match the car being traded in or sold to them by looking up the wholesale prices. This would allow the dealership to gain an advantage where they can “flip” the car easily if they buy them cheap enough from the seller. This is why AutoBrag has been such an incredible resource for people looking to buy or sell used vehicles. Our excellent staff has helped thousands of people on AutoBrag Blog save literally thousands of dollars.
Does this mean that Kelly Blue Book is not useful? Absolutely not… however we do think that using KBB in conjunction with AutoBrag Blog leads to a better understanding of what a used vehicle should be bought or sold for.
For a 2001 Buick Le Sabre Sedan Limited with 150,000 miles, wholesale prices range from $3,400 (being in above average condition) to $2,000 (being in average condition) and $700 (being in below average condition).
A fair range for a dealership sell it for +12%-14% more than wholesale, so their estimated retail prices could range from $1,300 to $4,300. A private seller will usually aim to sell it for 5%-10%.
Here’s a good article to read before continuing: 7 Steps To A Smooth Car Sale. Craigslist and AutoTrader are good places to start. Mention that you have all your maintenance papers available and present them to potential buyers to prove that the car is well-maintained. Let me know if you have any further car questions. Goodluck with the sale.
