Auto Black Book

Seeking an auto Black Book valuation for your vehicle? Here’s a look at Black Book values, where to get them, and how to steer clear of online websites who just want your personal information.

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National Auto Research, a Hearst Publishing subsidiary, publishes the Black Book. To obtain Black Book auto valuations, you can subscribe to the Black Book. This organization offers numerous subscription products, and you can choose to have Black Book values updated to your cell phone or PDA. Black Book values are often sought first as they are considered the wholesale value of the car, or what a vehicle would sell for at an auction.

To keep Black Book values up-to-date, employees search up to fifty dealership-only auctions such as Manheim every day. A Black Book subscription will cost you over $100 and is updated weekly, and Internet subscriptions will run you between $100 and $400 depending upon the update and upgrade options you choose. You can visit the Product Page to see subscription offers or call their toll-free number, 1-800-554-1026.

Short of visiting a dealership or used car lot that is a Black Book subscriber, there is only one place online where you’ll find free Black Book auto values, CarQuotes. On the CarQuotes website, you must enter vehicle information as well as condition, accessories, and options, a replacement vehicle, and contact information including an email address and telephone number. Once all your information is entered, CarQuotes will email you a Black Book value.

Keep in mind if you use this route, CarQuotes will inform subscriber dealerships of your name and telephone number based on the replacement vehicle information you entered. For example, if you say you want to replace your trade-in with a Honda Odyssey, CarQuotes will give your information to a Honda dealer who subscribes to their service. Dealerships often use CarQuotes as a selling tool.

According to both Edmunds and auto sales experts, Black Book values are wholesale or auction values. Most online valuation websites like NADA or AutoTrader will give you three values:

• Retail – This is the value of your car if you were to sell it on your own.
• Trade-In – This is a value a dealership or used car lot would most likely give you for a trade-in value.
• Wholesale – This is a wholesale or auction price.

Auto Black Book values can be handy if you plan to work with a dealership or used car lot who visit auctions weekly. With a Black Book auction value in hand, you can ask a dealer or used car lot to try and obtain the vehicle you want at the auction. If they can obtain the vehicle you want at an auction, and at the Black Book value, most dealerships and used car lots will expect to make between $1,800 and $2,200 on the vehicle. This means that the price you pay will not be the Black Book value, but you can negotiate.

There are many factors to consider when seeking an auto valuation. Beyond exterior and tire condition, the vehicle's mileage, equipment options, and the area where you live all play a large part in determining value.

Leo Marquez, a sales manager at a Ford dealership in New Mexico tells us, “Even if your car is in mint condition and has low miles, if I already have four of the exact same car sitting on my lot, I’ll offer you a lower value. On the other hand, if I want or need your car, I may offer you a little more.”

Mr. Marquez warns us that people should take online valuations, including Black Book values with “a grain of salt.” You will have a little room to wiggle either up or down, but don’t expect to pay the exact value you obtained from an online source.

“If we know we won’t be able to sell your car pretty quick, we’ll only give you a wholesale price for your car. That price is based on what our wholesaler will give us,” Mr. Marquez points out. “If you’re armed with an auto Black Book value, visit a dealership or used car lot at the end of the month. The end of the month is when we really need to hit our sales goal numbers and chances are, you’ll get a better trade-in value then.”

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