Used Car Book Values

"Blue Book pricing!" "We're selling below Blue Book!" "Get true Blue Book value for your trade-in!" Whether you're buying or selling a car, truck or SUV, you can't get away from what we'd call Blue Book mania. At one time the Blue Book value was a used car insider's term like 'cream puff' or 'cherry', but today the phrase is, uh, all over the lot.

The Kelley Blue Book has become one of the major merchandising devices of modern vehicle selling. From used car lots to new car dealers, they all claim to sell cars at or below Blue Book while buying your trade-in well above Blue Book!

What, actually, is a Blue Book? Who started this whole arbitrary pricing bible? How accurate are they and how do they get their numbers? Most importantly, do they provide truly valuable information to help you get the best deal, whether you're buying or selling new or used?