Black Book vs. Blue Book Trade-In Valuation

Want to value your trade when it’s time to upgrade your Jackson, WY vehicle? BMW of Idaho Falls can help! We use a black book calculator to provide you with the most up to date trade-in estimates and offers to drivers in Bozeman, MT looking to maximize their car’s value. What is the trade-in value meaning when you compare black book vs. blue book? BMW of Idaho Falls would love to explain the difference to you! The main difference is being used by the consumer or the dealer to judge price.

What is Blue Book Value?

Trade-in valuation provided by Kelley Blue Book is often shortened to “blue book” trade-in valuation. A lot of car dealers and most consumers use it because it’s free and doesn’t need a monthly payment to access. The trade-in value meaning comes from the four categories each vehicle is slotted into: excellent, good, fair, and poor. With this having been said, Blue Book valuation sometimes comes in higher than what’s considered normal or fair, especially if you’re purchasing a new vehicle. As such, if you want to value your trade-in, you might not get as much as the Blue Book valuation would suggest, which might appear a bit misleading to drivers in Butte, MT.

What is Black Book Value?

What is black book value? Black book trade-in valuation is commonly used by dealers including us at BMW of Idaho Falls. It provides a more up-to-date information set about car and truck transactions when compared to Blue Book value, meaning it’s most likely more accurate. Why’s this? It’s because black book updates the dealer invoice price and MSRP of vehicles weekly.

Black Book vs. Blue Book Trade-In Value Meaning

Black Book and Blue Book values serve different purposes for different parties. Here’s our breakdown of the main differences between black book and blue book for your convenience.

• Black Book: Used more by dealers. Provides the most accurate information, especially for new cars, because of weekly updates.
• Blue Book: Used more by consumers because it’s free. Offers a graded scale for vehicle condition from poor to excellent. And with KBB Instant Cash Offer, you get more convenience.

Value Your Trade with Us

We don’t like to mislead customers in Idaho Falls, which is why we use black book values to provide the best possible picture of your car’s value. We’d love for you to fill out our value your trade calculator to get a preliminary estimate of what your vehicle’s worth. Contact us today to get a handle on what your next vehicle purchase will be like.