A car value guide is only an estimation but what many people don’t realise is that it can also mean much more than that. It is an insight into an industry’s current state that should allow the person to then do much more and have a good impression of what sort of money their car should command. This can put other valuations in context, particularly if they were significantly below the price that was initially expected. It may also convince the seller to use a different means of selling their car – if they were going to sell to a dealer or use it as a trade in, they might decide to sell privately because of the likelihood they could gain more money from that. It can also help the seller to pit different dealer valuations against each other to see which one is the best. They might, for instance, offer a slightly higher price for a car if it is as part of a trade in.
All of this necessitates some in depth knowledge about the car so that an online used car price guide can be more accurate. For these services the user will most likely have to pay since they require more resources to be reliably provided. It might include the vehicle’s exact mileage, standard fit and extras, as well as any damage to the body of the vehicle. Getting three prices back for the trade in, private selling and dealer retail price can allow the seller to moderate their expectations of the car’s worth.