by Daniel J. Gansle

Created on: November 04, 2008   Last Updated: November 16, 2008

Okay, so you want to sell your car. Where do you start? And is it better to sell your car on your own through newspapers and the Internet, or trade it in at the dealership?

We've all heard that selling your car privately will put more cash in your pocket because you can set the selling price higher than what the dealership would offer you on a trade-in. While that's true for the most part, it also boils down to convenience.

Do you really want to expend the time and money it takes for advertising, and invite complete strangers out to your home to see the car? Do you have the needed cash to fix and clean up the car to give it that almost-new look? And do you want to deal with the hassles of title transfer when the car is sold to someone you don't know?

We'll take a closer look at the question of trade-ins versus private sales in a moment. But first, let's look at how to determine your vehicle's value by using the Kelley Blue Book online.

Using Kelley Blue Book to Estimate Your Vehicle's Worth
Estimating the price of your vehicle using Kelley Blue Book (KBB) is essential to any successful car sale. Using the KBB valuation as a baseline, you are assured that you are neither overestimating nor underestimating your price point. Thus, you can accurately assess the estimated pricing for your used car to get a quick sale and to ensure you get the most money possible on the transaction.

When using KBB's free online vehicle valuation service, you will have to estimate the condition of the vehicle as excellent, good, or fair. Excellent is typically reserved for used cars 3 years old or less and means the car is in like-new condition. Most used cars fall under the good category, which means it may have some minor problems such as a scratch, slight wear on the fabric seats, or minor rusting. Fair means the car has more serious problems such as dents, rust, mechanical problems, excessive tire wear, or accident damage.

Kelley Blue Book has been the trusted source of information on used car pricing for over eight decades. Since a young, enterprising Les Kelley published his first Blue Book of Motor Car Values, millions of consumers and auto industry insiders have relied on his accurate valuations of used motor vehicles.

Assessing Your Vehicle's Private Sale Value
Let's say you decide to sell your car on Craigslist. Here's how to assess the private sale value of your vehicle using the KBB website:

1) Point your Web browser to www.kbb.com. Note the many features of the site: car reviews

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