The Internet is a wonderful tool for helping find a new vehicle; you can compare features and prices, even negotiate your purchase price. But the plot thickens when you have a car or truck to trade in. The retail asking prices you’ll find when looking to gauge your vehicle’s value can be misleading. Not only do they represent what the seller wants for their ride—as opposed to true market value—they also don’t necessary take into account such variables as color and options, and most especially condition. Complicating matters is that there is more than one bluebook. NADA and Kelley are the two big ones, yet the same vehicle routinely varies thousands of dollars between the two. Make sure you’re looking at the one used in your region of the country. There is no way to really know most vehicle’s condition without seeing it in the metal and driving it. Even experts in the wholesale side of the business miss things. And services like CARFAX are no substitute. We’ll cover these topics more in the future. For now, let’s discuss if you should trade it in or sell it yourself. The biggest determinate ...

Just what is an automotive broker? He or she basically serves as a ‘buyer’s agent,’ helping to arrange every part of the vehicle transaction, and watching out for the best interests of the client. The three major parts of this are the finding and securing of the appropriate new or used car, truck, or SUV; shopping any trade-in to maximize its value; and arranging the finance or lease package. If someone has enough time, they can do much of this for themselves. However, the bottom line is that dealers negotiate hundreds of deals per month, and normal folk do it on average every three to four years. A professional broker does enough volume per month to negotiate discounts through the fleet departments of new car franchises, and can make sure the savings are great enough to cover their fee and still be a great deal for their client. And, since they work in the business on a daily basis, they are often intuitively aware of changes in the market, and how they can affect people. Not just at purchase, but when it’s time for to trade in as well. Another advantage to using a broker is ...