Kelly Blue Book Sets Up On Internet

Here is an article from Wards Auto World on the impact that Kelley had when it came onto the Internet.

Used-car dealers beware! Consumers now have easy access to the retail and trade-in value of used cars, thanks to the Kelley Blue Book Internet site.

The site (www.kbb.com) opened six months ago with new-car retail prices and expanded two months ago with used car-values, and that is becoming quite popular among web surfers, says Steve Henson, the Blue Book's director of marketing.

"We get approximately 350,000 new-car price requests per month and in the first six weeks we had 1 million used-car reports," says Mr. Henson, "and both of those numbers are on a steep upward curve."

Kelley's web site covers 21 years of values on more than 15,000 used cars, trucks and vans. Unlike the Blue Book itself, which only offers prices on used vehicles in good and excellent condition, the web site allows consumers to establish a more realistic value of their older models. It asks the consumer whether the vehicle is in good, excellent or fair condition; its mileage; its engine, transmission and other optional equipment; and in what region of the country they live. The information gives traders and buyers solid and realistic numbers to take with them to a dealer.

"It's more realistic because they're doing their car rather than a hypothetical car, which is what is in the book," says Mr. Henson, who adds that dealers seem to appreciate buyers who come in with more information.

"So far, we're getting overwhelmingly good feedback from dealers," says Mr. Henson. "I think they'd rather work with a knowledgeable consumer than one who has a $10,000 car and thinks it's worth $15,000."