Ok, by now you've had a chance to familiarize yourself with www.kbb.com and hopefully found a trade-in value for your vehicle. Once at the site you moused over to the right of the page where it reads "Used Car Values." From here it is self-explanatory that you find your particular vehicle's category on this page, click it and then you're prompted on each successive page to select a make, model, year, etc., until you reach a page that prompts you to select the Kelley Blue Book value. On that page you want to select "Trade In Value." This will begin the prompts to find out the starting figure most dealers will use to value your vehicle towards your next purchase. After selecting the trade-in value button you will input the vehicle's trim (such as LX, EX, SLT, SE, etc.) and equipment (to inlcude miles on the odometer). Don't just guess on these items. Inputting your vehicle as an LX rather than an EX while mistakenly guessing at the miles and forgetting to include something as simple as a roof rack, could cost you hundreds, if not thousands, in trade-in value. After these prompts you'll be directed to the page where you select the vehicle's condition. This is where you want to rate your vehicle as "Good." Most vehicles fall into this category and once you select it you'll still be able to see the comparison price between Excellent, Good, and Fair on the final "Trade-In Value" page. And that figure, your trade-in value, is the starting point for negotiations that will ensue once you start the auto-buying process.

One note to remember is all the money you may have spent on aftermarket products for your vehicle may not equate to added value to your vehicle when it comes to trading it in. Why? Think about it-everybody has different tastes. What you thought was cool or slick may have worked for you but may not work for the dealership. It's easier for a salesperson to sell to everybody than to find the right person for that one vehicle. So, the less aftermarket gadgets that aren't from the original trim package or auto maker and that are on the vehicle the more of a headache to re-sell for the dealer. Bottom line: aftermarket gadgets don't mean squat to a dealership.

This is the first step in the Research part of the "knowledge battle" between you and the sales force you'll be going up against. Just knowing what your vehicle is worth up-front will save you time and money in the long run. For now we're discussing the research part of the auto-buying process so print out or save the "Trade In Value" somewhere because you'll need to reference it later.

So, now you've spent this time defining how much your automobile is worth. In my next post I'll point out how you can find out how much YOU are worth. That's right, knowing this and knowing before you embark on the auto-buying journey is critical to your success. I'll show you what I mean. Until then, happy information gathering.