KBB and NADA have nothing to do with "REAL WORLD" value.
They are nothing more than tools written and used by Insurance Companies and Auto Dealers to increase their own profits.
Sometimes (accidentally) the numbers are close, but most of the time, are worlds apart from what something is worth on any given day in a given market.
Trade your H1 in at a car dealership (they give you $200.00), and I guarantee you'll see that same bike on ebay for $3000.00 2 days later. How it "gained" $2800.00 in "value" in that 2 days is a mystery....
From age 16-20 I worked at a large Chevy dealership as Used Car "lot kid". Started out washing cars, and then later as "lot manager" coordinating maintenance, auction runs, keeping the lot straight (starting and moving 100+ cars EVERY DAY!). By the end,
I was setting the prices on all of the used cars on the lot. Which was basically
Trade-In + refurb costs (if any) + (minimum) $3000.00. Salesman would come to me to ask "how much do we have in that one", as only I and the Used Car manager had access to the log book. Too much "power" for a 17 year old kid making $8.00/hr to have.....
Most of the $$ was made on lowball trade-ins and little (if any, other than a LOF..lube,oil,filter $15.00 and detail $50.00) "refurbishment". They have a full blown service department, but would have me running cars over to the local "Midas" or "Jiffy Lube" as the costs were so much lower.
I saw a lot of "bad behavior" in those 3 1/2 years. Everything from snorting cocaine in the bathroom, to outright robbing people by knowingly slamming them into vehicles they couldn't afford and bragging about it proudly.
Out of probably one hundred different salesman/women that came through the doors when I was there, only a handful were honest and had integrity. I cant even begin to tell you how many I drove home or had to pick up due to multiple DWI's, etc (Including the managers).
Some were merely vague in their answers to "issues" with vehicles from potential customers, but most just outright lied with a smile on their face.
The sleezy used-car salesman stereotype is rightfully earned...and I look at the NADA and Kelly books in the same light.
I don't know if the "biz" has changed since I was there (over 20 years ago), but it was a job that I'm happy to have had.. Especially when its time to buy a used vehicle.....
BUY PRIVATE PARTY!!!!!
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