Black book car values can be found in the black book established in 1955 by a group of three business associates. These men who were from Gainsville Georgia were said to be car lovers who attended public auctions to increase their knowledge of the values of used cars. Funny enough these men were really not auto technicians or related to the car industry in any way.

Alternatives to the Black Book when looking for used car values include the Kelly Blue Book and the NADA. A few institutions recommend these other two but black book car values are still being used by a reasonable number of used car dealerships even though this system is now approximately 53 years old. Whichever you choose may serve you well. The major difference though is that you may be able to obtain Kelly Blue Book and NADA car values for free but as for black book car values you'll have to pay a subscription fee.

You can have a one year subscription updated daily or weekly. If you subscribe for the daily update, you'll probably have to pay around $397 annually while the weekly updates will cost you around $298.

The Black Book is good to use if you are looking for a good retail value for your car if you plan on selling your car on your own. Only use trade-in Black Book Car Values as a guideline. It can also serve as an excellent guideline for Wholesale used car values.