I use Glass’s guide, the industry standard, although many Dealers find the C.A.P. book just as informative.

Parker’s Guide, is probably the most well known of the private sector off the shelf valuing guides, but I personally think this falls a little short of the mark compared to the bonafide trade guides.

As for how we as dealers are valuing the market place, I think that comes down to personal experience and very careful reading of the market as a whole.
I tend to visit two or three Auctions a week and keep in touch with various Main Agents, again on a weekly basis, plus i speak daily to the many trade contacts i have made over the years.
It doesn’t take much in the current climate to spot “Trends” in the market place, although Trends tend to come and go even in a buoyant economy, to some extent valuing is instinctive, you “just know” although that doesn’t mean we get it right every time!

On the auction circuit and when a dealer is asked to value a trade-in the differences in price can often be at their most confusing. For instance if you were to look at a guide for a late Vauxhall which had a book price of £9,000 in some cases that car in today’s market would struggle to make £6,500 so it is easy to see how dealers are erratic with their pricing.

Although they need to sell cars to keep in business the flipside is that paying too much for a part exchange, which could potentially cost them more than the profit they may make by selling the car in the first place, is commercial suicide.

This means that most dealers are being extremely cautious.
The only way to obtain a price at present is to actually have the car underwritten securely before any sale is agreed which then brings it back to what someone is prepared to pay!
I think its called survival of the fittest and maybe the bravest!