--- title: How Much is That Used Car in the Window? description: To get a much more pleasant used-car-buying experience, do some research ahead of time on these sites. image: https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/file-2655031925-jpg/images/Howtocalculatethecostofacar.jpg --- [![MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2.png?width=464&name=MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2.png "MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2")](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) Filter by Category** - [Show All](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) - [Security](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/security) - [Personal Finance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/personal-finance) - [Auto](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/auto) - [Business](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/business) - [Credit Score](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-score) - [Home](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/home) - [Credit Cards](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-cards) - [Life Changes](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/life-changes) - [Insurance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/insurance) - 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[Pets (1)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/pets) - [dormant account (1)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/dormant-account) - [inactive account (1)](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/inactive-account) # How Much is That Used Car in the Window? ** [Hanscom Federal Credit Union](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/author/hanscom-federal-credit-union) ** Mar 23, 2015 ![](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/file-2655031925-jpg/images/Howtocalculatethecostofacar.jpg) My son is graduating from college in May and he needs to buy a used car. He has absolutely no experience buying a car and I have very, very little. So where did we turn for help? The Internet, of course. Fortunately, there are lots of great sites that provide invaluable information, including: - The price you can expect to pay, - The condition of the car, - Number of cars available in your area, and - What you can expect to get for *your* car if you’re selling it. You can even view pictures and read detailed descriptions of each available used car. Some top sites include [Kelley Blue Book](http://kbb.com)**, **[Edmunds](http://edmunds.com)**, **[Car Gurus](http://cargurus.com)**, **[NADA Guides](http://nadaguides.com)**,** and [Auto Trader](http://autotrader.com), just to name a few. They’re easy to use and very helpful. My son and I used Kelley Blue Book because I like the way the cars are broken down by categories and organized by their physical and mechanical condition. **Here****’s how it works:** Just enter the year, make and model of the car you’re interested in buying and from whom you’re buying it — a dealer, a third party or certified pre-owned. You’ll be given a choice of “conditions” for the car, the best being the certified pre-owned and the most variable being from a third party (conditions range from Fair to Excellent and are priced accordingly). If there are specific options you’d like — heated seats, navigation or DVD systems — be sure to enter those, too. You also have to enter your zip code so you can get an accurate look at what the car is worth in your area. Here’s what I found when I searched for a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu LS Sedan (the car my son decided he wanted).   | Condition | Dealer | Third Party | Pre-Owned Dealer | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Excellent |   | $9,839 |   | | Very Good |   | $9,413 | $11,920 Range $11,269 - $12,570 | | Good | $10,870  Range $9,632 - $12,107 | $9,012 |   | | Fair |   | $8,374 |   | Because of all the great photos, we were able to virtually look at lots of cars from the comfort of our kitchen table. We talked on the phone to quite a few people, too. It was time consuming but time well spent. After we reviewed everything, we felt confident with our decision to buy and how much to offer. In the end, my son and I learned a lot and thought the process was pretty painless. **Here****’s an important lesson we learned:** Read through the condition breakdowns carefully so you’ll have a good idea of what you’re getting. And buyer beware: never trust this information completely. You’ll need to do some close examining, in person, to determine the actual condition of the car, both physically and mechanically. (It’s best to get a mechanic to look it over if you’re buying from a third party.) Next time you’re in the market for a used car, check out one of the sites listed above. By putting in a little research ahead of time, you’ll have a much more pleasant used-car-buying experience. And BTW, my son is psyched about his new used car and I’m happy because I know we paid a fair price.   [![auto financing eGuide](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118438/5587989c-94d8-4e01-824b-67ec95dff028.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118438/5587989c-94d8-4e01-824b-67ec95dff028) ** [Auto](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/auto) [** Employee Financial Wellness Impacts Your Business Growth ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/employee-financial-wellness-impacts-your-business-growth) [** Before You Structure an Employee Wellness Program, You Must Read This ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/before-you-structure-an-employee-wellness-program-you-must-read-this) ### About Author ![Hanscom Federal Credit Union](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/HFCU-Profile-1000x1000.jpg) Hanscom Federal Credit Union Hanscom Federal Credit Union, a purpose-driven $1.9 billion organization based in Littleton, MA, empowers its members to achieve financial wellness. Hanscom FCU serves over 95,000 members across the country and overseas through 16 branches, over 100,000 surcharge-free ATMs, 5,000 contact centers, and a web-based branch. 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The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. 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The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ### Popular Posts [What You Need to Know About Putting Your Home in a Trust](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-putting-your-home-in-a-trust) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20-%202022-02-10T072804.753.jpg) [What You Need to Know About Your Federal Tax Bracket](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-your-tax-bracket) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20-%202021-03-22T123305.900.jpg) [6 Boat Types to Get on the Water](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/6-boat-types-to-get-on-the-water) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/Jet_Ski.jpg) [23 Organizations Dedicated to the Needs of Seniors](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/23-organizations-dedicated-to-the-needs-of-seniors) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Senior%20citizens.jpg) [9 Smart Moves for Lottery Winners](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/lottery) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/lottery_winner.jpg) ### Recent Posts - [![National Credit Union Administration](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NCUA-logo-small.png?width=95&name=NCUA-logo-small.png) ](https://www.ncua.gov/) [![Equal Housing Lender](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/EHL-logo-small.png?width=65&name=EHL-logo-small.png)](https://www.hud.gov/fairhousing) - @ 2023 [Hanscom Federal Credit Union](https://www.hfcu.org/) - Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.hfcu.org/content/docs/Privacy_Notice.pdf) **Disclosure:** Hanscom Federal Credit Union does not provide and is not responsible for any products, services, or overall website content available at any third-party sites linked within this blog. 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Please consult the privacy disclosures on those linked sites for further information. ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Hanscom Federal Credit Union" }, "dateModified" : "November 10, 2020, 2:46:40 PM", "datePublished" : "2015-03-23 17:11:00", "description" : "To get a much more pleasant used-car-buying experience, do some research ahead of time on these sites.", "headline" : "How Much is That Used Car in the Window?", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/118438/file-2655031925-jpg/images/Howtocalculatethecostofacar.jpg" }, "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://go.hfcu.org/blog/how-much-is-that-used-car-in-the-window", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/118438/Logo%202.jpg" }, "name" : "Hanscom Federal Credit Union" } } ```