The king of used car data, Kelley Blue Book, has a brand new feature at its widely-used website, www.kbb.com. It is the Cash for Clunkers Calculator, a tool which may drive business to your station. It will assist consumers in determining the value potential of their old car. The feature is sponsored by Ford.
The Calculator covers 20 years worth of automobiles, everything released from 1989 through 2009, taking into account make, model, condition, and mileage. The key, of course, is getting a good read on the vehicle’s MPG, which determines its eligibility for the Cash for Clunkers program and may have a bearing on what new car can be selected to replace it.
The KBB Calculator also provides the Kelley Blue Book trade-in value of the model, so the consumer can determine if it’s worth it to participate in the program. Obviously, nobody would want to turn in a $5K vehicle to get a $4.5K credit from Uncle Sam.
"While the conditions of the new Cash for Clunkers program can be confusing, kbb.com provides a means of assisting consumers to determine eligibility and help get them into their next new car quickly and easily," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.
The site apparently is less helpful when it comes to selecting a new car. Unless you’re interested in something from the official sponsor of the Cash for Clunkers Calculator, Ford Motor Company, which will be using the site to promote its “Let Ford Recycle Your Ride” campaign.
RBR/TVBR observation: If we were running a station right now, we would be pushing this website anyway we can think of, particularly on our own website, and we would be communicating that fact to every dealership within range of our station. And this goes double for dealerships in competition with Ford.
