What is Your Car Worth?

Hi All,

In the library world, one of the more popular and useful Reference Desk resources is the ever-popular (and well-used) Kelley Blue Book! Users have access to a whole multitude of resources on the KBB.com website - click here for the link. And, too boot, the site is free!  Read on for more information about the resources and tools available on the site.

On the sites' homepage, users can Price New/Used Cars, Check Your Own Cars' Value and See Reviews and Ratings of cars.

There are also links for Cars For Sale, Links to Car Awards and Top 10 Lists and a link with Research Tools For Prospective Car Buyers.

One of the best features of the site is the Car Review section. Users need to enter the zip code so that KBB can personalize the information they present - but once that is done users face a very helpful part of the KBB site. At the top of the page is an article titled (at least for now), 'Class of 2016: New Cars Ready to Roll'. Toward the bottom of the article, users see pictures of various cars - which are linked to an article and (sometimes) video of the car chosen.

Beyond that feature though, users can find cars that meet their specifications by using a set of drop-down menus.  Options on these menus include the 'Make', 'Model', and 'Year' (limited to either 2014 or 2015 at this time) of the car they are interested in.

Once the user finds a car of interest, various car topics are displayed. In the narrative are sections titled, 'You Might Like This Car If...' and 'You Might Not Like This Car If...' and 'What's New In 2015?'.  Interesting and clever way to present the information.

On the side of the page are tabs for the user to learn more about the car.  Tabs include 'Pricing', Compare Car with Other Cars, Photos/Videos, 5 Year Cost to Own, Specifications, KBB Expert Review, Consumer Reviews, Ratings and Rebates/Incentives.

Whew...that's a lot of information to digest!

So there you have it...an unbiased website dedicated to new and used cars...and the information is free, timely and the site is easy to get around!  Awesome!!

Finally, we have the hard copy of the Kelley Blue Book at the Reference Desk.  We keep the last few months or so of the books so users can see the price change (if any) of a particular car over the several months or so.

Good luck finding your new or previously owned car!

Regards,
Stu

Finding an Honest, High Quality Auto Mechanic?

Hi All,

I've got an interesting post lined up for today!  Its about car repair and mechanics!  What do you think the current average annual maintenance cost for a car is?  In 2011 it was $514 - in 2012 it was $537...click here for the article that gives these figures...(article comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics - a unbiased organized!) 

Click on this link from Consumer Reports which discusses the cost of vehicle ownership in 2012. 

And click on this link from the AAA - for an article entitled 'Cost of Owning and Operating Vehicles in U.S. Increases Nearly Two Percent According to AAA's 2013 'Your Driving Costs' Study'.

My point is that it can be expensive to own a car...repairs, accidents and insurance all take their toll and end up costing drivers money.

So, if you do need a repair, due to an accident or for routine maintenance, how do you find a qualified, honest car mechanic?  Read on for the answers!

Edmunds.com has an article titled, 'How to Find a Good Car Mechanic?'.  Click on prior title for link.
(Note that this article discusses Yelp, Angie's List, Google, Message Boards and the Edmunds Dealer Locator service to help users find good car mechanics.

But what are the qualities that you should look for that makes a good car mechanic?  Wikihow has a good primer - in 8 steps - that can start you on your way to finding a good mechanic. A blog/website called the Simple Dollar has an article called 'Finding an Auto Mechanic You Can Trust' (written in September 2014) and it practical for readers to follow!

About.com/Money has an article called 'How to Find a Good Mechanic' - common sense rules seem to be the order of the day in the article...

Finally, the Mechanics Files.com (which is part of a website called Car Talk - by itself it is a useful site...) has zip code finder.  Users can put in a zip code and auto mechanics in the zip code appear.  Reviews are available and auto mechanics are ranked by category:

They are always honest
They are competent
Their repair price is reasonable
They complete the work in a timely manner
They respond well when they screw something up
They take the time to explain the problems and necessary repairs
They treat male and female customers in the same manner
I would use this mechanic again
I would recommend this mechanic to others

Other facts you may want to know

They fix the problem the first time
The shop is located in a safe neighborhood
The hours of operation are convenient for customers
They are near public transportation (or provide loaners, shuttle bus, rides as needed)

Enjoy the links and I hope the repairs you have are inexpensive and easily fixed!

Regards,
Stu