Is KBB stupid?

czeetah

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2014
Location
Mountains, NC
TDI
2014 Passat 6MT / Opera Red
Is Kelly Blue Book stupid?

Trying to figure out some business taxy stuff.

Went to kbb to do a "what's my value"

It's telling me my 2014 (3-4yo) passat TDI SE with a manual and 28000 miles is worth between 18.7 (lowest condition) and 21.2K (excellent shape)

And of course I'm like, uh, it was $21.5K new (don't count taxes, reg, etc.)

Where can I go to get a real value? And not "oh I looked on e*bay" but something you could show to the taxman and go "oh look, this reputable reference XYZ said this, here is the printout of the online appraisal"
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
VW TDI car values were frozen when diesel gate came out, so that is your true value if you got in a wreck, glad kbb is keeping up on that as they normally do not- a friend totaled his 2006 dodge diesel and kbb shows the value at 15k when you cannot find a used one in the same condition for below 25k, so he pretty much lost 10 thousand bucks because some chick with a dirty window got sun glare and hit him head on.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
that's the value KBB assigned to it, call your insurance for "totaled" value, prob going to be much much different
 

pdq import repair

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Location
idaho
TDI
09 Jetta
I don't know about where you live, but out here in the wilderness all the car dealers and banks and insurance companies use NADA values. I share a building and lot with a large used car dealer and when I mention KBB value he says "forget that number, let me get you a real value." He also will do a carfax to see if there is a reason to alter the number he gets.

He says that it is a numbers game and they all play by the same numbers. There can also be local popularity and rarity, or other factors to skew numbers but the numbers all start at the same place.

I know around here the TDI values are higher than book for a car on the lot. People will and do pay extra for it, and they don't stay on the lot long, if they even hit the lot. I think the book values are based on real sales and will eventually catch up. The blue books are updated quarterly and based of previous quarters values so the time lag could be 6 months to a year at best, and don't really reflect geographic data that much.

If you need a tax value I would take the number most beneficial to you and try to defend it if needed. Rather though, I suspect they have their own book values and you should ask them which book they use in order to be "audit safe". They have to tell you as a matter of public record disclosure.

Otherwise, buying or selling a car, you can use the numbers that give you the best advantage with no penalty other than conscience.
 

jjblbi

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2000
Location
lbi, nj
TDI
2014 Passat SEL TDI
When buying or selling a used car you can consult KBB, NADA and Edmunds pricing guides. Depends if you want a high number or low number. You could always average the values, I doubt anyone could argue that result.

You also have VW's buy-back pricing. Although maybe inflated, it is a real world standing offer for your vehicle.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
They didn't freeze the Audi TDI value. The value that it shows on my Q5 is really low. You won't find one for sale at the price KBB shows. I hope they buy them back because the Buyback value is more than the new MSRP.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Why wouldn't you use the initial cost and apply a depreciation schedule? And do you really think the IRS is going to question a car's valuation on your return? I'd pick a number your accountant feels is reasonable and defensible and let it go at that.
 

Mr. Furious

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
North Carolina
TDI
None
They didn't freeze the Audi TDI value. The value that it shows on my Q5 is really low. You won't find one for sale at the price KBB shows. I hope they buy them back because the Buyback value is more than the new MSRP.
Same with mine. The "very good" condition trade-in value on the 2013 Passat TDI SEL that I just had bought back came up at $12,180. My buyback amount was around $20K before adding in the additional restitution amount.
 

rollcoal

Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Location
Connecticut
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL
On 10/26/15, I checked the KBB value on my 2013 Passat TDI SEL: 30k miles, private sale, very good = $19,812. Just checked again today (7/1/17): 59k, private sale, very good = $20,058. It's tough to understand how I can put 29k on the car and the KBB value is the same. Supply and demand?
I found a 2015 Passat SEL with 56k today in Michigan. Dealer is asking $22,670 so it could be that KBB isn't too far off and it makes me believe that my car still has some value.
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
kbb is pretty crazy, shows our nms being well above market values while showing mint condition diesel pickups at 15K lower than actual values
-see my post above
 

nord

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Location
Southern Tier NY
TDI
All turned back to VW. Now a 2017 Hundai Tuscon. Not a single squalk in 10k miles.
Just an aside...

Bought a '13 SEL Premium for a bit over $28k out the door on 4/15/13. VW will buy back this Thursday for just slightly less than $30k. Tell me I didn't hit the lottery!
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
These vehicles are very difficult to valuate right now due to the buyback, restitution payments on salvage title vehicles, and the general frenzy surrounding TDIs.

Initially, values were in the tank because nobody would touch them with a 10-foot pole. After VW announced the buybacks, their values crept up steadily as people were buying them at auction and from salvage yards to turn around and flip back to VW. We're still seeing those lingering highs due to the settlement, combined with generally high demand for whatever leftover TDIs are still on the market.

KBB isn't really stupid - just caught in the middle of a very unusual and unprecedented time in automotive history. I think diesel pickup trucks will experience similar market fluctuations over the next few years.
 

New Mickey

The user formerly known as mickey
Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Location
Utah
TDI
2015 Passat
What KBB says and what the real world says are two different things. The industry expects VW to take a HUGE hit on TDI lease returns because they expect the resale value to be horrible, due to the scandal.

This is an unprecedented situation and I don't think there is any way to determine the value of a "cheater" TDI unless you actually sell it.

-mickey
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
This is an unprecedented situation and I don't think there is any way to determine the value of a "cheater" TDI unless you actually sell it.

-mickey

Insurance will know, and it will be wayyyyyy under that KBB value. If anyone is willing to under cut values it'll be the insurance value on a totaled car.
 

jdyno718

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2015
Location
Colorado
TDI
2012 VW Passat SE Manual
My 2012 SE manual with 114,000 is valued near $11,000. I don't know what your talking about KBB being too high...
 
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