At Handy Chevrolet of St. Albans, VT, our goal is to see that every customer gets the new Chevrolet or used car that fits them perfectly.  This means our dedicated sales staff looks at each specific customer, not as a part of the entire customer base but as an individual with situations that are unique to them - from needs and wants to car loans and financing, there are literally millions of choices along the car shopping process and we want to help you make along the way.

To help you with the payment of and large investment that is a new Chevy or used vehicle purchase, our VT Chevrolet dealership has teamed up with Black Book Online, a trusted name in the automotive industry for almost two decades.  By using Black Book Online, you can get an estimated value range for your trade-in vehicle based on several different criteria which are separated into three easy steps:  describe your vehicle, optional equipment, and your contact information.

To make this trade-in process as simple as possible, here are a few tips in case you get stuck.  Remember, the more information you put into the form the more accurate the trade-in value range will be.  This is never a guarantee, but it will help you ballpark the amount you can afford when shopping for a new Chevy or used car.  Further, using the trade-in value the Black Book Online Trade-in Form above gives you in conjunction with our financing calculator tool, you can come into our 699 Highgate Road, St. Albans, VT 05478 location with more knowledge than ever!

1. Describe the vehicle you want to trade-in
• Year, make, and model - this is pretty self explanatory.  Use this broad starting point to tell the Black Book Online Trade-in Calculator if you have a 2009 Chevy Malibu or a 2003 Toyota Corolla.
• Series or trim - Do you have a Malibu LT, a Malibu LS, or a Malibu LTZ?  The letters at the end of this are the "trim," where as the 2010 Traverse North Country Edition would be a series.
• Style - sedan, coupe, convertible, SUV, minivan, truck, etc.
• Color, mileage, ZIP code, and optional equipment - again, these are all pretty straightforward, however here's a couple tips.  First, color is not a huge factor here, however it helps us to determine resale figures (for example, do we have 15 red Malibu sedans or zero?).  The ZIP code refers to your ZIP, and it's important for factoring in local used car climates; make sure you type this in accurately!  Finally, mileage and optional equipment are your real bargaining chips.  Obviously a 2011 Malibu with 2,000 miles will be worth more than one with 20,000 miles, and a simple typographical error can really change the outcome.  Further, a 2007 with 5,000 could be worth more than a 2011 with 20,000.  Add in the optional equipment like navigation, SiriusXM radio, CD players, all-wheel drive, etc., and things can really look different in the end.
2. Select the options and condition of your trade-in
• Exterior and interior - are there any dings, fabric tears, or damaged glass?  Does your trade-in vehicle have rust?  Contrary to how most people's psyches work, make sure you're as hard on your car as possible so you get a realistic figure.  If you have rust but you think to yourself it's not bad, don't click no rust - when you bring your car in we'll see it unfortunately!
• Select any mechanical problems - this part of the form is a big deal, because frame damage, busted struts, or even a broken door handle must be fixed at our cost if we want to resell the vehicle.  As before, be as precise as you can and you'll get the best figure.
3. Let us know how to contact you - needless to say without this part we don't know if this is John Doe's car or Jane Smith's SUV!  Make sure you give us a valid email address and then check that email for a confirmation letter within 20 to 30 minutes of your submission.  If you haven't seen it, check your junk mail folder.  If it still doesn't show up, contact us via email or at 888-295-5380 and we'll see where the problem lies.

And just like that, you're done!  In just a few short minutes you will get an estimated value range for your trade-in.  Well it's not guaranteed, so what good is it to me? is a question we hear quite frequently, and while that is certainly the case, the importance of the Black Book Online vehicle trade-in valuation system is that it gives you an idea as to what your trade-in vehicle is worth.  Let's face it, you don't fill out a financing or car loan application for a $60,000 vehicle without at least having a clue as to whether or not you can afford the payments, right?  The same applies here - the Black Book Online Vehicle Trade-in system gives you a quick reference as to the general amount your car is possibly worth, allowing you to be a more educated consumer!  When the system tells you your car is worth $3,000 to $6,000, you can skip over to the financing calculator and input the low end and high end estimate.

For more on the Black Book Online Vehicle Trade-in system go ahead and try it out!  There is absolutely no commitment on your behalf, so even if you simply want to see what your vehicle is worth, give it a try!   If you need assistance with the Black Book Online Trade-in form, send us an email, give us a call at 888-295-5380, or during business hours (8am to 7pm Monday through Friday or Saturday 9am to 5pm) try our live chat system to send an instant message to a Handy representative.