"What is my car worth?"

That's a tricky question, my friends. And it's one that we get quite a bit. Even though I've been familiar with these cars for two decades I still don't consider myself an expert on pricing. However, it seems there are a LOT of people that need help when it comes to figuring out the value of their car. There are few resources out there for you. Well, I'd like to stick my neck out a bit and offer some solid, logical advice for evaluating your car. Sometimes all you need to do is see what's fair and go from there.

I'll give you a great example. A few years ago in my area, there was a gentleman who own a stunning 1988 black XR7. I'd see it once a year--at our local car show--and that was it. We eventually ran into each other, and he expressed interest in selling his car. Upon seeing it up close, I realized it was probably one of the most perfect XR7's I'd ever seen (or will see again). With just 22,000 miles on the odometer, you could literally eat off of any part of this car. It was stunning. He was asking $11,000 US for it. A year later the price dropped to $8,000 US. It finally sold two years after that for $6,000 US. Now, was it worth the original $11G? Of course! But it didn't sell for that much. There is a perceived value by the buyer which almost never equates to the seller's perceived value. That's a tricky situation, for sure, but there are ways that you can help level the playing field when it comes to putting a fair value on your Cougar.

The purpose of this page is to guide you through the steps necessary for compiling a fair market value of your Cougar. Note that we will NOT be held responsible for the information contained herein, and that you will compile the values at your own risk and liability.

For Cars 1985-Present

Since you are viewing this website via Internet access of some sort, you have access to powerful tools at your fingertips via some very well constructed websites. We'll show you how to use them as tools for comparative pricing.

U.S.: Auto Trader
Models covered: 1981-present
This is perhaps the best site out there for price comparisons. You may question why we've chosen to list a site that deals with used cars first, rather than sites that deal with actual car values. Fact is, Auto Trader is the biggest pool of cars that you're likely to find. Pricing within the site seems to regulate itself; think of it as "peer pressure". And in most instances, the prices listed are quite fair and reasonable for our cars. If there is a car or two that seems out-of-line with a price, it usually is.

Say you're selling a 1987 Cougar (LS or XR7). Here's what your quick search should look like:

Quick, simple, efficient searching at its finest. Notice that by selecting "Within Any Distance" you'll be searching across the entire U.S. for pricing...that's a good thing. In this instance you want a good, general idea of the pricing of similar 1987 Cougar LS models across the nation. Do not put yourself into a hole by searching for just a single state. Remember that all things being equal, the pricing across the nation will be in the neighborhood of true/actual. Compare the mileage, condition and options with yours, and you've got yourself a quick, easy, online reference tool for pricing of your car. There is also a Power Search option to help you narrow down your search more. It doesn't get any better than this.

Canada: Auto Trader
The Canadian equivalent of the U.S. site breaks things down by province, then by region within the province. This is very, very handy and assures you that you're getting the most accurate local pricing.

Canada: Used Cars Canada
Another great site for Canadians. A very easy-to-use search form provides all the criteria you need:

The ability to search by province is a huge plus as well.

U.S.: NADA
Models covered: Currently 1985-present
The National Automobile Dealers Association, or NADA, has been around for a long time. They publish a monthly guide of used car values that are used by dealerships and car auctioneers to determine values for cars. Now if you've ever been to a dealership and see the salesman pull something slyly out of the desk drawer, you can bet your bottom dollar it's the NADA guide. The thing about this mysterious guide is that dealerships want to try and fool you with it. They make you believe the NADA guide is just for them. In reality, you as a consumer have the same rights and privileges to use the NADA guide as the dealership.

Fortunately, with the Internet Age comes ease of use for getting your car's value at NADA's website. You don't have to hunt down a physical guide anymore, and you don't have to play games at the dealership either. With a few minutes of your time, you can have all the information needed at hand. Simply enter your information and up comes the values:

Note the Low Retail, Average Retail and High Retail values (explanations of each are provided on the site). One cool thing about NADA is that they will list certain desirable options or packages, and if your car has them, you add that number onto the values given. One bad thing about this: not all desirable options will be listed. For example, if you have a 1987 20th Anniversary Cougar, there is no way to determine the value of the car on NADA's site because it does not allow for the 20th model's additional features. So you have to take things with a grain of salt. Unfortunately you cannot use NADA as a sole guide for value because of this. But it does make for a nice experience, and it's well worth your time to check it out.

U.S.: Kelly Blue Book
Models covered: Currently 1985-present
This is another guide that is essential to car dealerships across the nation. Again, this website is easy to navigate and select the vehicle. But once you do, you're presented with this page:

Each section requires filling out the exact same information. This is not very user-friendly by any stretch:

Yet the end result is similar to NADA's criteria.
Trade-In Value (which would equate to NADA's Low Retail)

Private Party Value (NADA's Average Retail)

Suggested Retail Value (NADA's High Retail):

At this point, taking the KBB and NADA values and averaging them out would be wise, even if one's value is higher than the other's. Remember that even though you searched according to zip code, you want an average for the nation (unless you are strictly selling the car regionally). Now compare this averaged number to the AutoTrader.com numbers, and you're solidly in the ballpark for your car's value.

For Cars Older than 1985

Like it or not, at roughly 20 years old these cars are now considered "old", "classic" or "collector" vehicles. You can't be too offended when these sites don't list your car anymore! There are still some good resources for finding values for your car if they're not listed on the above sites.

U.S. and Canada: Collector Car Trader Online
This site has the same parent company as AutoTrader.com. Essentially it allows people to list their cars as collector vehicles no matter the age. It used to be, until a few years ago, that once a car model year was no longer valid on AutoTrader's site, it automatically got pushed into the Collector Car site. Since AutoTrader allows searching back until 1981, though, the Collector Car site becomes more of a supplement rather than a de-facto guide. It is rather nice that the site allows searching in both the U.S. and Canada, and you can easily tailor your search by price, region or nationwide:

Other Sources

Thanks to the Internet, you can find other sources besides the ones listed above.

Canada: Canadian Driver

Also, don't forget a Hemming's Motor News used car book, available at most major bookstores, or their companion website.

The Final Word

Obviously this will appeal to most car owners. If you have a car with unique options (i.e. fully loaded), or have a recognized specialty car (Blue Max, convertible, etc.), then these guides will probably show pricing that's not accurate for your model. What to do then? In all acutality the Internet will probably not be a good solution for you. You will need to have your car appraised by a certified appraiser and use that value for your purposes, whether it be for selling or for collector's insurance.

Remember that there is no right or wrong when it comes to evaluating your Cougar. It is, after all, a fair market and if you feel your car is worth more than the average price, then by all means, value it as such. But also remember that what you think your car is worth, and what others feel it's worth, may be two very different things.

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