Kelley Blue Book Reviews 253

Big time waster. KBB Instant Cash Offer listed a few dealerships making offers on my car. Called the first one and of course they said "come on down". Arrived at the dealership and they said sorry we're unable to make you an offer. Wiser now after having wasted my time with the first dealer, I called the second dealership to grill them before coming out. They also decided they were not interested-which saved me from another wasted trip. A third dealer admitted that he would only honor the KBB Instant Cash Offer if the car was in "mint" condition. As best I can decipher, the KBB Instant Cash Offers were too high for them to make a profit from.

I should have read these reviews before I used this SCAM program. Filled in the appropriate info about my truck on the dealer web site. Got an offer for my vehicle. It was reasonable. Visited the dealer and they said they couldn't give me the KBB price but hit me with a low ball number. Ganley Toyota, Akron, Ohio. I would advise you avoid KBB and this dealer. THIS PROGRAM IS A SCAM.

Was given my Instant Cash Offer for my 11 month old GMC truck of $42,027 by KBB through Mathews Honda, the local participating dealers website. I returned the dealers call and was told I’d be contacted. I was, and the dealer, without inspecting it, offered $35,000.
This is simply a paid for by the dealer scam to get you in a dealership, and get your contact info on the dealers call lists.

I’ll be selling to Carvana instead.

Received an “instant cash offer” from Kelly blue book of 26084 for my 2014 Jeep Wrangler rubicon unlimited. After a few text and phone calls from the recommended dealership to visit from a dealer named Jimmy of Arizona CDJR Show Low. I met with one dealer who performed the appraisal then the second dealer “Jimmy” who I originally made contact with. Was asked what I wanted for the Jeep, I said the KBB value of 26084 to payoff my loan with the lender of 23643.00. I was offered 25,092 on paper originally due to the age of Jeep and odometer reading 84106, l decided to settle for that amount. After some back and forth with their manager and service manager behind closed doors the first dealer who took the appraisal came out and offered me 22000.00?? Because of some work that needed to be done underneath the Jeep according to their service manager! No verification, no list of fix it’s to be done, given to me on paper which brought down the value even more. And I had to pay the rest of the payoff to my lender!! Needless to say I was not a happy camper to put it lightly, thanks but no thanks! I’m not that desperate CDJR ShowLow dealership!

KBB provides what appears to be a useful service. However, it isn't. I went online to get an "instant cash offer" for my 2020 Cadillac CT5 Premium Luxury sedan.
PROS:
1. The instant cash offer arrives in approximately 3 minutes.
2. Dealers will almost immediately contact you via email and phone to schedule you taking your car into get it appraised.
CONS:
1. Cash offer is a gimmick to get you to walk back into a dealership.

In this case, my car is approximately 20 months old. It has 17500 miles and is garage kept. No accidents, dents, dings, or cracks? I went straight down the window sticker when inputting data in KBB. Offer came in at $44,196. I went to Turan Foley at the designated time, waited about an hour for numerous people to, you know, review the car, and then they made me an offer of $41,000. Apparently, your KBB instant Cash Offer, is not an actual offer at all, even when your vehicle is exactly as described.

This partnership is simply a scam! Don't waste your time.

I tried the Instant Cash Offer for a 2005 Ford Excursion I have for sale. It's a hard-to-find vehicle and somewhat in demand. I'm priced at the very low end of KBB private party sale already (to sell quickly). I had detailed pictures and thoroughly described the condition. I received no offer price on the "Instant" Cash Offer, not even a range. It just said I needed to bring it to one of two dealers they listed.

When the dealers contacted me, I directed them to my Autotrader ad with 27 detailed pictures and tried to ascertain whether they were even in the ballpark of my asking price. I understand they need to see the vehicle in person. But I'm not taking half an afternoon off and exposing myself in the middle of a pandemic without some kind of basic meeting of minds on value. As soon as I tried to get some clarity, they stopped talking to me.

This experience makes me really question the validity of this "service". It feels like they were just trying to get me in there so they could lowball me. If there was at least a reasonable offer range I would have taken it in for appraisal. But providing no data at all - and then going dark - makes it feel like a scam.

Kelley’s Blue Book Instant Cash Offer is a scam and not honored by any dealership, no rules or any guidelines described in the offer is followed, honored by dealerships. The Instant Cash Offer is promoting bait and switch practices and should be revoked and prosecuted by deliberately misleading public by false advertising. This is a crime.

I obtained a KBB instant offer for my 2017 Sonata SE with 30k miles. It was an immaculate car. I took it to Toyota of Orlando, Fl. After 4 hours of wheelin and dealin I drove out in a 2022 Corolla lease for 36 months and a check for almost what I paid for the car two years ago. I know there were a lot of magic numbers involved but I am pretty happy about the situation. After all it is car sales. It goes back to the caveman days. Buyer beware and do your homework. I have never left a dealership feeling like I won something. If I did I would have a stroke. However I am really pretty amazed at what I got from my choice. It was really pretty close to KBB. I am only giving a four because the KBB was not perfect but I never expected a full price offer from any dealer in the world. What I expected was that if I got the KBB then they would just jack up the price of the car and add-ons. You have a linear equation with a left and a right side. If they add to the left then they take from the right and visa versa. Made a deal that appeared pretty even this time. It was a blue moon event. I will not expect that ever again. However in addition at the end of the lease if I buy the car it is $2000.00 less than if I paid cash today. Therefore if I add the $2000.00 then to the $15,300 they gave me today one could say I actually got $17,300.00 which is only off by $248.00. However I got free $100.00 floor mats and three years of free routine maintenance. So...my magic numbers say I won but I can't believe my eyes and I am not smart. Live well. Peace

Went on line to get an instant cash offer, had 2 dealers offer $19500k through the site, before I could even take the car in, the first dealer sent a text with $18k but bring it in so we can see it. It's a scam. Second dealer said there is nothing holding them to the price. it's just a way to bring you in so they can offer you wholesale.

It would be nice to use the sight but the ad blocker notification is in the way. No way to use the site at all. Instead of placing a blocker banner up preventing use, just have the ads run in windows on the screen as the user scrolls down. Modern up to date site are doing it. Or do like video sites do and just have the ads run automatically every 90 seconds. Until then, this site will be avoided.

Doug was amazing I originally called about a vehicle he had it ready and in the front when I arrived! They made sure everything went well and smooth so I could take the car home and call it mines. I wouldn’t have asked for my experience with Doug or the dealership any other way. The dealership was nice and clean with people who were ready to happily help you. They also have drinks and refreshments for their customers which is amazing and a great gesture to customer service. I would definitely recommend this dealership and take my vehicle back for all it’s maintenance needs in the future!! Thank you Colorado Auto Finders you guys are truly amazing and a blessing!

I normally don't spend my time writing reviews. But I couldn't help it this time. KBB should not be in business at all. they are the worse set of people along with their exploitive dealers. They are liars and they waste people's time and gas. It totally unfair what KBB and its associated dealers do to innocent people who want to sell their car(s). I entered my VIN and all accurate information. With my VIN, KBB also verified the details of my vehicle and made me an offer of $14,000 plus. The dealers instantly began to contact me. I drove all the way - close to an hour drive to Toyota dealership in Burleson BLVD only to be told that the most they can offer is $3,000. What a bunch of liars - set out to waste people's time and gas money. So sadddddddddd for them. I wish I could give a minus zero star...I would have gladly done that.

Unfortunately I could'nt give zero stars. Total BS offer for my vehicle. KBB made an "instant Cash Offer" of almost $9500.00. I contacted their recommended dealership and spoke to their representative who was provided ALL information on the car that I intended to sell. After driving and hour and $20.00 in gas, I met with their representative, who, after having told me what great condition and low mileage the car displayed, offered me appx. 1/3 of what the KBB Instant Cash Offer was. The representative said they couldn't offer any more since it was a 21 year old vehicle that they would have to wholesale. Well, TIME OUT ! They knew beforehand exactly what the vehicle was all about. They had the full VIN and I discussed in detail the vehicle information with their representative. So I'll let you readers decide. Is this a total scam between KBB and its chosen dealers? Is it designed to get a person in the doors to sell them a new car rather than purchase their existing vehicle? Otherwise why not just tell me the facts BEFORE I get there and save the aggravation? So, should the BBB and perhaps Attorney General's office open an investigation. I even called KBB and was told the dealer ship made the offer and their Instant Cash Offer was only an estimate. Well golly gee wiz I might have fallen off the turnip truck but it wasn't last night! So now between my family, neighbors and associates, that dealership has lost multiple potential future clients because of these shenanigans.

Can I give Zero stars? What a complete waste of time. Was immediately contacted by 2 dealers who expressed interest in my car at a higher than instant offer price. Wasted my saturday visiting both and being scammed and lowballed by over 20%, even after being told "the vehicle was better than my description, but they could not sell it at a profit at auction!" What a time waster. Never again

Similar to what others have written, the dealers see a KBB instant cash offer as a starting point for negotiation.

I was offered $9975 for my car after describing it (accurately) in detail and uploading photos. Took it to a participating dealer, they offered $8000. Didn't argue, not interested in playing into a scam; I took my keys, went home, and sold it the same day to Carvana for $12035.

Recently I had the occasion to use KBB service to sell 2 used vehicles. While I found the process easy enough I found the engagement with both Instant Cash dealers disappointing and will post my experience for others. in both cases, I answered honestly about the condition of my vehicles and initially received a higher offer from your dealers then Car Max. After inspection both of your dealers found issues they claim I did not disclose and significantly reduced their offers. I drove the vehicles directly to CarMax and they also inspected the vehicles and gave me exactly what their on line quote was. Bottomline I felt your dealers were unprofessional and trying to rip me off. Very disappointing and more a reflection of them than KBB hence I wanted to share the feedback. A summary is below:

KBB on line offer KBB dealer in person offer Car Max on line offer Car Max in person offer
2006 Honda Odyssey $1,776 $1,250 $1,600 $1,600
AutoMax Framingham
2003 GMC Envoy $1,912 $0* $1,600 $1,600
Herb Connelly Chevrolet

* dealer offer to take the vehicle off my hands for $500

KBB is the most trusted name in automotive for a reason - the brand is synonymous with trusted, accurate pricing on new, used and certified pre-owned vehicles. Their appraisal values are the gold standard for car buyers and sellers across the United States, their review content rivals that of Car and Driver, and their automobile listings are expanding rapidly.

I've relied on KBB's data, expert reviews and consumer reviews to inform my car shopping decisions ever since purchasing my first car, back in 1995 (a Toyota Tercel). I will continue to do so for automotive purchases in the future.

Took SUV to the Ken Ganley Nissan dealership with Instant Cash Offer of $20,520. Car is a leased vehicle with only 3 months left with option to buy. After looking over the 2018 vehicle that has 4,400 miles on it, the salesman decided they probably couldn't buy it because he "thinks" he saw a memo about the car maker not allowing them to buyout the lease. Um, what? He said Nissan doesn't allow it so he was "pretty sure" Hyundai wouldn't. He said to take the CarMax offer of $20,400. I checked with CarMax. There is no restrictions on buying out a Hyundai lease. What a scam!

FOLLOW-UP: The second dealership listed as accepting the KBB Instant Cash Offer advised they can't buy the car because Hyundai won't allow them to. This is absolutely NOT true. I called Hyundai Financial. They accept third party payoffs. I guess that's one way of getting out of honoring the offer. Stick with CarMax.

The instant cash offer gave a list of dealerships that would give the quote that I received online. After receiving the “instant cash offer,” dealerships all over town blew up our phone. We scheduled appointments at three dealerships that would provide the instant cash offer. Didn’t happen. One dealership was disrespectful (Oxmoor Toyota Louisville). The other places didn’t even come close to the quote.

Here’s the thing… Kelley blue book says I can redeem the instant cash offer at participating dealerships. But it’s not true. Not one offered the quote, and one told me to take it somewhere else. These were the places indicated that I should go to and sell the car.

Deceitful. Untrue. Just another lead generating subscription model for dealerships to get traffic onto their lot.

I give this FIVE STARS as a TOTAL BULL SH!T RUN AROUND. The dealerships don’t respond. Went to the only one that responded and totally low balled me on my Porsche. F%$K KELLY BLUE BOOK AND PERCEPTION HONDA in Rio Ranch. TOTAL CRAP!