Ankeny Used Cars: Knowing A Car's Value

How to Price a Used Vehicle: In the past decade, used cars have become increasingly better values, and the market for used cars has become downright competitive. Buying a car that is just a year or two old can save thousands of dollars over the price of a new model, especially as the price of new cars keeps increasing. But when you find a vehicle of your liking you may wonder whether the price the seller is asking for is fair. Luckily for consumers of today, we have the internet. There are endless sites that are dedicated solely to car research, pricing, and information. Once you decide on the year, make, model and options you desire on the vehicle, it is a good idea to log on to the web and do some research. On many of the sites you can type in the exact model, including trim level and condition and get a price estimate Consumers Reports publishes excellent information on both new and used cars, to include maintenance and repair information, and Kelley Blue Book will give you a very accurate value for the vehicle.

Used Car Price Guides: A variety of price guides are used by lenders, dealers and individuals to determine the value of used cars. Check the N.A.D.A. (National Automotive Dealers Association) Official Used Car Guide, Southeastern Edition, for the book value on your trade-in. This book also can be found in public libraries, local banks and credit unions. It is published monthly by the NADA and provides average trade-in, wholesale, loan and retail prices for nearly every car sold in the last 7 years. This information can be obtained through the reference section of your public library at no cost or there are services that provide invoice prices for a fee. Check the classified ads in the local newspaper to determine what advertisers in your area are asking for the type of car you want. The difference between wholesale and retail value will be your bargaining range.

Finding Used Cars in Ankeny

Ankeny is a city in Polk County, Iowa and is part of the Des Moines?West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2008, Ankeny was recognized as one of the top ten towns for families by Family Circle Magazine. In 2009, it was designated a Playful City USA by the KaBoom! Foundation for the third consecutive year, one of only 22 cities across the U.S. to receive this distinction. In 2009, Ankeny made MONEY Magazine's top 100 places to live list. Ankeny was founded by John Ankeny in 1874 and was incorporated on February 28, 1903. Coal mining became an important activity in the Ankeny area in the early 20th century. The Anderson Coal Company sank a shaft 2 miles southeast of Ankeny in 1908. Ankeny started off as just one square mile, and just 445 people. Electricity was first introduced in 1907. Ankeny's first fire department was first established in 1907 and was volunteer based. During World War II Ankeny was home to a federal ordnance plant that manufactured ammunition. After the war, Deere & Company purchased the plant for its Des Moines Works, while Iowa State University used the remainder of the land for its research farm. In 1940 Ankeny had a population of 779, but its population began to grow with the rest of the Des Moines suburbs after World War II. Ankeny's population jumped from 2,964 to 9,151 between 1960 and 1970. By 1990 it had 18,482 people, and in 2000 the population was at 27,117. The 2008 estimate of 42,287 makes Ankeny the third-largest city in Polk County, behind Des Moines and West Des Moines. Ankeny's numeric population gain of 15,170 between 2000 and 2008 ranked first among Iowa cities. The city of Ankeny estimates that the city's population will reach 55,000 by 2020.