.KEYWORD evalpal
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Find used car prices with eval-pal valuation software
.OTHER
.SUMMARY If you’re in the automotive industry, you’re probably familiar with Black Book and the NADA line of used car guides. If you’re looking for a convenient way to access this vehicle valuation information, then check out this review by Contributing Editor Steve Niles. He’ll introduce you to a useful piece of software called eval-pal that will put the vital information you need at your fingertips.
.AUTHOR Steve Niles
If you’re in the automotive industry, you’re probably familiar with Black Book. For half a century, Black Book has been providing valuation information to the auto industry via the Official Black Book Retail Used Car Price Guide published by National Auto Research Division Hearst Business Media Corporation. Subscribers to the Black Book include over 67,000 automotive dealers, Insurance companies, banks, and other related companies.
If your business falls into one of these categories, or if you’re just trying to find the value on your own automobile, the folks at GigglePop.com (at http://www.gigglepop.com) have a piece of software you should definitely check out. It’s called eval-pal, and it brings Black Book values for used vehicles right to your Palm handheld. You can find it at http://www.gigglepop.com/dealers/index.html.
You’ll find extensive information within eval-pal, including the makes, models, and body-styles of vehicles dating back 15 years. All you have to do is enter information about a specific vehicle, and you can find out that vehicle’s current trade, loan, or retail value. Information about specific option packages for each vehicle is also available, and you can specify the mileage of a particular vehicle so that eval-pal will calculate the effect that mileage has on the vehicle’s value.
The software has a Saved Vehicle list so that after evaluating a vehicle, you can add a note and save the information for later reference. There’s also a feature that lets you look up a specific vehicle by entering the first ten digits of its VIN (Vehicle Identification Number.) GigglePop.com also notes that this feature can "help you determine if the vehicle you’re looking at really is the vehicle you think it is."
.H1 Installation
The eval-pal software requires two files to be installed on your Palm OS device. The file eval-palxxx.prc is the software that runs the eval-pal system. The file BBRETAIL_DBxxx.prc is the database that contains the most recent vehicle values.
.H1 Start up
A free demo of eval-pal is available if you’d like to try before you buy. When in the demo mode, the software is fully functional, with the exception that where values would normally be displayed, the word DEMO is displayed instead. You’ll need to purchase the UnlockCode for eval-pal to view the actual values.
When you start eval-pal, you’ll see the Choose Vehicle screen shown in Figure A.
.FIG A Begin by choosing a vehicle.
Here you can select a specific vehicle to evaluate by entering the Make, Year, Model and Body-style. A pop-up list makes this easy, and you can jump to a specific choice by entering the first few letters via Graffiti.
You can also select a vehicle by the VIN, as mentioned above. There’s a button on the Choose Vehicle screen that will take you to the Enter VIN screen, shown in Figure B.
.FIG B You can select a vehicle by the VIN number.
You can look up a vehicle by entering the first 10 digits of its VIN, or you can enter the full 17 digit VIN if you want.
Once you’ve made your selections, just tap the Find button to find the vehicle. If the vehicle is found, it will be displayed on the Choose Vehicle screen. From here, you can evaluate the vehicle by tapping on the Evaluate button.
.H1 Evaluating a vehicle
After tapping the Evaluate button, you’ll need to specify some detailed information about the vehicle, such as the mileage and what options the vehicle has.
Just tap a Mileage Bracket to specify the mileage on the Select Mileage screen shown in Figure C.
.FIG C Select the Mileage Bracket that corresponds to the mileage of the vehicle you’re evaluating.
If you don’t want any mileage adjustment to be calculated, you can simply select "NO ADJUSTMENT" from the top of the Mileage Bracket list.
.H1 Values Screen
Once you’ve entered all the necessary information, you’ll see the values for the vehicle in question, as shown in Figure D.
.FIG D The values will be displayed on the Values Screen.
Here you can also specify the condition of the vehicle using a drop-down list. This condition will affect the vehicle’s value.
You’ll notice a field called Key. Here you can enter any text you like, such as inventory number, location, category, etc.). Alternatively, you can just leave the Key blank. You’re also given the option to enter a short note for a vehicle, such as a description of its overall condition.
You can find additional information about the vehicle under the Details tab, shown in Figure E.
.FIG E Additional information can be found under Details.
There you’ll find the State used to value the vehicle, Booking Date (date the vehicle was last valued and saved), VIN (if entered during valuation), MSRP (original price with standard equipment), Price Included options that were pre-included (did not require checking on), and the Black Book UVC (Universal Vehicle Code).
.H1 Preferences
You can customize eval-pal by tapping on your Palm handheld’s Menu icon and selecting Preferences. Some of your options include the ability to disable the display of specific values, enter specific mileage for all vehicles, and change the State selection. You can also customize your Saved Vehicle List display as well.
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.H1 Access NADA
Not only can you access Black Book values using eval-pal, but you can also retrieve valuable information from NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association). The eval-pal software will provide you with the NADA Official Used Car Guide, NADA Official Older Used Car Guide, and NADA Official Commercial Truck Guide values, all in one easy-to-use database.
For those of you in the automotive industry, having all these resources stored conveniently within you Palm OS handheld can be a major advantage. No doubt much of your work takes place out in lots, in garages, or on location at the homes and businesses of potential buyers and sellers. The eval-pal package is a great way to access the information you need without lugging around an armload of bulky manuals. Be sure to check it out at http://www.gigglepop.com/dealers/index.html.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on GigglePop.com, visit http://www.gigglepop.com.
For more information on eval-pal, visit http://www.gigglepop.com/dealers/index.html.
For more information on Black Book, visit http://www.blackbookusa.com.
For more information on NADA, visit http://www.nada.com.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
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