TransUnion retires printed version of Auto Dealers’ Guide

The printed version of the Auto Dealers’ Guide has come to the end of its road, with the last booklet published by TransUnion, the consumer credit reporting agency, in October 2022.

The so-called car value "bible" has been used by dealers since 1960 when it was published by Mead & McGrouther.

With the closing of the printed chapter of this institution, the service continues into the digital age in the form of TransUnion's Firstcheck app and online service, which gives dealers, banks, insurers and consumers access to information about vehicles they are planning to buy or sell.

“Though our full suite of digital solutions has been live for several years, we still produced the printed versions in response to market demand. Now it just makes sense to go fully online at a time when it’s vital to build trust in a digital world,” says Kriben Reddy, head of auto information services at TransUnion Africa.

The new digital auto guide is expected to go some way towards solving the gap in pricing between a dealer and what might be submitted to a bank or an insurer, by standardising values and data across the entire ecosystem. It is linked to 56 car brands and provides access to a range of data points for every vehicle in SA, including the respective vehicle identification number (VIN)  recorded for the past 25 years.

Consumers can use FirstCheck to gain a vehicle’s current market value, full history and legal status. This includes a link into bank and SA Police Service databases to check if a vehicle is still under finance, or flagged as stolen. It also allows consumers to instantly check their creditworthiness by purchasing their credit report.

The free VIN check on the app displays the model, colour and first year of registration. For a R19 fee the app provides the vehicle's trade and retail value and three-month estimated depreciation. For R99 the app provides the vehicle’s finance and microdot history and police interest.

TransUnion provided Motor News with a copy of the first booklet printed in 1960, which makes for interesting reading. Back then a used 1958 Porsche 356A coupe had a retail value of £920 (R18,500 in today's money), compared to the R922,000 you will pay for a two-year-old Porsche Cayman today. 

The much slimmer first book also showcased various distributors and franchise holder addresses of brands some still on sale today and others long out of production. In 1960 you could purchase an Auto Union and DKW product (the precursors to the Audi brand) from a dealer on Andries Street, Pretoria; a BMW Isseta “bubble car” from Club Motors on 122 Main Street, Johannesburg, or a Studebaker from a dealer on 117 Strand Street, Cape Town.

The first book also gave prices for technical work, such as the re-sleeving of pistons for a recommended retail price of £10.