Bob Kelley, a key figure in the rise of Kelley Blue Book, passed away at the age of 96. He was instrumental in transforming the Kelley Kar Company into a pricing guide for used cars. Initially, the Blue Book was a list of cars the dealership wanted to buy and the prices offered. Bob Kelley, who started as a lot boy at the dealership, eventually took over estimating resale values of used cars, which were included in the pricing guide.
In the 1960s, Kelley Blue Book became the primary focus of the family business. The car dealership was sold separately from the pricing guide to a private investor. Bob Kelley continued to manage operations alongside his father under a 40-year management contract. Initially, the Blue Book was an industry source used by car dealers, finance companies, and insurance companies to determine the value of vehicles. It played a significant role in shaping how people viewed car values, being one of the first to introduce the impact of mileage on a used vehicle’s value.
Over the years, Kelley Blue Book added various related products, including new car pricing guides, RV and motorcycle guides, and a price guide for manufactured housing. The company launched a website in 1995 to make its data accessible to the general public. Despite the shift to online platforms, the pricing guide continued to be published every two months. The addition of the website allowed for more frequent and specific distribution of values.
Bob Kelley retired from the company in 2000 after mentoring many employees, including his son-in-law Charlie Vogelheim, who started working at Kelley Blue Book in 1985. Bob was involved in the entire production process, from evaluating vehicle values to the publishing of the book. Paying attention to what customers valued in their cars was crucial, as seen in examples like the reduction in value of cars with expensive phone installations due to their impracticality.
In 2010, Kelley Blue Book and its website, KBB.com, were acquired by Autotrader, strengthening the company’s position in the automotive industry. While competitors like Edmunds also offered pricing guides for consumers, Kelley Blue Book was one of the earliest sources to establish a standard way for shoppers and the industry to determine the value of used cars. Bob Kelley’s legacy continues to live on through the impact of the Kelley Blue Book in the automotive world.
