The repair/body shop alone employed more than 100, with the dealership operating solely as a used-car business. The Kelley Kar Company also moved to larger quarters in Los Angeles, occupying nearly an entire city block. Buster Kelley soon worked his way up to general manager of the dealership and publisher of the Blue Book. Seeing another pink automobile sell quickly, Buster had all the cars in the body shop painted pink and watched as sales soared. After putting it in the showroom, it sold immediately. On a lark, Buster Kelley, who ran the body shop, agreed to paint one of the Ford automobiles pink. Les Kelley named the publication "Blue Book" after the Blue Book Social Register, which listed prestigious people in the community.Īt the same time, Les and Buster Kelley developed their used-car dealership into a profitable and innovative enterprise in the early 1920s. Soon, Les Kelley recognized that he had a unique business opportunity, and in 1926, he published the first Blue Book of Motor Values, which provided factory list prices and cash values for thousands of vehicles. When a customer asked a dealer the value of his car, the dealer often referred to Kelley's list. He routinely distributed the list to other dealers and to bankers, and the automotive community began to trust his judgment as an accurate reflection of current values. In the early 1920s, Les began developing a list of used vehicles and the prices he wished to pay for them in order to build new inventory. The business prospered and the company moved to progressively larger sites. By age 18, Buster was running the repair shop with a dozen mechanics, while Les managed sales. His brother, Buster, joined Les in the business at age 13 as a lot boy, changing tires and washing cars. Although he had neither money nor a job, he had a facility for mechanics, which he put to use in overhauling and selling used cars, earning enough money to pay his way through college.įollowing World War I, in 1918 Kelley went into the car business by leasing part of a lot from a Los Angeles car dealer and establishing the Kelley Kar Company with three cars for sale. The son of an Arkansas preacher, Kelley began his career in the car business at age 17 in 1914 when he drove to California to strike out on his own. Kelley Blue Book Company, Inc., dates to 1918 when Les Kelley founded the Kelley Kar Company with three Model T Fords and $450. Power and Associates eight years in a row. The company's Internet site has been rated the number one automotive information site by Nielsen/NetRatings and the most visited auto site by J.D. Although it still offers the traditional print Blue Book Official Guide, the company now provides all of its information online. Kelley Blue Book Company, Inc., publishes information on new and used vehicle pricing, automobile trade-in values, and car ratings and reviews. NAIC: 511130 Book Publishers 516110 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
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