Q: Kelley Blue Book (KBB), Edmunds, and the National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA) are companies that assess the values of vehicles. They use records from private transactions, dealer trade-ins, and suggested retail prices to generate an accurate evaluation for a car. Blue book evaluations tend to carry quite a bit of weight in the context of a negotiation over a vehicle since their assessments are generated based on a variety of different data points.  Kelley Blue Book is the most popular evaluation index. It is the tool most commonly used by private sellers and buyers to establish an average price. Edmunds offers a few different categories for a car’s condition when you’re appraising it. NADA is most often used by dealers to get a wholesale price since it includes information about wholesale vehicles in the evaluation. Select whether you’re pricing a new, used, or personal vehicle. Enter the car’s year, make, model, and mileage. Click on the search function to advance to the next screen.  You can access KBB at https://www.kbb.com/, Edmunds at https://www.edmunds.com/, and NADA at https://www.nada.com/. The box for mileage lists it as optional on some of the sites, but you should include it if you can. A car’s mileage is really important when it comes to evaluating the price of a vehicle. There are always different prices for different versions of a car. For example, a Chrysler 300S and a Chrysler 300C are priced differently based on each version’s specific features and modifications. Each evaluation service will automatically list the possible choices for your specific car. Select the car’s style and click the “next” button to advance. Answer the similar prompts about the car’s color and overall condition.  If you’re not sure which version of a car you want to look for, click the option in the middle of the available choices for the mid-level version of the car. If you’re looking for an evaluation of your car but don’t know the style, look at the back of your car. There are usually 1-3 letters or numbers (like 4C), or a buzzword (like TurboX). This is your car’s style. The estimate screen will list 2 different evaluations. The trade-in price is what you can expect a dealer to buy or trade your car for. This number will be lower than the private party value, which is the price that you could reasonably fetch if you sell the car on your own. Selling a car on your own will fetch you a higher price, but it’s more work. Each blue book service uses a slightly different algorithm for evaluation. Use the search functions on each website to get a total of 3 data points for your car’s value. While NADA and Edmunds are helpful for getting a second and third opinion on a car’s value, KBB is the industry standard when it comes to evaluating a car’s worth. CARFAX is a reporting service that pools information from insurance companies, dealers, and police reports to generate a snapshot of a vehicle’s history. Ask a buyer or seller for a CARFAX report to get a picture of a car’s repair and accident history. Consumer Reports is an organization that reviews and investigates makes and models of cars. They’re an excellent resource for reviewing a car’s overall status before buying or selling. You can get CARFAX reports at https://www.carfax.com/, and search for Consumer Reports at https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm.
A: Use a blue book evaluation service to get a general estimate. Go to an evaluation service’s website and enter your car’s information. Answer the menu prompts about the car’s style, color, and condition. Use the estimate as a baseline assessment for the value of your car. Repeat the process with the other services for more accuracy. Access an individual car’s CARFAX and review the Consumer Report.

Q: Doubt and guilt are considered the hallmarks of OCD. Doubts can arise about every situation, topic, event, or person and these doubts are often futile in resolving. Guilt can also play a major role in OCD. You may feel personally responsible for things that had nothing to do with you and constantly find yourself thinking, “If only….” Remind yourself that you are responsible for yourself, and you generally do the best you can. Especially after a relapse, you may feel many negative emotions. Don’t ignore the emotions, but don’t dwell on the feelings either, as they can contribute to OCD. If you find yourself feeling doubtful (“Did I do everything I could? Am I really sane? Will I become a criminal? Can I really get to the other side of OCD?”), address these feelings. Say to yourself, “I have doubts about this situation. Is this coming from me or from OCD?” The same is true for guilt. You may experience a period of time with no OCD triggers, then suddenly experience obsessions once again.  After the obsessions re-emerge, you may feel a need to complete compulsive behaviors, and this is considered a lapse. A relapse, however, involves absolute or rigid thinking following the re-emergence of obsessions, such as, “All my therapy is wasted, I must now engage my obsessions and compulsions.” This type of rigid thinking is associated with a relapse. For example, a person with contamination fears may be triggered by using a dirty public restroom and begin washing compulsions as a result of the distress. This is a lapse. Anticipate what situations will trigger lapses or setbacks into obsessive thoughts or fears. If you know you will experience heightened distress (like you will be around many people and may begin to have a contamination fear), plan for intrusive thoughts. Recognize that the thoughts are a result of the stress and a part of OCD. Having intrusive thoughts is not a failure. Say to yourself, “I know this is a stressful situation, and that obsessive thoughts or fears may happen. Even if they do, it does not mean that I am failing.” After you’ve identified a lapse, assess what made you lapse and how you can prevent future lapses. You may feel triggered at a number of situations, yet having a plan to deal with these triggers is most important. Think about what worked during treatment and try that on your own. When triggered, expose yourself to the fear, stop yourself from engaging in rituals, get through the anxiety, and repeat the process. Say to yourself, “This is stressful, but I know I can handle this. This fear exposure can help me work past my anxieties and not need to perform a ritual.” Remind yourself that nobody is perfect and to not set too high a bar for yourself. You may forget medication here or there, or begin to give into obsessive thinking. Instead of beating yourself up or putting yourself down for getting off track, refocus your efforts to start again.  There’s no need to guilt or shame yourself. Forgive yourself and get back on track. If you have a rigid approach to treatment and success, it can backfire. Recognize that obsessions won’t go entirely away and you may experience triggers and fears.
A:
Address feelings of doubt and guilt. Understand the difference between a lapse and a relapse. Plan for lapses. Manage lapses. Expect recovery to be imperfect.