Real-World Trade-In Values

exb0 · January 2011

Take your truck to a couple of Toyota stores and have them appraise it. Low miles should compensate for the damage, especially if the carfax is clean. Bring the body shop repair invoice with you.

ateixeira · January 2011

I hear ya, that's why I wrote "depending upon what exactly is revealed". :shades:

isellhondas · January 2011

Coming in late here but...

I totally agree with you. I wouldn't discount it at all.

A lot of buyers won't care especially if you explain what happened.

"ACCIDENT REPORTED"

That could apply to a key scratch that was fixed and turned into an insurance company.

If is scares someone off? Oh well. Others won't care.

mldj98 · January 2011

Thanks allot for your feedback isellhondas....
Like I mentioned before....I am the original owner and have maintained my truck religiously.....every 3,000 miles changed the oil......just finished the 30K mile service just prior to the incident.......have all of the documents....all work done at toyota dealers......
I realize there are people out there that try and hide the fact that their car was in an accident.....but for me......be honest up front....as it will save you allot of pain in the future.
To me, it is simple.....either someone will buy my truck, or they won't. But I won't take it in "shorts" just to sell it......if I can't sell it then I will just alter my plans.

crkyolfrt · January 2011

I am reminded of an interesting situation in which a girl at a wedding I attended many years ago, was telling us about her bad experience with Chrysler and a wty claim on her really new Neon. It only had about 8000 miles and had this driveline noise that little by little became a wail coming from the front that no one could find the cause. Well, long-story-short, it was discovered that she had slid on the ice when the car was quite new and gently (according to her) slid up against a curb at a pretty slow speed. Well they found that that bump had pushed in on the front axle which caused a problem with where the bearing held it and etc etc. They spilt the cost with her, which I thought was actually pretty fair to myself, since really it was her fault. I guess the grey area here is just how little of a tap does it take to displace axle orientation mounting? Too little and it is a mfg defect from trying to build it too light, but the owner's problem if the curb tap was more of a hit.

So this is why vehicles that have been involved in any incident, have reserved depreciation bucks set aside for potential issues down the road that at first don't get discovered. The fact that you repaired at a Toyota dealership and with all OEM parts, and assuming they did a terrific job, there will always be something, somewhere that makes it worth less. It could even be scratched paint down to the metal where a fender bolts on, that prematurely starts to rust there, that would not have happened if that fender had never been touched.
So the size of the financial hit, will vary greatly depending on who is kickin' your tires. I commend your honesty though. The world should have more people like you. Glad you weren't hurt when you went fence-stretchin'..

woodyww · January 2011

So the size of the financial hit, will vary greatly depending on who is kickin' your tires. I commend your honesty though. The world should have more people like you.

IS there a carfax of the accident? And are you selling it privately? If you are, you may turn off a lot of buyers by emphasizing the body repairs. (I can just hear a guy's wife saying, "but it's been in a wreck!"). And there is such a thing as buyers doing their own "due diligence".

Personally, I wish I could only buy used cars from sellers who disclose every single issue, but that hasn't happened yet......

mldj98 · January 2011

Thanks for your comments.....and I do agree with you 100%.....once a vehicle has been altered in anyway it will never be the same......especially one that has been in some sort of incident......mine just happened to be with a fence.......
For me, it ultimately comes down to a "gut" feeling when I am talking with someone who is selling a car that discloses that it has been in an accident.
One who has a complete documented history of the car is a plus in my book, especially if they are the original owner.
As with everything is life, there are always risks.....but these can be minimized by making the most informed decision based on the facts on hand.....in this case we are talking about a truck.
Thanks again for your comments......

mldj98 · January 2011

your right.......when some people hear the word "wreck" they turn around and run away....fast.....and I don't blame them a bit.....
But my situation is what it is....around snow country fender benders and accidents are part of the territory........what it comes down to is how severe was the accident.......if the title is free and clear (like mine is) that is a big plus.......and of course pricing it accordingly is key as well.
I have bee driving since I was 14 (legally).....which means I have over 30+ years of driving......and this is my first accident......and this one is all on me and mother nature.........I guess that old line really is true...."don't mess with mother nature"........
After spending 22 years in the Navy I take pride in being honest and up front about everything.......that is something the military service teaches you......and as silly as it may sound.....not being honest while serving your country could cost someone their life........so yes, I would agree with you....I must be a dieing breed.......but we are still out there.......and by the way....I always open the doors for the ladies........because it is the right thing to do.

Thanks again for your comments

igozoomzoom · January 2011

mldj98,

Were you already planning to sell it when you had the accident, or did you decide to get rid of it after your little mishap??? For some people, it's a knee-jerk reaction to want to get rid of a vehicle that has been damaged. I've known a few who were so determined to sell that they readily took a substantial loss due to their "tunnel vision".

I'm not saying that you fall into that category, by no means...but I'm just curious why you're wanting to sell? You will probably have a few potential buyers who ask the same thing!

Whatever you decide to do, be careful that you don't "shoot yourself in the foot" by underpricing it. In addition to the unnecessary financial loss, you also run the risk of scaring off potential buyers who wonder why it's priced so much lower than similar vehicles! Just something to keep in mind..

Just to confirm, the body damage was repaired by the Toyota Dealer using OEM Toyota parts, right? If genuine Toyota parts were used, the only concern I might have (as a prospective buyer) would be the quality and long-term durability of the paint work.

You will probably buy yourself a lot of goodwill by being totally forthcoming about the history of the truck. Do you recall how long the warranty from the body shop is in effect? I would also contact the body shop to confirm that the warranty on the paint and body work transfers to the next owner. If you can assure the buyer that the body shop guarantees the repairs, that will also win you a lot of trust!

Before deciding on an asking price, do a bit of research to see how other 2006 Tacoma 4wd Double Cabs are priced. I would use AutoTrader.com and KBB.com (which has for sale listings in addition to the KBB pricing guides). Ebay Motors (completed sales) is another good source. You also need to keep in mind that your truck has very low mileage, less than HALF of what is considered average! Edmunds calculated an adjustment of $1301 for the mileage and NADA added $1200 to the value for that. I think the mileage adjustment will MORE than offset the diminished value from the (minor, cosmetic-only) accident damage and repair history!

Sandman6472 · January 2011

I commend you for your honesty. One question...does the truck drive still drive straight & true without any vibrations all the way up the power band until almost 100? I mean no rattles, noises or mysterious sounds that are not normal? I assume most trucks will have some noises due to the way they are built. If things are as perfect as you say, all you can do is tell folks about the accident & show them the repair paperwork as well as all other documentation. Then it's up to a potential customer to decide. Did you ever check about "diminished value" with your insurance company?

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

erics6 · January 2011

Looking for a trade value for my 2005 Subaru Forester X at a Subaru dealership on a new 2011.

Portland, Oregon 97201
2005 Subaru Forester X automatic
81,200 miles
Color: Silver
Options: alloy wheels, auto dimming mirror, armrest extension and cargo tray.
Interior in good condition. Exterior in good condition with a few scratches commensurate with vehicle age.
Toyo tires almost new with about 5000 miles
Brakes in good condition. New pads/rotors.
Maintenance up-to-date
No accidents.

Thanks!

qbrozen · January 2011

Well, I can't promise this is accurate, as you are on the other side of the country, but you would get offered about $8k here on the East Coast. It is possible, depending on cleanliness and maintenance, a dealer could push it up to $8500 to get the deal done.

ateixeira · January 2011

Take a road trip up to Alaska this summer and sell it there.

For whatever reason they fetch a bunch more up north. New car buyers drive down to the 48 contiguous states to get better deals, so you may benefit from doing the opposite.

pgm17 · January 2011

Location: Miami, FL
Year/Make/Model: 2006 Toyota Corolla
Body Style: 4 door
Engine: 1.8L 4 Cylinder Automatic
Driveline: FWD
Mileage: 35,000
Color: Silver/ Gray Cloth
Major Options: LE model, Cruise, CD Changer
Condition:
Exterior - minor parking lot bumps on bumpers, all touched up with factory paint, no gashes
ding on rear driver door, no paint damage
Interior - clean, non smoker
Tires - 10% worn
Brakes - 25% worn
Maintenance - synthetic oil changes, up to date
Other: Indicate prior damage/insurance claims, repaints, etc.
1-owner, no accidents or paint work, recent corolla ecm recall completed

mowaca · January 2011

Location: Indianapolis
Year/Make/Model: 2010 Acura TSX
Engine: 4 cylinder
Driveline: FWD, Auto
Mileage: see below
Color: Vortex Blue/Ebony(Black)
Major Options: See below
Condition: Certified

My local dealership has two certified TSXs in the color combo I like, one with the Tech package and 13k miles and one without with 9k miles. The Tech one is going to the auction next week & I'd like to know the auction/wholesale prices before I start negotiating. Thanks!

qbrozen · January 2011

About $8k on the Corolla.

TSX with Nav ... he'll probably pay about $22k at the auction. Transport, detail, replace this and that, certify, warranty ... might be into it for $24k-$25k in the end.

without Nav, more like $21k to start, then add all the above.

pgm17 · January 2011

thanks

cmoltisanti · January 2011

Tulsa, OK
99 Toyota 4Runner Limited
4dr
3.4l v6 auto
4wd
144000 miles
green
leather/sunroof/power windows/door/lock/seat
Condition - interior - good
-exterior - has been in a couple of minor fender benders where the bumper damage has not been fixed because it has been minor. Frame ok, both front and back bumper have minor dent/damage.
Tires - almost brand new
Brakes - almost brand new

Thanks!

cccompson · January 2011

This is a poor candidate for a trade as 4wd 4Runners are like gold on the used market. '99s are especially loved by fanatics due to, IIRC, having a slightly higher ride height.

Take some clear pics and put it on craigslist. It should bring $6000 or thereabouts.

lparrish · January 2011

My husband and I want to go down to a single car by selling both of ours and getting something we *both* like. Not sure if I could get potential private party values here (as we'll try that first), but here are the details

Northern Va/DC metro

Car 1: 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid
AWD CVT Hybrid engine
68300 miles
Green exterior, charcoal interior (cloth)
Safety and appearance pkgs (front and rear side airbags, painted bumpers, etc)
Great condition esp. considering age, new tires have about 10K miles on them, no exterior dings/scratches, recently detailed
All maintenance records in hand, no issues

Car 2: 2005 Acura TL
6 cyl. FWD
52000 miles
Gray exterior, gray interior (leather)
Navigation package, sunroof
Exterior in decent shape, leather drivers seat is quite worn on one side, tires about 1.5 years old (15K or so miles)
Maybe about half of maintenance records on hand, but no issues
Any help is greatly appreciated!!

mowaca · January 2011

The dealership says they are sending the car to auction, not the other way around; anyways, that's what I wanted to know, thanks!

qbrozen · January 2011

maybe $3500-$4k on a trade.

qbrozen · January 2011

about $8500-$9k on the escape and about $13k-$13500 on the TL (I'm assuming it is automatic ... if not, knock off $500).

explorerx4 · January 2011

You've been trying to swap out that Escape for quite while. :surprise:

vhor · January 2011

Location: Jackson TN
Make: 2010 HOnda Pilot Touring model 2WD
Mileage: 20K
Color: Polish Metallic
COndition: nothing to fix, no dings, no scratches, no previous accidents

qbrozen · January 2011

probably somewhere between $28k-29k.

Could maybe, possibly be higher in your neck of the woods since I assume AWD doesn't mean as much there as it does here in the northeast.

gooddeal2 · January 2011

That's a good number...5-6k depreciation for a one year old car w/ 20k miles.

cheerioboy26 · January 2011

Hi, looking for trade value, thanks.

Location: Lancaster, PA 17601
Year/Make/Model: 2008 Acura MDX Tech/Ent.
Body Style: 4dr
Engine: 3.7l V6 Auto5
Driveline: AWD
Mileage: 38,500
Color:Gery/Grey
Major Options:Sunroof, navi, dvd, leather, etc.
Condition:
Interior in very good shape, exterior v good except above LF wheel - dent - $500 est.
Tires - 4/32 remain (original)
Brakes - original
Maintenance - according to Acura, done at dealer. nothing special.
Other: none.

qbrozen · January 2011

With all those needs, they'll probably hit you at about $27k.

cheerioboy26 · January 2011

Thanks. I have one dealer at $28k, going to get a 2nd look. Looks like they are in the ballpark.

explorerx4 · January 2011

These Cheerios?

cheerioboy26 · January 2011

LOL yes!

explorerx4 · January 2011

That's one of the cars on a poster in my garage.

achenator · February 2011

2008 Frontier SE Crew cab
White/gray
power windows, locks
aluminum wheels
cruise
factory alarm
sunroof
side airbags
34k
rear bumper slightly bent on one corner with small dent and paint damage to roll pan area. (backed into a pole)
New Orleans area. Lookin to trade in on a F150.

qbrozen · February 2011

With the damage, you might be looking at $15k-$15500. Add about $2k if its 4x4, which you didn't mention.

achenator · February 2011

Thanks q. Sorry, I forgot to mention that it is 2wd. It is optioned kind of funny for an SE with the sunroof and side airbags. 4 wd isn't as important down here unless you are a hunter, which I am not. Much harder to find a 4wd when it was new, so I just got 2wd. I am hoping for 15k. How much do you think the dent and bent bumper hurts it? Is it worth getting fixed. A new factory bumper is at least $500 plus a little, body and paint work. So I figure at around $800 to $1k to repair.

qbrozen · February 2011

I figured about a grand, too.

atomic13 · February 2011

I've never traded in a car before. Trying to see if a car this old would get accepted, and what we should expect if so. Thanks.

Location: Northeast Florida
Year/Make/Model: 2000 Honda Accord LX
Body Style: 2dr
Engine: 2.2 (or 2.4 I can't remember) 4cyl
Driveline: FWD
Mileage: 165,000
Color: Silver Satin Metallic exterior, Charcoal cloth interior
Major Options: Aftermarket alloy wheels (nothing fancy, 15"), Sunroof, Aftermarket stereo/speakers (Pioneer speakers and head unit CD/MP3 player from 2006)
Condition:
Normal wear and tear in the interior you'd expect of a car this age (steering wheel, hand brake, center console arm rest), dash somewhat faded. Exterior has parking lot dings and scratches (about 3 small but noticeable dents, light scratches) but no accidents at all.
Tires - About 25% tread life left
Brakes - At least 50% pad life left
Maintenance - We've done maintenance like oil changes, brake pads, etc ourselves when due but major things like transmission flush at a chain store where we get our tires, alignments, balancing, etc. No records, though (yes, I know, this isn't ideal)
Other: We're the 2nd owners, have had it since 106k miles. No accidents, no insurance claims, etc. The car runs fine, given it's age but it's also clearly 11-12 years old.

We're not looking for big money, just ready to get our first new car and don't want to deal with trying to sell this as a Private Party. Wondering what we might expect from a dealer as a trade value. Thank you.

stickguy · February 2011

without trying to guess numbers (not my line of work!), the answer to your question is of course you can trade it in, but expect to get almost nothing for it.

this is, however (being a Honda) a prime candidate for a private sale. Most likely you can get an easy couple grand extra out of it, and it will sell quick if it runs well.

crkyolfrt · February 2011

Any professional opinions on this? In Real Estate, a home that has been smoked in takes a huge financial hit. If it has solid wood trim and if you want to retain the natural wood grain as opposed to painting over it, you can add many many thousands of dollars.

And of course it ultimately can mean you can't sell your home at all, since smokers, little-by-little are becoming a minority.
Same with a vehicle.

And some cars are impossible to clean. Headliners for example. Impossible to clean and super pricey to replace. And forget about detailing and 'cleaning' the interior. I can smell cars that have had Purple whatever cleaner and all the other so-called 'fixes'. I am personally allergic to those interior cleaning processes and would not take a car to drive if it was free, that had had that treatment. It is a sore point with me as you can probably tell. After diligently covering the bases in questioning a salesman at great length and telling him of the allergy etc etc and after he swore on a stack of Bibles that the car had never been smoked in, long story short...I ended up with one. And after about 2 months I could smell not only the smoke, but the Purple crap process, and what smelled like someone had died in it.
To my mind, that is the primary reason to buy new. Or be super selective with the used purchase. So hence my question. I'll bet a non-smokers and clean, original smelling car must be worth x % more.

stickguy · February 2011

no idea of the professional hit, but I am with you. If I can tell it was smoked in, I aint buying it.

jwilliams2 · February 2011

When I appraised them, nice clean, original smelling cars were worth book or auction price. Smokers cars were worth less, sometimes by 5 or 10%.

jimbres · February 2011

We're not looking for big money, just ready to get our first new car and don't want to deal with trying to sell this as a Private Party.

Why not? As Stickguy said, this is just about the perfect candidate for a private sale. A dealer will screw you blind on this because he has no need for it & doesn't want it. If you really want to squeeze all of the value out of your car, you'll sell it yourself.

I can tell you from personal experience that there's nothing easier to sell than an older Honda or Toyota. It took me all of 4 hours to sell my 12-year-old Accord, which ran well but which looked every day of its age, to a cash buyer.

atomic13 · February 2011

Thank you for the insight. Like I said, I've never dealt with selling a car or trading one so I just assumed it was a hassle of dealing with prospective buyers, then they never show, arranging meeting times, that sort of thing. But if Hondas are that "easy" to sell we may just give it a go. Quite honestly, I was expecting to hear something like "$1000 for trade" - a coworker just traded in her 2000 Sentra which was in way worse condition and they gave her $1500. I came across this forum and was curious for opinions. Thank you, again!!!

stickguy · February 2011

since you are a newbie, keep in mind that dealers sometimes "show" an inflated price on a trade to get a deal done.

that is, if they can keep the price of the new car higher, they will inflate the trade value. But, a used car is worth what it is worth.

1K is probably a reasonable estimate of what a dealer will give you as a true trade (wholesale) value. But from what you described, put an ad out for $2,995, and you could easily have a $2,500 offer in no time.

jimbres · February 2011

I can't help suspecting that your coworker's dealer gave her more for her Sentra than it was worth & then jacked up the price of the new car to make up for it. That's another reason why I prefer to sell my old cars myself. Then I can focus on negotiating the best possible price for my new car without worrying about the trade-in value of my old car. It's much cleaner & less stressful that way.

explorerx4 · February 2011

It's also a coupe, so that should be in your favor.

sebring95 · February 2011

As mentioned, trade will be next to nothing. They might give you $1,500 but they will likely bury some of that in an inflated price elsewhere (which is probably what happend with your coworker). Real dealer $$ is probably $700-$1,000 at best. I would list it on Craigslist for $3,500 and take $3,000. It will disappear in a day.

As for hassle...just place the ad on a day you'll be home. If they show they show. There's a lot of tire kickers, phone callers, and scammers on Craigslist but there's plenty of legit buyers as well. You can weed the scammers out quickly....a car deal is very simply. They bring cash and you sign the title. No other way to do it so don't even bother with anyone that wants to be creative.

Kirstie_H · February 2011

And, if you don't want to do craigslist, put an ad in a local college or university paper, or on a bulletin board.

I can understand not wanting to deal with the flakes, but this is a "fly off the shelf" car. I suspect if you price it as others have suggested, you'll get responses within minutes of placing the ad, wherever it runs. Just make your policy that the first person who shows up with cash and wants it, gets it.

I would never want to deal with the hassle of selling a vehicle privately that costs more than $5k, but anything under that that runs should be easy. That's what we'll do with our truck once it's time to say goodbye.

sbuhler · February 2011

Hello:

I would like a trade-in value for a 2005 Saab 9-5 Arc with 70,000 miles. Good condition, FWD. In Louisiana.

Thanks.

Real-World Trade-In Values

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