Real-World Trade-In Values

tblazer503

I had a '94 Corolla DX. Awesome Car. bought it with about 90k, drove it for 3 years/50k miles, and sold it at a $500 loss. =o)

I found a "backyard mechanic" who had a business license, but worked out of his garage to change out the timing belt, water pump, all other belts for about $350. Then flushed the antifreeze, had the tranny flushed, etc.

Not too bad, total cost of ownership not including the insurance and gas was like $1200 for all 3 years. I would imagine a '94 is going for much less than 3k since I sold mine for $3500 this year, and bought it in '99 for 4k

tblazer503

Hey terry,

Curiousity is bugging me....

whats the value of my Accord?
Satin Silver ext, black interior.
11k miles, manny tranny, 2.4L I4
Couple of scratches on the back bumper, no other "kisses"
Standard EX trim(moonroof, power everything, non-leather version)
In portland, OR.

Thanks

rroyce10

......... Did I miss ya ..? sorry, I musta been lookin' at the porn sites that day .... thanks, great description.

            03 Accord 4dr EX, miles sitting at 11k (ouch) handshaker (double ouch) .. 4 banger, great color anywhere, we got a small kiss on the back, no cows sitting on the inside and we live north of CA .. you know the routine, clean, no I bounced off my sisters garage, no funny stuff on the interior .. trade side, in and around that $17 figure ... how is Portland these days .?

                  
                        Terry.

tblazer503

been gettin' chilly.... BTW my bud was trying to sell his '03 EX V6 5AT Accord same color w/ like 4k miles for like 20k... couldn't get any bites... what gives there?? =oP I'm suuprised some dealer didn't hit that real quick.

Well, not that bad, terry. I rolled about 2k of my Trailblazer into the Accord, and owe high 18k on it now. Had it since 10/02, and I figure next year sometime I'll dump it(early fall w/ like 20k miles or so) for maybe a TSX or a fully loaded Accord V6 EX... at least I won't be upsidedown(I hope)... I would love an '04 TL, but I think that 34k MSRP is outta my range... =o(

graphicguy

dk and tblazer.....

Thanks for the "heads-up". Dealer's stuck on on $3K. I'm stuck on $2.2K. Carfax checks out...it is a one owner that I can tell...clean records. Fluids look OK, but really can't tell their condition outside the fact that the oil looks new, tranny fluid smells right and the anti-freeze looks/smells OK. No leaks or blue stuff coming out the back. Brakes feel OK. Dealer is giving 3 month warranty with $50 deduct. Doubt that'll be worth much, though.

No outward visible rust. Dealer says they'll "touch-up" the paint chips.

I can't believe I'm putting this much effort into a "beater". I don't spend this much time negotiating on a new car. That said, I want to put my son in something that won't strand him on the road and gets decent MPG.

Everything I can tell are these cars are bulletproof....good for 200K miles.

Terry, I dumped the saturn idea since it had too much blue puffing going on....any thoughts on a '94 Prizm?

details:
--90K miles
--Lsi
--gold
--auto
--CD
--rubber has about another 20K to go
--carpet is good
--clean car fax

tbatha

Hi Terry:
Wanted to get your take on the value (trade-in and street) of my 99 Ford Explorer. It's had all the services and is in excellent condition. Here's the details:
53k miles
Limited
v8
sun roof
dark blue with gold pin stripe
leather interior
6 CD changer with premium stereo
It was born and raised in California

crv16

Wow - what a great article. I've had the same feelings about late model Hondas & Toyotas - they keep so much of their value, that it isn't any cheaper to own a used one over a new one, especially if you drive a lot. Same thing with pickup trucks - they keep an awful lot of value.

lancerfixer

This one is for my dad. 2001 Toyota Tacoma extended cab 4x2, 4 cyl 5 speed. Forest green over beige cloth, air, CD, bedliner, chrome package, and not much else. 48,000 miles in MA. Could use tires and has a nice little indentation (about the size of an 8x11 piece of paper and an inch or so deep) behind the driver's door. What says the oracle as far as trade? He's planning on getting a 2004 Tacoma just like it. I have no idea why. This is the guy who, when I was in high school, had an '86 Mazda B2000 with 212,000 miles and refused to part with it until the frame literally broke in half going over a rail crossing (New England winters, don't ya know.)

Also, if they were gonna retail mom's car (which they might), what should they ask? '95 Accord LX sedan, auto. Blue over gray cloth, 150k miles, and the body is, well, not that great (mom's frankly not a very good driver; guess who put the dent in the truck?) Various scratches and dings along with the dreaded Honda Fender Rust (tm). Mechanically it's all there, though; tires within the last year. They'd probably unload it on a high school kid or someone looking for a winter beater. Whaddya think?

Thanks.

steine13

Guys,
(i) I have made a few changes to my web site, such as I erased the dig about my "first wife". That wasn't supposed to be on there, and she may not find it very funny, seeing as how we're still married and all :-)
(ii) After every period ".", the spaces have disappeared.This is awful.Very hard to read. I use MS Word to edit web pages, is that the problem?
(iii) Regarding Japanese cars, I'm reconsidering. That's why I'm asking advice here, so please help me out y'all...

Take for example my neighbor's car: 97 Accord LX with 108k, no-sale green, 4door, auto, with nothing except air and factory sun roof -- but no power windows/locks???? So they say, I haven't looked at the car closely myself. Just know it from sitting in their driveway. It's clean enough, no paint work, they have taken care of it, bought it new.

So this is every used-car buyers idea of a good buy, except: They had it in the paper for $7 (that's 2001 Impala w/ 50k miles territory). Now they're down to $6,5 and no takers and I'm thinking they're ripe for some dealing. Still, it's a seven-year old car with over 100k, so I would think it's a good buy for $4, maybe $4,500 max.
  
The thing is, even if it needs stuff, these go a looooong time... so here's my question: Do these really bring $6+ ?

It's not idle speculation either, I know a new arrival from from India who's looking for a car in the $5 range...

Help?
TIA -Mathias

spatulaman

Did you miss my post? #14833 ??

hightoptennyrx

Hi Terry --

I hear that Hummers will be in high demand in Sacramento. I work for the State of California and hear that we'll be trading in our Prius state vehicles for Hummers! Just kidding -- almost as humorous as Arnold as Governor.

lancerfixer

Ah, the elusive "Anniversary Edition" Accord...like an EX/DX combo. Very odd, and not well-loved, obviously.

kyfdx

Factory moonroof and no power windows locks? I thought the special editions were LX's with moonroof added. If so, it would have the windows/locks. We had a '97 EX, so I'm somewhat familiar... But maybe that was the deal that year.... $6000 sounds about right for that year and mileage (crazy, I know), but not with that configuration. An LX with windows/locks, or an EX with all the toys would be a much easier sell.

regards,
kyfdx

agt_cooper

One way you can ensure adequate spacing between a period and the start of the next sentence is to add a "non breaking space". To do this, put the following between the period and the first letter of your next sentence:

  

That will force two spaces following the period. It's a bit of a pain, but it will solve your problem. Sometimes, using a different font will help; some fonts are more readable than others in HTML.

stebu

Geez, I dunno... $6K for a 108K smei-strip-o '97 Accord LX sounds kind of high to me. My daughters boyfriend just sold his black '98 Civic EX, overall good condition, 4dr sedan, 5-spd manual, AC, sunroof, not much else, but with only 47K miles for $8K (asked $8.3K). I thought that was a pretty fair price. I see quite a few '97 Accords around here that have broken the 80K barrier being curb priced for under $6K. Not sure your neighbors will go as a $4K bluelight special, but it sounds like you're friend could be looking a the right car in the $5K range. As always, YMMV.

akangl

Well, considering the first car I ever sold when I started in car sales was a 1997 Honda Accord SE (in 1997) I think I can remember what they include. The Accord SE is basically an LX with a few extra features. I remember the one I sold was black current, had pwr windows/locks/mirrors and a power sunroof, but it only slid back, didn't tilt. It also had Special Edition badging, alloy wheels, and they only came in an automatic. Neat car for the right buyer me thinks.

kyfdx

I wonder if that car is a DX with an after market sunroof.. That would be a tough sell.

kyfdx

tblazer503

according to edmunds the SE was an LX w/ roof and auto trans.

geez, an "anniversary" car that is basically a DX w/ roof has got to suck to sell(sorry).

One would guess maybe it was a DX allotment and they dropped a roof on it to make it more likable... =oP

Does this thing have power mirrors, power steering, power brakes, cruise, etc??

isellhondas

It's not an LX and that sunroof isn't a factory one.

Those are a tough sell especially green ones.

aglude

Terry,

Please check post 14858 about the Prelude.

Thanks,
Brian

isellhondas

Were 1996's. They just took a DX, added A/C and a couple of other small extras.

Same as the Value Packs...no power windows, locks or cruise. All Accords have power steering and brakes.

Not the most popular cars.

photo_guy

Yes, the anniversary Accords were 96's and were equipt as Isell states. I just sold mine a few months ago. I believe the 97's had some other type of SE that was an enhanced LX.

  The 96 Anniv. Ed. was a great car for me but it did have some buyer resistance when they found it did not have PW,PL. To give you another market datapoint; Mine had 62K miles, great shape and I ended up selling it to a friends sister for $6K (and she paid $500 for transport).

steine13

... I guess I'll have to sneak over there some time. Thing is, I don't really want to get into the middle of a deal between a neighbour and a friend, esp. if said neighbor has a rather elevated opinion on what his wheels are worth... Maybe he's got the year wrong, then, but he's got it advertised as a '97 without model descriptor. Thanks for all the information, though! -M

rae52

Terry, I might sell my car to my boss soon (for his 17 year old son).

Here is the info:

'99 DX hatch w/ 5 speed-his son CAN drive a manual.
Factory A/C
Silver w/ graphite interior-interior IS mint!
Front bumper shows numerous stone chips from Jersey's highways. No dents anywhere else; car is garaged. Standard factory stereo-NO cd or cassette.
Maintenance is up to date-30k miles on Pirelli tires.
Car runs better than new, thanks to Mobil 1 oil.
I live in central NJ and my boss is from/lives in Staten Island.
67k miles are on the odometer...thanks for your help, Rich

omicron_inc

Hi Terry -

You seem to be the man to ask about trade in values. I have a '99 Nissan Maxima SE, which I will be trading soon in Denver, CO for either a Mazda RX-8 or an Infiniti G35. Here's the low down:

'99 Nissan Maxima SE
113000 miles,
Auto transmission
A/C
Blue-grey paint
Beautiful aftermarket "Medium Titanium" tint
Grey cloth interior
AM/FM/single CD
Sunroof
Driving lights
Cooper Cobra performance tires w/8K miles on them (still look new)
Excellent condition mechanically and interior. Burns no oil.
Only thing wrong with the car is the paint on the nose of the car is peppered with small stone dings. No body damage.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks....
Omi

rae52

Terry, I might sell my car to my boss soon; he's looking for a car for his teenage son who CAN drive a "handshaker".

The details...

'99 civic dx hatch-silver exterior-gray interior.
Interior IS mint!
Exterior has stone chips on front bumper from driving w/ the big trucks on Jersey's highways.Otherwise, no dents on car-it's garaged.
Dealer does my oil&filter changes-I supply the Mobil 1 oil. I do the sparkplug and air filter-have ALL receipts.
Recent Honda antifreeze refreshed.
67k miles on the car-30k miles on Pirelli P400 tires. Standard factory radio-no cd or cassette.
My boss lives in Staten Island, I'm in central Jersey.
Thank you for the help...Rich

akangl

Nothing like putting $10k into a 1994 Chevy K3500 in the past 4 months!! Oh well, its totally fixed and running great, now if it just stays that way.

jnk1

Terry could you help me out or anyone else for that matter.

Looking at buying a used Lexus GS400. . .Decided on getting the Silver w/ black interior. The dealer has two of them....one a 99 the other 2000 model year. Both have the same equipment level.

cd changer, no navigation, leather, hid headlamps, moonroof and 17" rims and 40-45k miles. both in vg condition.

My question is what is a fair price to pay for these cars? What do they command ..wholesale? Any help you can provide would be great.

rroyce10

...... I'm a little surprised on their numbers, because the Vegas/Nevada auction is one of the highest in the country .. they could use those figures, run it through the auction and still make $500+ a copy .. hmmm something is up ..

                     Terry.

rroyce10

....... Wow, great job babe .! .. you spent some big time on that one - I know, I spent alot of time reading it ... .. but you did great and that should save some of your "Nano" folks lot's of time, money and aggravation .... the hard part now is, trying to get into my driver, because now my head is too big .....

                        Terry ;-)

rroyce10

........ Great description - thanks .. !

        Well the color doesn't help, the miles aren't going to help, it's a limited, it's a 4X4 V10, that's gonna help ... in your area, these do pretty well, unless it's been cracked, whacked and re-painted - on a 7-10 you should be seeing the high $16's, low $17's depending on the dealer ...

                Let me know ....

                       Terry.

steine13

So I checked it out and carfaxed it. Yep, no LX but Value Edition, stripper with AC and alloys. The sunroof is big and looks well done, but I have no idea if it's factory. I think Craig said it couldn't be. No power goodies; presumably no cruise. Nice shape otherwise, one owner, no accidents etc. Dealer maintained, some emissions/airbag issues fixed there, too.
108k miles. no-sale green with light gray interior. Tires used but plenty left.
Soooooo what's it worth in Michigan? TIA -Mathias

ghulet

The Accord probably does have cruise, I think it's been standard on all Accords since the '80s (my ex's '84 base sedan and my '87 bare-bones DX sedan both had it).

isellhondas

For some strange reason, cruise was AVAILABLE on some of the early DX's. It wasn't standard. From 1990 on you couldn't even get cruise on a DX.

Value Packs never had cruise either.

I can't remember when I last sold a DX Accord!

tsy

Hi Terry

I was wondering if you could comment on my post. It must have got lost in all of the commentary about Arnold. I told my wife I would buy a Hummer if he won. (Just kidding)

Thanks

tom

jaserb

Terry, where do you hit these:
#1-
2001 Subaru Outback Wagon
48k miles
White w/ tan cloth guts
4 cyl. w/ a handshaker (I know)
No roof but CD/cassette PW PL and cruise.
Deep in rubber, nicely detailed

#2-
2001 Saturn LW300 Wagon
43k miles
V6, Auto
Maroon w/ tan cloth
CD, no roof (like the Subie)
PW / PL / cruise

Both in Salt Lake City.

Both are at the same dealer and are pretty comparably equipped and ready to go. What do you think the dealer has in them?

Thanks in advance,
Jason

robr2

What say you wise sage?

99 Land Rover Disco II
White over tan leather
46K
Single sunroof
Heated Seats
18" factory alloys
couple of minor dings
tires about 75% there
No CD player
Boston area

Dealer has it on the lot for $16,900 down from $18,900.

zman3

Glad to see you're still here helping out all of us buyers and sellers. You helped me last year on my 95 Explorer, now I'm back with my car. Where would you hit this on a trade and if I sold it myself?

98 Subaru Outback Wagon
White, 75K
Minneapolis
Auto
No accidents
A few truly minor door dings, no rust
Typical stuff: A/C, PW, PL, CD, cruise
The only worthy option that I can think of is that is has the cold weather package - heated mirrors, seats, wiper de-icer.

I don't know if you are still sending people to their rooms or not, but I hope I didn't forget any info.

What says you? Thanks.

sweetv12

Terry, writing to your response on the '02 e55. How much of a hit would this take at auction or trade values if it was a Mercedes Benz factory buy-back? Whats the risk in buying a buyback?

TIA.

---------------
#14817 of 14913 '02 MBZ e55 - trade, auction and retail #s? by Sweetv12 by rroyce10 Oct 06, 2003 (8:34 am)
........ Oooh, lot's of miles on this punk .. 110% serviced, no touch-ups, can't be a swirl on it, seats look hovered in, these hafta be Xtra clean to get any real monies, good color for the area, you say it's just average and the rubber is a little weak ... based on your description, it sounds like $43/$44ish on a trade/auction, the miles kill it and it needs stuff ...

         Down Retail Rd, the books call for some big money, but $49,9 in the paper and pounce on $48,0/$49,0 .... bought one in silver last month, 14k and all the stuff "baby doll" type, paid $48 and it went bye bye at $53,0 ...

                      I hope this helps ...

thel

4WD, regular cab, off-road package (really tall), XLT goodies, 4.6L V8, 97,500 miles. I'm wanting to sell this bad boy. What would be a good asking price in an autotrader.com ad?

Thanks in advance!

dkuhajda

Automatic? Leather? Maintenance? Condition (be specific)?

Three things going against you, mileage 97K, regular cab, small V8. One thing going for you, 4wd and winter is coming up, although how bad really is St Louis winter?

Dealers are ASKING around $10K for similar ones, likely average cleaned up condition. Real world retail out the door, somewhere around $8K.

You need only look at how many of those are available with 100K right now.

jlawrence01

The issue with St. Louis winters is NOT snow, it is ice. In the decade that I lived there 4-6 inches a snow at a time was all you needed to worry about. But the ice storms were legendary.

steine13

97 F150: Let's not forget that this"year" F150 was built between Dec95 and Mar97 or so. I'd check the sticker on the door jamb and then decide to play up how "late" it was built compared to other '97s, or alternatively just be very quiet about it.

'97 Honda Accord Value Edition: The plot thickens. Car Fax is clean, car's been on road since Jul97 -- that's a selling point, I told 'em -- and the sun roof is aftermarket (-) but at least it's ASC (+?). They've lowered the price from $7 to $6,5 and now to $5,5 and they're had calls, and lotsa "clicks" after people hear the part about no power windows.

And I'm still waiting to see if TERRY might have an idea what it's worth. Pretty Please?
". Nice shape otherwise, one owner, no accidents etc.
                        Dealer maintained, some emissions/airbag issues fixed there, too.
                        108k miles. no-sale green with light gray interior. Tires used but plenty left."

-Mathias

dkuhajda

I am pretty certain that on ice 4wd does not help a whole lot. A lot of people seem to thing it does help on ice more than it really does. Now put 4wd on slush and snow and you are jammin down the road. I guess that is why I always see lots of 4wd SUVs rolled over in the winter around here.

Around here a truck like his that has been taken care of and proper maintenance, would get a snow plow, air bags removed/turned off, and become a plow truck for driveways.

As to his truck, if it is an automatic, clean, drives like 40K, asking around $8.5K and first offer over $7K should send it down the road. I have never seen so many fairly nice condition 100K F150s on the market as I am seeing right now, the market seems flooded.

gsj1

What can I expect as a trade-in value on a 2000 Buick LeSabre Custom, 62k miles, gold (not taupe) over biege cloth, highest option package (dual power seats, compass, rain sensing wipers, etc., Gran Touring package. Nice except for a few door dings. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Thank you in advance.

dkuhajda

Your miles and body condition are going to kill you on trade in on this one.

$10-11K is going franchised dealer ASKING price with warranty after getting the door dings fixed.
$9K give or take finds it a new home with warranty from dealer.

as-is trade in $6000 low side $8000 high side if the dealer stretches the deal to the bone.

Really nice cruising highway car. Lots of them available used. Not so easy to sell fast due to relatively low market demand versus the number available. Face it, how many times have you seen someone own that car that was under 50 that was not in sales or travelling all the time for work?

jlawrence01

I think that the demand for the Buicks vary widely by the market. Here, in the Chicago suburbs, a nice LaSabre or Park Avenue in mint condition and with reasonable miles commands a strong price. Take the car into the city of Chicago, you can't give the thing away.

However, this car has too many miles and no leather

dkuhajda

Yes, I see mint condition ones with low miles with dealer asking prices closer to $13.5K for that year. Except for a few select market areas where you have the demographics that keeps the demand up for a car like that, they take a long time to sell.

Many dealers around here are very hesitant to put to much into a trade of certain large vehicles. This is why the trade in value will vary quite a bit by dealer on this one. If the dealer knows they have a market base and can move the car in a reasonable amount of time, versus knowing the last several sat on the lot 3 to 4 months before selling or had to be trucked off to auction.

This particular car has several hits against it, lots of dings, high miles, unknown maintenance condition vs. miles, no leather. Big question the owner will have to find out, how many similar Lesabres are available within say 75 miles of where they live.

At least they should be glad it is not a Lincoln Town Car. The trade on those can be all over the place due to the volatile market demand for those used.

thel

Hello, I guess I haven't been in this board for awhile. Do you work in STL?

Anyway, the truck is an automatic, I didn't know they made V8 autos. I just had it tuned up so it runs great, I just cna't afford it anymore with my wife going part-time.

I was thinking of putting an ad up for $8800 or so and see what happens. I'd like to get at least $7,500 but we'll see.

Thanks for the input.

graphicguy

OK, almost done shopping for a "2nd car". I think I've found a good one.....

'99 Civic VP Sedan
-61K miles
-silver
-new rubber
-auto
-CD (factory)
-P/L
-crank windows
-A/C
-bought in my home town from local dealer (who won't tell me anything about it since he's not selling it) and "looks" to be one owner.

Clean with a teeny scratch on the driver's side that looks like someone tried to hide with touch up paint. Don't know if the timing belt has been changed.

Actually, a very clean, seemingly well running car.

What should I pay for this "one of a kind vehicle"?