Real-World Trade-In Values

gshocksv · February 2005

Mathias,

I agree, I've been shopping for a premium car for a long time, and I consider myself a very informed buyer, and actually the price that I estimated was very close to Terry's, but I just don't know if I am right, and I am heistant to buy because even though I could afford the car, I would hate to overpay. After confirming with Terry's figure, I was more willing to sit down and talk and get it going.

jproc · February 2005

In apprx 6 weeks or so (when weather gets nice)-going to get my 99 SLK Silver with 67k miles detailed and put it up for sale.I live in PA.Condition is about what would be expected on a 6 yr old car.Can you give me trade in and sell it by myself values?

Thx in advance

woodyww · February 2005

AWD shouldn't matter too much, in the Boston area (???)......after all, this year, we've only had one Major Blizzard (so far)......personally, I'd dump the Saab. The thing with cars like Land Rovers & Saabs, they have their charms, but never stop depreciating, rapidly.

*The only issue I see is NOT having AWD.*

woodyww · February 2005

I'm intrigued by this one. "Assuming" it checks out, carfax, etc., & doesn't have a lot of stuff ready to fail due to being a garage queen........how much better could you do for $2500? It's almost worth having around as a "spare car"......

*1996 Oldsmobile Ciera SL sedan, 3.1L V6/auto, 41k miles*

daddyd · February 2005

woodyww,

The main reason I want to dump the saab (which has proven to be a very nice and reliable car!) is that I only want one car payment/month.

on the other hand the payments on my saab are only 250 a month. I will return the car to the credit union at the and of 3 years (in two years from now). But it's not a lease.

So it will all boil down to how much I will "loose" on the saab. Since the Toyota is all paid for I will not really "loose" out of pocket cash on it as a trade.

Confusing situation, indeed!

driftracer · February 2005

Please follow the guidelines listed below and give us a bunch more information, and we'll be able to help.

woodyww · February 2005

Maybe I don't understand your payment situation with the Saab. And I'm not a Saab basher. But whatever you've already "lost" on either vehicle, you've already lost, whether you sell it now, or not. And I'm wondering, how do you "return the car to the credit union at the end of 3 years", if it's not a lease?

dweller1 · February 2005

how many pesos could i expect on a trade and for a private party sale on a 2002 chevy avalanche. Its black with tan leather guts. 36 k miles, new michelin lt's, 2wd base model with leather (not z66 or z71) . Interior hovered in and spotless, exterior is very glossy , no scratches but not totally perfect either.the plastic panels that cover the bed are a little faded. Brakes are strong and maintenance is up to date.no paint or body damage ever. Purchased new by me.In the land of Mike Vick.

now for the friend . his son totaled his 03 Isuzu Rodeo sport 2-dr. 11k miles, auto,2wd, silver , 2 sun roofs, 3.2 v6, all power goodies. this truck was extremely well kept, covered,hovered,garaged ,no dings scratches.very good shape overall.What would be a fair price for him to accept from his insurance co in this total loss situation. thanks in advance, dweller

teyrooney · February 2005

bill, can you tell me the name of the mechanic

  for jaguar repair in orlando you mentioned in

  one of your postings.i would really appreciate

  it.

  ps thanks again

                vince r

              is that brentwood ny, my brother

              lives on fairdale rd in brentwood

gregjohnson · February 2005

Finally found a car I kinda liked and.... <sigh>

Atlanta 2001 Toyota Camry Solara Convertible SLE Coupe, Auto 3L V6 RWD, loaded (6xCD changer, leather,alloys, etc.), 55-60k, Silver/black, mostly new (85%+) shoes, original brake pads. Maintained carefully, but has more road love than I'd like. (I was seriously considering getting some work done on the bumpers). Windshield is about 3 weeks old.

Friend borrowed it to meet their son at the ER. Scuffed it up a little in the ice storm on the way back - Collision center says about $4000-5000 worth, depending on how badly the front of the frame turns out. The other 8 cars looked worse... but cheaper...

I'm really needing a truck at the moment, so I'd idly pondered letting it go anyway.

Am I right that I'm lookin at about $12k on a really good day? Any guesses as to the DV?

Thanks,

-G

daddyd · February 2005

here is how its work with my credit union: They determine how much the car depreciates in 3 years from the purchase price and that is the amout that I have to pay off during 3 years. The residual value is determined right at the beginning and I have the option to either refinance the car after 3 years or return it to the credit union. Does that make sense?

steine13 · February 2005

It's a balloon loan, with the option to turn the car in. Our CU had this some years ago, they called it "payment shaver".

Boy did they get burned on some 5-year loans with high residuals, esp. on SUV's.

-Mathias

akangl · February 2005

Both the Corolla (yeah right, totally misrepresented) and the Ciera were total busts and wastes of time. The Corolla was beyond beat up and needed at least $1500 in work. The Ciera was something else, in our drive around the block I was worried about making it back, the ABS light was on, the intake manifold gasket was leaking, and the car had a dead spot at 20 mph.

Best car I found under $2k was the 94 Escort I sold a couple years ago, its for sale again and is the same car it was when I sold it.........solid and reliable. I think (unless she has a DA moment) Mom is going to buy it tomorrow. Overprice? Sure, but its solid and has nothing mechanically wrong with it. Unlike the other cars we've looked at for more $$$.

I need MY car back by Wednesday before she wrecks it too!!!!

yaman · February 2005

99 silver 67k miles.No accidents-garaged kept.After I get it detailed should look real nice.All service done at dealer-nothing merchanically wrong.Only option is heated seats.I am the second owner.

Plan to sell in PA in about 6 weeks when weather gets nice.Looking for trade in and sell it myself prices.Thanks in advance

agt_cooper · February 2005

Please look down to the bottom of the page and look for the red text. Until you provided all the information suggested in red, it will be difficult for anyone to give you an accurate estimate of the value of your sled.

sfd992 · February 2005

Terry,

I hope you have hi-speed internet for that 25000+ post mark you've reached, all I can say is thank god for guys like you helping people like us with this info. I have a few more questions regarding my trade in of the dodge ram.

1. If I trade to a dealer then I get that all important difference number which I pay taxes on correct. Example: I want to purchase a vehicle at $21000 and the dealer offers me $17000 for my trade, difference number is $4000. At 6.25% for sales tax on that $4000 = $250. If I choose to sell my truck outright and then go buy that new truck at $21000 then I'm taxed for that amount = $1312.50. Would this be correct?

2. Knowing that the dealer's in my area like to use that little black book for the trade-in numbers I have these questions. In October 2004 I had trade-in values on my ram of $18000-18500 from dealers when I was shopping around, edmunds and KBB where around those #'s as well. In early Jan. 05 I had a trade in value of $16500 from a dealer which edmunds and KBB are around and even you have stated. Why the big price drop in 4 months and a difference of 4000 miles? I believe I have read on a forum that depreciation of a vehicle starts at the time the model year becomes available, i.e. 2004 model but showed up on lots in Oct 2003, correct?

These trade-in numbers are based off of some equation I would imagine taking in variables such as condition and mileage but I would assume there is a base equation used with these items deleted from that base #. How do I determine when the best time to trade this truck is without taking a huge hit in depreciation? Do I want to what until May, June or am I still going to see a $500 decrease in value per month as it seemed I have from Oct 04 to Jan 05. When I purchased the truck I thought I did me homework then by getting the 0% for 60 months, figuring that I could keep pace with depreciation by two years, I will have had it for 2 years in April 05. What are your thoughts on these questions and sorry for this being so long, I just like to keep my money in my pocket and am trying to do like so many in this forum and get the best deal I can.

Thanks again,

Mike

jproc · February 2005

99-silver.Yardley,pa.67k miles.red interior.heated seats only major option.Exterior has several scratches but hopefully can get detailed out.Interior in good shape.Tires are about 50% -brakes are new (7k miles).No prior damage-repaints etc.Maintenance all done at dealer and up to date.

Selling in about 6 weeks. Sell myself and Trade-in values requested.

Thx in advance

Kirstie_H · February 2005

Bill hasn't been around for about a year. Maybe someone else can help.

(name stands for Brentwood Volvo, in St. Louis, MO)

robr2 · February 2005

daddyd - IIRC you're in Boston right? If so, try Herb Chambers on Comm Ave for the Ody - they have both Honda and Saab there. They might give you a better trade on the Saab because it'll wind up on their lot.

In any case though, the Saab is a depreciation pit - check out the used sections of Charles River Saab, Saab Nashua North, and Village Saab - there are tons of used 9-3's out there.

volvodan1 · February 2005

1. Depends on your state. Check w/ a dealer or let us know what your state is and someone here will know.

2. Terry is the man to ask on this, but it's an ever changing market. 4x4 in October may be a bit better than in Feb, 4 months and 4,000 miles doesn't help, etc. It doesn't always make sense!

turboshadow · February 2005

This dude has been sitting on the local Chevy dealer's used car lot for over three months now! I know these are slow sellers, but jeez...



2004 Chevy SSR

53XX miles

Yeller/black guts

No options



What is this sucker worth in sunny Columbia, SC???



Turboshadow

---------------------------------

UPDATE: They now have three (!) '04 SSRs on the used car lot. Other two are yellow and purple. Both have less than 2K miles on the. Asking price is around $40,0 for all three.

These things really selling that badly?

Turboshadow

laurakat · February 2005

Hi Terry,

I haven't frequented this board for a while so I'm not sure if you primarily appraise late model cars or are willing to dive into a "classic" appraisal

I'm doing some research for my brother-in-law whose thinking of unloading his vette.

1982 Corvette Collector's Edition

80k miles

Last I saw exterior is mint

Interior is not mint, but I would consider solid for a car of that age.

Not driven much over the past 10 years, but mechanically sound. May need a once-over by a good mechanic to make sure everythings in good working order.

I need to confirm, but am assuming all original.

I hope this is enough to go by. He's looking for a ballpark range. eBay Motors had one sell for 19k, but this was MINT w/ 13k miles. Bidding on another one w/ 80k miles stopped at around 8k w/ reserve not met.

Any suggestions on web sites to accurately assess the value of this type of car?

Thanks,

Mike

swtwilliam · February 2005

Minneapolis, MN

2003 Mazda Protege ES

4 door

2.0L 120HP 4 Cylinder

FWD

15,500 miles

Gold (sand?) ext. / Black int.

Options: addons 6CD Changer and Pwr Moonroof

ABS and Front Side Airbags

Condition: Interior is flawless

Exterior has a single scratch (neighbor boys bike). I filled it with touchup paint but it is visible.

Tires are good, great.

All service completed and records available.

I had a shop tint the windows, professional job. No peeling. Sharp looking car but mileage is dismal (25.6mpg HWY)

Thank you. I recommend Edmunds.com to all my friends who are shopping for cars. Great Site.

stickguy · February 2005

That Protege an automatic? Still hard to believe you can get that poor mileage on the highway. Do you have the OD turned off, or just cruise at 90?

laurakat · February 2005

Yeah, my 01 Pro with the same engine would consistantly get over 30mpg on the highway while averaging over 70mph. Granted it was a stick, but that shouldn't matter much for highway mileage.

Kirstie_H · February 2005

Hi laurakat - I have no idea how in to classic cars Terry is, but you might also post in our topic called Corvettes & All things about them. The host there, mr_shiftright, has some expertise in classic vehicles and may be able to point you to some websites.

laurakat · February 2005

Thanks Kirstie. I'll try over there!

dkuhajda · February 2005

There is no base equation. It is totally market driven. Cars move much slower off the lots in Feb than Oct. If you had a 4 wheel drive, even a bigger difference. In Oct. the dealer would have had time to get it ready for the lot before the winter hit and the 4 wheel drive sales due to the snow. Then you cannot forget that in the last 4 months Chrysler has had lots of big rebates on the RAM, which also depresses the resale value as people remember that they could have bought a new one for $xx,xxx so why pay anything close to $xx,xxx for the used one.

Now for the big question. If you ONLY bought it 2 years ago, why are you looking at getting rid of it so soon? Can you get 0% for 60 months now? Keeping money in your pocket means keeping the truck a long time and keeping it in really good shape long term.

rroyce10 · February 2005

..... These are actually big sellers - but they fit a niche market Only, kinda like an Acura NSX .... great vehicles, people love to look/feel and touch em', but their new 2nd wife will kill them if they buy one ~ strictly niche ..

                  $40 Big ones ...?!? .. is that American money ....??

                 I have two 04's sitting on my lots right now with 3k .. and I would drop-kick either one for $35 Soooo faaast, it would look like the 2nd coming of Jesus ..... $40..?!? .. are you sure they're not "05's" ..?

                               Terry.

rroyce10 · February 2005

...... I truly appreciate that .. but I don't take myself seriously, do you think I'm goin' to take anyone else seriously ..?

Terry ;^}

cstowe · February 2005

My wife's parents are looking for a new caddy SRX and will be trading in the 2000 Deville DHS. It is diamond white with rear parking assist, chrome wheels, rear sun shade, night vision (which is broken), Bozo CD sound, new deep round things and has 79K miles. NO slider or Navi. Interior leather is very hovered in since it is only driven by my mother-in-law. The exterior is equally nice except for a rock that flew up and took out the lens on the "82nd airborne night vision" scope. No wrecks or re-paints. Edmunds says 10-11K on the trade in...I might offer to give them whatever the Caddy dealership will offer.

Located either in Tulsa or NW Arkansas (Fayettevilee/Bentonville) area.

What say you O-Sage-of-car-lot?

steine13 · February 2005

Here's an idea on the market of those... I've got the old blue GM Card, and last December, the General was nice to me... had $500 in it, they added $1,500 of their money and told me to buy something... y'all have heard this before...

...but after Christmas, with like 4 days to go, they told me if I bought a CTS-V, or a GTO, or an SSR -- all 2004's -- they'd sweeten the deal to $5k GM Card money. Offer good until Jan 3rd.

On the GTO, that would have meant $10k behind what the dealer would let it go for. Ten Thousand Bucks. Similar for the SSR. So I'd say the SSR isn't moving.

Also, they're idling the plant; I should know, it's 4 miles from where i sit...

"...less than 2K miles on them. Asking price is around $40,0 for all three..."

Ok, put them on a trailer. Where do I send my $40k check? :-)

-Mathias

rroyce10 · February 2005

...... We rode our bikes up there a few years ago, then up to Branson, so I know the area .. I have friends in Rogers and they were the first people to lease to Sam Walton for his very first store - waaay back ....

But I digest .... we have 00 Da-ville DHS with 80k, right color, back-up beep beep, chromee's, Bozo sound, rubber is tall and you say it's Moms car and it's has been cared for with no chickens living in the back seats, lots of Tyson chickens in that area ..... trade side, in and around the super tall $9's, low/mid $10's, might "maybe" get a local dealer to travel over the hills and dales towards the $11 figure if it's super nice and super clean and it needs -0- ... who knows, he might have a buyer from JB Hunt ..l.o.l...

Terry.

rroyce10 · February 2005

..... If it has no repaints, good rubber and the brakes will still stop it ... then it's a tall $6, low low low $7,0 driver come trade side, maybe ... down Retail Rd, $10,900 *asking* and grab $9,5/$9,9, the miles will hold it back - come Spring up north, there will be 10,000 Vettes for sale .... they should call it Ego-bay, lots of folks asking psycho money for vehicles, then you call them 6 months later and they still have them as a door stop ... Ego can be very expensive ....

Good luck ...

Terry.

rroyce10 · February 2005

Minneapolis, MN

2003 Mazda Protege ES

4 door

2.0L 120HP 4 Cylinder

FWD

15,500 miles

Gold (sand?) ext. / Black int.

Options: addons 6CD Changer and Pwr Moonroof

ABS and Front Side Airbags

Condition: Interior is flawless

Exterior has a single scratch (neighbor boys bike). I filled it with touch up paint but it is visible.

Tires are good, great.

All service completed and records available.

I had a shop tint the windows, professional job. No peeling. Sharp looking car but mileage is dismal (25.6mpg HWY)

Thank you. I recommend Edmunds.com to all my friends who are shopping for cars. Great Site.

           ============================

            Another Viking player ... I recommend Progresso soup, but that doesn't mean my friends will eat it ....

            Auto ..? 03 Mazda Protege' ES .. we have tiny miles, good color for anywhere, slider, ABS and we have the side balloons, no hits runs or errors ... trade side, in and around the mid/tall $9's, might find a dealer to scamper towards the $10 figure if it's really nice and really groovy ...

            25.6mpg HWY.? seems kind of low, most folks I know get well over 30mpg -- have you tried lighter shoes ..?

                               Terry.

butchbr73 · February 2005

>>>have you tried lighter shoes ..? <<<

thanks, now i have to clean the coffee off my computer screen and keyboard.

rroyce10 · February 2005

Terry,

Since you came back with such a low number on my not-yet-paid-off Saab 9-3, what about my 2001 Highlander? I rather keep the Toyota (since it's paid-off) and trade in the Saab to have only one car payment. The only issue I see is NOT having AWD.

Location: Boston/MA

Year/Make/Model: Toyota Highlander Limited

Body Style: SUV

Engine: 3.0 V6 Auto

Driveline: FWD

Mileage: 56.000

Color: Bluestone Metallic/ Ivory Leather

Major Options: Alloy, leather, moonroof, premium 6 disc audio, tow package, roof rails, Auto A/C, fog lights (whatever else comes with the limited package)

Condition: Very good condition, No bodywork, No paint work, no glass issues, no digs. very few scratches, rust free

Tires - new

  Brakes- 50%

  Maintenance- all records, dealer maintained

Thanx,

D.

                ===========================

             Another Boston boy .... it's a 01 Highlander, we have 56k, blue with the tan guts- good combo, wheels, slider, rack, tow pack and it's a Limited .. no visits to the Paint Palace, no switchblades in the seats - and rust never sleeps .... trade side, in and around the low/mid $14's, might "maybe" could find a dealer to wander towards the $15 figure ...



               Don't forget to let me know what happens.!

                                 Terry.

dmessler · February 2005

Hi Terry,



Please be as kind to provide trade ACV for following:

Both located in San Diego



2003 Honda Element EX

2.4 liter AT FWD

18,000 miles

Black with gray composite panels

original tires and brakes

no dings or scratches

interior in good condition

Maintenance up to date

no accidents or other body work



2001 Ford Focus 4 dr ZTS

2.0 liter zetec

FWD AT

49000 miles

Silver exterior with silver leather interior

alloys, side airbags, PW,PL,CD

normal parking lot dings and scratches

interior and carpet good

tires 50 worn

brakes (pads and rotors) replaced at 34,000

No accidents or body work



Both cars non smoker

Thanks in Advance

rroyce10 · February 2005

.......... So what are you saying, this is a repost.?

               It really doesn't count until it's a repost of a repost of a repost and printed on Thursdays between 2:30pm and 2:37pm and the barometric pressure in Costa Rica is above 88% ... but since I'm here ..

               In the land of the Chargers .. hey, since you live in San Diego can you get me a date with Bethany from the Charger Girls .. see, I have this coupon book from Mcdonalds ..........

                We have a 03 Element 2wd EX with loooow miles at 18k, color is semi-good for the area .. sooo, if we haven't been going to the $2 Swirlomatic car washes, you haven't been parking next to the guy with the big 2dr, no curb burners, serviced and nice ... then trade side, in and around the mid/tall $13's, maybe could see a dealer drop the low low low low low $14's in it, maybe .......... auto..? 01 Zee Tea S, good color, side balloons, 50k, sounds and smells like the mid/tall $4's -- auto ..?

                                       Terry.

bama12 · February 2005

Terry-

Please take a look at this and let me know what you think it will pull:

Location: Fairfax VA

Year/Make/Model: 2002 Mercedes ML 320

Body Style: 4dr SUV

Engine: [3.2 V-6, auto]

Driveline: AWD

Mileage: 50,100

Color: Brilliant Silver/Charcoal (dark) Gray

Major Options: Navigation, Bose, 6-disk CD, Sunroof, 3rd row seat

Condition: Excellent-absolutely no dings or scratches; leather seats cleaned/treated regularly; garage kept; engine bay extremely clean; slight wear on driver-side floor mat.

Tires - 5000 miles on replacement OE (Dunlop) tires

Brakes - All 4 serviced at 40,000 miles

Maintenance - All scheduled maintenance performed by M-B dealer (and all records are up to date)

Other: Rear bumper cover repainted (by M-B dealer) in '03 following 10 mph rear-end collision.

Thanks in advance.

mpp2 · February 2005

4 cyl, White, Auto Tranny. 25000 miles. Looks clean. Local Honda dealer advertising for $15984.

Newburgh, NY. Thanks in advance.

turboshadow · February 2005

I have two 04's sitting on my lots right now with 3k .. and I would drop-kick either one for $35 Soooo faaast, it would look like the 2nd coming of Jesus ..... $40..?!? .. are you sure they're not "05's" ..?

HAHA Quite a turn of phrase there.

Yeah, the first one is definitely a 2004, and I am pretty sure the other two were. Their used car side is kinda infamous for having prices too high and having stuff sit for a while.

Turboshadow

kman1 · February 2005

Would appreciate your thoughts on trade-in value for the following:

Newtown, Pennsylvania (18940)

2002 Toyota Highlander

4Dr

v6 Automatic

AWD

35,300 miles

Silver metallic exterior/clth grey interior

Alloys, sun roof, tonneau cover, cargo net, roof rack, tinted glass, electric driver seat

Condition: Absolutely perfect exterior, extremely clean interior

Tires: probably at 80%

Brakes: excellent

Maintenance: oil change, etc. every 3,000 miles with records to show it

Other: Toyota repaint of one side due to scratch

lemmer · February 2005

2000 BMW 328i

Birmingham, AL

4dr

automatic

86,723 miles

leather, sunroof, no CD

silver with grey interior

tires are decent - maybe 50%

a few little dings, overall pretty good

no apparent paintwork

Dealer has dropped his asking price from $17,995 to $15,995

This would be a wonderful, reliable little family hauler, right?

cstowe · February 2005

Thanks Terry.

It is a beautiful part of the country and I imagine a bike trip would be a great way to see it. My wife's folks actuall live in Rogers on a couple of wooded acres near the lake and I always feel like I am at some rehab clinic when I go there because everything is so peacful and beautiful.

How big of an issue is it that the night vision camera is broken? I would imagine that would cost some $$$ to fix and a dealer wouldn't sell it without fixing.

Also, I am reading some nasty stuff about the Northstar engine having gasket/seal problems around the 80-100k mile marker that requires a $5000 motor pull/replace since removing the heads will strip out the bolts on the fancy alum-alloy engine block. While I know this car has been driven (literally) by a grandma it makes me a bit scared of the car...have you heard of this?

While I know its not a Honda I don't like the idea of spending $10K on a car and then another $5K 20,000 miles later when the car will be worth $8K

driftracer · February 2005

of Cadillac oil consumption cases with consumption starting around 25-30k, they try a couple of carbon cleanings, and many times have to rebuild or replace the engine - THEN, you have a reman engine in a $50k car...

kyfdx · February 2005

This dealer has four of these, priced from $18,900 down to about $16,400.. this one caught my eye because it had the factory hardtop.. Take a look, and tell me what you think.. I think the MSRP on this one with the hardtop had to be north of $28K.

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/ida/inventory_frame.jsp?dealer_- id=76278&result_car_id=null&mis=IADABDMGDA312&car_id=- null

regards,

kyfdx

lemmer · February 2005

I thought for sure you would share your thoughts about the 328i I posted above. You are the expert of the 3 series forums, are you not?

Do you think I would be better off buying a 2001 IS300, or should I just pony up for a new TSX?

What I like about the sub $15K cars is that I can write a check for them and not have to worry about car loans, or home equity loans, and all the related paperwork - and don't forget not having to make a monthly payment.

robr2 · February 2005

But IMHO you'll have a monthly note for maintenance and repair on an 80K BMW.

cstowe · February 2005

Yes, the car in question burns about a quart every month or two according to my father in law.

That seems like quite a bit to me.

Real-World Trade-In Values

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles