Real-World Trade-In Values

joe131

Maybe a dealer can inspect and test drive a trade-in more thoroughly than they can a similar car at auction. Maybe an auction car is more of an unknown in terms of mechanical condition and what repairs must be done. Maybe a trade-in has a complete set of maintenance and repair records which could indicate how good a deal it is.
As a private party, the auctions I am aware of do not offer much in the way of test drives, mechanical inspections or detailed maintenance records.
I am leery of auction cars for these reasons. If the cars are really good cars, why weren't they for sale at a used car retailer instead of an auction?

joe131

If a private party is selling a car and says the A/C is fine, it just needs a little freon, you might want to ask him what else he is lying about.
Freon should not leak out of an A/C system. If it does, something is wrong. In my experience, there is NO inexpensive fix of an A/C system that is not blowing cold air. If the air does not blow really cold on a hot day when you test drive it, plan on spending many hundreds of dollars (or more) to fix the A/C the way it should be fixed.
If you are selling a car with bad A/C and all it needs is a couple pounds of freon, add it before you show it to prospective buyers. My bet is that adding freon did not really fix it at all, but it might let you cheat the buyer for a few hundred dollars since he'll be willing to pay more for a car with good A/C. (And shame on you if you do that)
That oxygen sensor line may be another lie too. The part probably only costs $50 to $80 at the parts store and installation is usually an easy do-it-yourself chore. If seller has not fixed it, then the problem is probably much more expensive than just replacing that sensor.
Most used car sellers advertising in the paper or auto trader will be liars. Beware!

joe131

$8000 is a ridiculously high sale price for that car.

joyce5

Hi:
I have an 06 Tooyota RAV 4, limited, V6. It has option B so has the great auto sunroof, tow package, etc. It is silver. I had the windows tinted as dark as legal and had an invisible bra put on front and rear. It is 4 dr. and 2WD. The exterior has no dings and I just turned 9,000 miles. Can anyone tell me what the think a dealer would give me as a trade in for an 07?

maxcat2

It seems like only yesterday I was on the Edmunds forums doing research to buy this car and now I may be trading it in.

The car is a 2005 330i, ZHP with approx. 38,000 miles. The car is Imola red with the black alcantara interior, aluminum cube trim. The car has been dealer maintained and still has the free 45,000 mile service upcoming.

The car has not been involved in any accidents, no insurance claims, etc. Tires are good and the only negative to the car is some paint chips on the hood.

For those not familiar with the ZHP option its the performance package including a few extra horsepower, different gearing, 18" M wheels, a few subtle body mods, 6 speed and some M badging.

Let me know what you think.

JingleJill

Why trade it in? I had a 2005 CI and loved it. Same color/interior except the black cube. I had to sell mine because a coupe was no longer practical (baby on the way). So, I was on the lookout for the exact same car in a 4-dr. Most of my research has the dealers pricing them around $30k plus with a CPO. You would be a lot better off trying to sell the car on your own; even if it is a pain.

I was fortunate enough to find a 2004 Imola red/alcantara 6spd with the exact options I wanted and a CPO for $22,500. YES, A STEAL!!! I had to run not walk to get them their money.

KEEP THE CAR!!! This will be my 5th BMW and nothing compares!!!

barretthead

va beach va
2004 accord lx coupe automatic 4 cylinder,
38,000 miles,
graphite pearl,
clean title,
no accidents, engine problems, exterior blemishes or paint issues,
original tires and brakes, both good conditions, but with 38K, on the way towards the end of their lives.

thenebean

joe - thanks for the info. like i said, my sister will be bringing it to her mechanic to get a better idea of the condition of the car. she only needs it to last for a year, since she's coming back to CT from HI at that point. she just needs cheap transportation for that year. i have to wait to see what the mechanic said before i give her any more advise. i do think maximas are great used cars though! (i had one and i loved it!)

-thene

qbrozen

we both have other vehicles, so the pickup would stay home in any bad weather, hence no need for 4wd.

well, lemme put it this way, the guy I bought the mazda from back in september had a line of buyers at $800 and it was in need of alot of work. I put alot of work into it and got it to pass inspection, so I think $1200 will find a buyer or 2.

I'm still unsure I want to do it, though. I drove the mazda all weekend hauling stuff and I find I have an attachment to it. All the time spent working on it has given us a special bond.
I think I'll hang onto it a while longer, at least.

Unless of course a Dakota R/T pops up nearby. Spotted one on Ebay last night that's just over the border in PA. Its an '01 extended cab (rear suicide doors) with only 34k miles. Man, that would be a sweet truck.

volvomax

Well, first of all real auctions are not open to the general public anyway.
So, only pro's are going to the auctions.
Now, the cars are run thru either as grren lights or red lights.
Green light means the car is ok, clean title, no frame damage, nedds only normal recon.
Red light is an as-is car, so buyer beware.
Frame damage is always disclosed.
There is an arbitration process if a green light car turns out to have problems.
The auction has bought back bad cars.

volvomax

Hard to say, not many going thru the auctions.
Best guess $19-20,000

volvomax

Should be somewhere @ $25000.
Might be worth a little more to a bimmer dealer because of the add on's

volvomax

Trade in @ $12-12500

cotmc

I was fortunate enough to find a 2004 Imola red/alcantara 6spd with the exact options I wanted and a CPO for $22,500.

A CPO '04 ZHP for $22.5K?? :surprise: I'm assuming you did a background check on this car and everything came up clean, and the mileage wasn't too excessive? It wasn't ever a BMW "buy back"?

Congrats!! I'm very interested in reading your story on this purchase, if you wish to share with us.

doco77019

Hi,
I'm looking to buy a new car and would love some real world feedback on trade-in vs private sale for my Jetta. Any input is appreciated

2000 Jetta GLS VR6
manual transmission
dark green
beige cloth interior
28,000 miles (!!)
very clean/nice outside and inside
new rear brakes
cd changer

located in south FL

JingleJill

I thought it was to good to be true also. Because I found it at a non-BMW dealership, I had it taken over to BMW dealership nearby and had a PPI done. The service advisor even asked if that was the correct price on the car. I said, yep. All it needed was a few belts and hoses. It had just had its Level 2 Service and it had 14k miles left until the next oil change. It has more mileage than I wanted, but it is a CPO. He said it was one heck of a car. He said run, don't walk. I also know a salesman at our local BMW dealership and I had him do a check on the car. He said the same thing... GO FOR IT!!! And, he was trying to sell me a car.

The shipping company should be picking the car up next week and then we'll see.

Stacy

dakota03

Atlanta, Ga
2006 Altima 2.5S Auto
Mileage: 23,000
Color: Grey

Options: Only the Special Edition Package (CD, Keyless entry, Steering Wheel Controls for Radio/Cruise, AC, All power, Auto lights)

Condition: Small dent on trunk and 2 door dings on drivers side; interior is clean

Tires - 60% left
Brakes - 70% left

Other: The car was broad sided on the passenger side causing 8,000 in damage (Which of course is now fixed).

Could you tell me what the trade in value would be had it not been in an accident and also now, after the accident.

Thanks
Dan

qbrozen

ok. i've asked about a couple of these, but this one has been on my mind for a few days now and the wife is even seriously considering it. so what's she worth? (the truck, not the wife)

'01 Dakota R/T automatic 2wd extended cab (back doors open suicide style. i'm not sure if that's standard). Its the 5.9 liter (hence R/T). Has power windows and locks. seller has not responded to my question about other options yet.
Anyway, its silver with bedliner and tonneau cover and has ONLY 34k miles!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&viewitem=&item=12011224- 1982

THANKS!

p.s. am i nuts for considering something with such deplorable mileage???

ateixeira

FWIW, a friend of mine has one of those, regular cab 4 cylinder. Still, the body just hasn't held up. The paint peeled off the bumper, and he's got many other problems.

His wife drives a much older Corolla, early 90s, and they're trading in the truck first. Sad that a much older Corolla turned out to be a lot more durable.

At a minimum make sure it's holding up better than his has held up.

dakota03

'01 Dakota R/T automatic 2wd extended cab (back doors open suicide style. i'm not sure if that's standard).

Just wanted to point out one thing... the rear doors on 3rd gen dakotas dont open suicide style, they are all fixed. I wanted to point this out because I had a 2003 Dakota Ext Cab and it was a PITA to access the back because when the front seats slide forward, they do not return to the position they were in. This was an annoyance when friends/the dog would sit back there.

Just wanted to warn you in case you plan to regularly put stuff back there.

qbrozen

really? those pics sure make it look like they open. they don't actually show them open, but it seems there is a real obvious seam around them. On my '97 dakota, I don't recall there being any sort of seam in that area.

volvomax

Unmolested, trade value is @ $14,000

With that kind of damage, esp if it is in Carfax, $9-10,000

woodyww

Carfax? Service records? Title held by seller (not finance co.)? CR has a few problem areas on the '01, but that's for the 4wd.

If you bid & win, you could try to insist on a PPI when you go to pick it up. And I LIKE the low miles.....can mean a lot IMO.

dakota03

You're correct the seam around the door does make it look like it could open. My 03 looked the same seam. I know its hard to tell but you can see in these pics that on the outside the metal of the door wraps around to the back of the cab. On the inside you can see that there is no break in the plastic trim.

http://i9.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/96/bd/da4e_12.JPG
http://i5.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/96/bd/c82d_12.JPG
http://carad.ebayimg.com/i6/07/a/000/77/76/e8c1_4.JPG

Either way, Dakotas are nice trucks and I wish I'd kept mine, too.

qbrozen

thanks for the tip. I'll be sure to let the wife know and see what she thinks. It did bother me a bit on my '97, and it was one of the reasons I followed it up with a sedan, but nowadays with my sedan and the wife's SUV, I would hope it wouldn't prove to be too much of an annoyance for us.

The more I surf listings, the more it seems that Ebay one is a good deal. They just command so much darned money around here. I still got a few more hours to decide. I'll let you know how it turns out.

And, yeah, the whole title issue is a concern. I mean, anyone listing "for a friend" concerns me. And I got a response to my query for more options info and the seller apparently didn't even ask his "friend" what options it has before responding. One of the lines was, "I don't think it has keyless entry." ... gee, thanks, pal. Maybe I'll win the bid and then state, "I don't think I can pay that much."

explorerx4

it's sitting in front of a body repair shop. the rear of the truck is sagging. those had a chrome tip exhaust. why don't they show it?

qbrozen

someone asked why it was at a body shop. seller says body shop is the owner's father and, to the best of his knowledge, its never been wrecked.

now, of course, what worries one here is that someone who isn't the owner is stating "to the best of my knowledge." that leaves a HUGE opening to drive excuses through.

anyway, wifey decided we'll hold off and hope for a low-mileage example that might be a couple years older and maybe not an R/T (i kinda let it slip that an R/T would be beckoning me to hot rod it).

mazdax605

I have looked up the value on here,and kelly,but I want a real world vaue of this vehicle. This is a private sale,and while I have not seen the van in person I did have someone local look at it.

Raleigh,NC area
1999 Chevy Express 2500
3 door extended van
5.7 litre engine automatic trans
rwd
117,000 miles
maroon color
LS package,pwr mirrors,pwr locks,pwr wind,cruise,tilt,front&rear ac,12 pass seating,am/fm casette/single cd,locking rear diff,privacy glass,towing package

interior clean with slight wear on seats,exterior shows some scratches,minor dings

tires good shape all matching

brakes recently done

well maintained by local firestone franchise

1 minor accident,and trans rebuilt within last 3 months.drivers side weather-tripping at door threshold falling out.Otherwise a solid van.

Edmunds says $4900 roughly in good shape
kbb says $5600
buyer asking $6500,but willing to take a bit less

Thanks
Chris

jhs70

Hi, I would be so appreciative if someone could give me a figure for a car I am looking at purchasing.

Used vehicle
Annapolis, Marylad
2007 Infiniti G35x sedan
5000 miles
black
P01-Premium Package
U01-Nav
Custom DVD player (not sure what that is exactly....)

I'm led to believe the condition is really good. No accidents, no dents, no flood, no kids, not a smokers car. Good rubber.

Dealer says it's probably a 40k car, and he's asking 36k, which is about invoice from what I can tell from research.

Any ideas what kind of price I should offer?

THANKS!!!

beach15

Location: Southern Delaware, beach/bay area
Year/Make/Model: 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LS 2wd
Engine: 5.3 liter, 8 cylinder, auto
Driveline: 2wd
Mileage: 46,000
Color: Summit White/Light Gray cloth
Major Options: All standards, plus bucket seats, BOSE 6-CD, Power Pedals, Homelink, Steering Wheel Audio controls, Locking Rear Diff., Full Roof Rack & Cargo Cover. More options than most other LS's out there, and all the "desirables" of an LT aside from leather, as it was ordered that way.
Condition: Honestly like new and detailed frequently, no dents or chips, perfect paint and wheels, spotless upholstery and plastics, and stock carpet and mats covered with custom rubber mats since new.
Tires: Stock WOL Firestones, still more than half tread
Brakes: Originals, still low pad wear
Maintenance: Oil & filter every 3k, tire rotations every 6k, and other minor dealer warranty work done to date
Other: Never any damage, never smoked in

Will hit the 3 year mark of ownership this June, but am starting to look at Saturn Outlooks and such now--maybe being a Saturn dealer with their locked in profit, they'll be more generous than others on trade?

british_rover

in Arizona around Phoniex

2006 MINI Cooper S Hatchback

Supercharged 1.6 liter 6 speed manual

FWD of course

10,000 miles

Red with white roof

Sport package and all that it includes Xenons, power washers, 17 inch wheels, sport suspension, cloth interior, no sun roof.

I am thinking 18k-20k from a dealer but I don't know the market in that part of the country so I couldn't be more accurate.

Private party side maybe 22k-23k or so. Again I don't know that region of the country well enough.

volvomax

My backyard!
What is your friend buying?

$20k is about right for Phoenix, however the cars are bringing $22k at the Riverside CA auction.
If the dealer is gonna ship the car to Riverside, they might go to $21k.

volvomax

Looking at the auction data, trade in probably between $14-15000.

british_rover

She isn't buying anything just had her fun with the MINI and is moving to a more rural area where the roads will tear up the car.

I will let her know that I shot a little low and 20k is possible if not a little more. She doesn't need to move the car any time soon though so she will probably sell it on her own.

volvomax

she shouldn't have any problems selling hers.
There is only 1 Mini dealer in the Valley, and demand here is pretty good.

What do you think a 2006 Range Rover HSE is worth?
Black/black 19" alloys, no nav or DVD, 10k miles?

british_rover

Hmhhh all Range Rovers have nav it is standard.

There are only four options on 2006 MY Range Rovers.

Cold Climate package
Luxury interior
Rear seat entertainment
Sat Radio

The easiest way to see if a car has LUX interior when you are not familar with them is to look at the seats. LUX cars have 16 way power adjustable seats. The upper seat back and head rest are power adjustable.

My gut says 54k-55k.

volvomax

You are correct about the Nav.
We put $54 in the car, had a $63k book!

british_rover

Range Rovers always book way too high even though they lose about 20,000 dollars in value the first year.

ramstein317

I have a question about Trading in a car which is CURRENTLY being financed by the Manf Bank directly. I have a 05 Camry, and I am still financing that car, and it does have a balance on my account. I am looking to get this car traded in for the new camry. The dealer told me that they will accept my trade in and they will still CHARGE/Forward my remaining balance that I owe to the bank on the current camry, that I want to trade for the new LOAN that I will take as a finance for the new CAMRY. Is this TRUE? What should I know about trading in a car.? Thanks....

woodyww

Good article in the 4/29 Washington Post online about car owners who keep rolling over their negative equity when they trade cars & finance.

If you provided all the details about the deal you're considering, people here could give you more specific advice. BTW, what's wrong with the 05 Camry?

beach15

Oooh, wow, not good, but I guess not too extreme.

ramstein317

Thanks for the reply. Sorry, that I didn't include the complete details. Here's the story. I currently have a 2005 Camry LE V6, about 45000 Miles. Nice car, but have alot of probs with the BRAKES and the ALLIGMENT since the first 7000 miles, I had gotten this car in May of 2005. Since then, I wanted to trade in my car, since I am financing this car with Toyota Financial Services. I live in NJ. Since, they came out with the new camry, I was actually thinking to trade my 2005 camry for the 07 camry. I went to the dealer today, and they told me that, they will take my Trade Value of my 2005 camry, to the current 2007 retail price of the 2007 model that I was looking into. After the difference of deducting my TRADE VALUE from the RETAIL PRICE of the 07 model, =(equals), whatever the price came down then they would charge me my tax,etc..and my remaining balance that I still owe to Toyota for my 2005 camry. I have not paid my 05 camry completely, since I am still financing. The only goofy thing that I have found out is that, DO DELEARS STILL FORWARD THE REMAINING BALANCE TO THE NEW LOAN THAT A CONSUMER WILL TAKE? I have never heard anything like that, and that's why, I didn't sign the paper work for 2007 model. Sorry about the long paragraph. Hope I can get some answers, Thanks alot!!

steven39

hi folks,i need a trade-in amount or private sale amount or both for a 07 vw rabbit 4dr hatch.iam unable to get this from kbb since they say that there is not enough turn over in the market place to give a trade-in amount for the rabbit.i won this car in oct 06 and i had my fun with it over the past seven
months but i decided i need something bigger.anyway,here are the specs...07 vw rabbit 4dr hatch with auto,6disk cd moonroof pack,sat radio,abs,4wheel disks,side curtain airbags,ect..fully loaded and iam in miami,fla...ty

mikefm58

Your dealer is correct. Where did you think the balance on the old loan would go? You either pay it off or the balance is rolled over to the new loan.

Purchase price of 07 Camry (includes freight and dealer fee)
minus trade in of your 05 Camry
plus tax tag & title
plus outstanding loan on 05 Camry
equals amount financed on new loan

ramstein317

Thanks for the feedback, well appreciated. Is this something new, that the dealer rolls-over the remaining balance to the new loan, if a consumer is FINANCING? Just curious. Anyway's, You stated, Purchase price of the 07 Camry, and what do you mean by the FRIEGHT(DESTINATION CHARGE??), and what kind od dealer fee? Seems like, I only have the option to pay this vehicle off, and trade it in, or sell it by myself...What say? Or, I just keep it. Can't decide. LOL...QUICK QUESTIONS: Let's say, I trade my current camry in for the 07 camry. Since, I still owe money to Toyota, IF I DO SIGN THE PAPER WORK, AND ACCEPT THAT MY REMAINING BALANCE WOULD ROLL-OVER to my new LOAN for the 07 LOAN, it means, that I am giving them MY CAR FOR FREE.....right? Thanks...

dkuhajda

Brakes are a safety item on the car. If you have properly documented all the problems and repair attempts since 7000 miles, you might still be able to claim a lemon but would have to check the laws in your state.

Toyota customer service from what I hear is much easier to deal with than some other. At the very least I would contact Toyota and Toyota financial and explain that you are not confident in the safety of the car due to the problems. Be nice, but stick to your guns. There is a chance that Toyota would be willing to buy the car back for the balance on the loan as long as you did not initially roll over any negative equity when you bought it.

Worst that can happen is they would say NO if you try. If they work out some option, it might be better than taking the full negative equity hit on the new loan.

ramstein317

Thanks for the feedback. I understand your opinion about contacting Toyota Financial, and me explaining my concern to them. I didn't get this part, ( initially roll over any negative equity when I bought it), what do you mean by that? Thanks....

joe131

It all depends on whether you owe more money on your old car than it is actually worth as a trade-in or private party sale. You need an expert opinion from someone OTHER THAN the dealer with which you are trying to make the deal.
When trading in a financed car there is a good chance the dealer will take advantage of you. By that, I mean you might get cheated and not even realize it.
You should write all the numbers down on paper and think through this very carefully. Don't do anything until you understand what's really going on.

dkuhajda

In other words, did you trade a car in that you still owed money on when you bought the 05 Camry? If you did still owe money, was the trade in value more or less than what you owed. If the owed amount was more than the trade value, then you rolled over negative equity into the 05 Camry loan.

Toyota was very nice to me in the early 90's with a similar situation. They provided a cash voucher for the difference between what the trade in and owed amount was to effectively cancel out the negative equity. They told me to pick out a new Toyota vehicle, work the deal, then call them with the amount to make up the difference. It was Toyota USA, not Toyota Financial that helped.

There is a chance that they will work to keep you as a customer if you buy a replacement Toyota and finance again through Toyota financial.

Negative equity = you owe more than the car is worth. = balance of loan-trade in value.

woodyww

You've got a few separate issues going on here:

1. What are they giving you for your trade (ignoring for the moment the loan balance)? And then, how much do you owe? You owe more than they say your car is worth, is that correct?

2. What's the price of the new car? Are you paying list, or near invoice? Have you researched the best price on a new camry?

3. The funky brakes since 7K miles--have you looked in a Lemon Law claim?

4. "You owe what you owe", & the car is "worth what it's worth"--if the loan balance is actually more than the value of the car, you just have to deal with that.