Real-World Trade-In Values

qbrozen

When was the last time you heard of a 4 YO sube needing an entirely new wiring harness?

Not specifically, but it could happen on one that has been at the bottom of a salt lake. :P

Barring that, I'd be trying like hell to get it covered by the manufacturer.

ateixeira

Not to mention I haven't observed that problem on any Subie, and I'm a Community Leader for the Subaru Crew. Seems unlikely.

Usually a CEL is a loose gap cap, or bad plugs/wires/ignition coil. Beyond that it's usually a bad knock sensor or some other type of sensor.

british_rover

My little Forrester Demo was finally condemned by a bad cat that threw a CEL. Well that and a wheel bearing. Doesn't make sense to spend close to $2,000 to fix it when it is 10 years old with 170,000 miles on it.

corvette

So what are you driving now?

jproc

I worked as a Controller for 2 car dealerships and the service area will charge the used car department retail rates (at least at the 2 dealers I was at).Like Irguy said each department is its own profit center and they don't cut each other breaks.

british_rover

XC70 wagon till they figure out what to give me.

lrguy44

There was a time when I could buy a hat at retail cheaper than at sales cost!

28firefighter

Looking to know what we could expect to pay for a car like this...

2007 Audi Q7 4.2 or 3.6 Premium Quattro
30-50k miles
Premium Package Options
Navigation
Panorama Sunroof

Philadelphia area.

Thanks!

robr2

Wondering what I can get for this:

2000 Odyssey EX
Typical EX goodies
White Exterior
Gray Interior
No dents or dings
Tires and brakes are 80%
all service up to date
Minor chips on hood and front bumper
101,000
Will need T-Belt and service at 105K

Thanks.

jayrider

25k to 35k for an 07. First year for the Q7. Make sure you have a repair and replace fund. Check out cars.com and autotrader. Good luck.

aghosh

I have a 2005 4 runner to trade in on a prius. What can I expect for trade in:
year 2005
color white with gray cloth interior
model SR5
driveline 4 wheel drive
miles 85000
major options: sunroof, leather wrapped wheel/shifter/side airbags
tires 40k miles old michelin all terrain suv
no mechanical problems
there are a few cosmetic issues: a few scrape marks and dings, nothing more than 6 inches

********************************************************************************- - - - -
Now I have another issue. I had backed away unknowingly into a wall the other day
which made 1 rear qtr panel loose (visibly) and a rear light (not tail light, some sort of an auxiliary light) missing

What would be the trade in value in Charlotte,NC area?
Also, would it be better to get it repaired (the last part) by the dealer body shop before trading it in? The estimate for repairing it is around $1.5K.
Finally I am thinking of offering $23K on a new prius II. Is that a good price for the area?

I know I asked a bunch of questions, but I would really really appreciate
any/all responses. And thanks a bunch for helping me out.

ateixeira

Reminds me of the guy who was trading in an Infiniti luxury sedan for an economy car.

You sure you'll be happy when all is said and done?

I'm sure you'll save $20 a week on gas, but you're paying to get those savings, and you'll end up with a much smaller vehicle with less utility.

I like the Prius, don't get me wrong, but trading in for, say, a 2.7l Highlander may be a bit less shocking.

rworrell

Thanks to you all for your advice on my 08 335i.

First, I did end up getting the new job at work that put me at a 1.5 mile commute, so this plan turned out to be a good one.

After much negotiation (numbers for a trade started at 25K), I was able to get $27.7K for the car and I bought an '05 Mazda 6i with 99K miles for under $8K. I did a pre-purchase inspection which came back finding nothing wrong so I did the deal. I netted just shy of $20K on the transaction and, shockingly, I really love the 6i. It has almost all of the convenience features of the BMW, it's a fraction of the price and (as the old saying goes): "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow." Thanks for the help--I think things turned out as well as they could!

aghosh

Well, this is not from a motivation to save. I have reached a financial position in life when car loans are no longer a necessity.
I am just tired of driving a huge vehicle for 5 years and I do not tow or carry huge loads. Nor do I live in an unpaved area or where it snows/rains most of the time.
Moreover, my wife has a Lexus RX 300 that we use on long trips.
Now you may ask then why did you buy the 4 runner in the first place? I do not have a good answer to that.

sebring95

And FWIW, that generation 4Runner is not really that huge particularly from a drivers seat perspective. I thought that would be the natural transition for me when moving back to an SUV as a DD (from a Tundra). Usually trend toward Toyotas and the wife has a GX470 which is built on the same platform. However, the 4Runner is very cramped up front, bad headroom, bad seat position, and I highly doubt the Prius could be less comfortable. I'm not a fan of the Prius more from a value standpoint than the less subjective argument that "i hate small cars".

4Runner values are pretty strong although they've taken a hit with the recall debacle just like everything else with a Toyota badge. The Edmunds and KBB value on my Tundra dropped $1,800 since December (when I sold it...lucky me!). Based on my research back in December, I could buy an '04 with 60k miles for around $15. I would bet your would be similar because of the higher miles. Figure $12k trade, $14k private party. That's WITHOUT the damage. Deduct at least your estimate to fix, maybe more. You might do better on a private party if the person doesn't care as much about the damage or can fix it themselves.

Kirstie_H

Now you may ask then why did you buy the 4 runner in the first place? I do not have a good answer to that.

I think if we're all being honest, we can say that the explanation for at least one of our purchases has been, "because it seemed like a good idea at the time."

stickguy

Kirstie, my friend, that has pretty much been the story of my life so far.

aghosh

Thank you Sebring. 12K minus the damamge is also what I am getting from Edmunds used car appraiser.

ateixeira

That's cool, it actually sounds like you're more closely matching your real needs this time around.

I actually prefer small cars, though one big car in the fleet is a necessary harm for us.

masan

2003 Subaru Forester X
auto
red with tan interior
alloys
tires (almost new--around 2,000 miles)
interior excellent
exterior has a few dings but still quite good
no wreck
92,000 miles
maintained with Mobil 1 synthetic every 5,000 miles
in need of ... new engine or major engine repair :sick:
if repaired, would do timing belt, water pump

Can anyone help with ballpark figure
1) if traded as is--not fixed, not driveable
2) if traded after repair (assume around 5,000 for engine)

Thanks.

steine13

It's a borderline junk car... where is it?

Here in the rust belt, I'd part it out myself or sell it as a parts car. As far as value... within a few hundred bucks of $1000 in an area where Subies are popular... probably on the lower side of that... to the right person.

There were some problems with the earlier 2.5 engines. Is that what happened here?

-Mathias

deltheking

Hi,
Frankly replacing the engine is not worthy at all. You will not get back that 5k you invested. It is worth scrap value. So probably around $500 for a dealer trade .On the other hand,if you want to replace it and drive it,I would still advise not to do it. B`cos even for $5k you can gets lots of used cars.. Sell it scrap value and get another vehicle. Just MHO . Hope this helps.

steine13

Well, yeah... I agree that the $5k new engine in an 8-year-old car doesn't make a lot of sense.

It occurred to me after i hit "send" that the answer may be Door 3: Fix it up with a used engine from a later year. An engine out of a nice rear-ended '06 might run $2,500 installed and everybody happy.

-Mathias

masan

Today my mechanic tore down the engine and found a bent valve. If he does not find any more damage, I may be able to get it back on the road for $1200-1500! I am happy that all may not be lost. It will help to have something to trade in on a new vehicle. Thanks for the info; I will know how to respond if this does not work out.

masan

So after repair, now what should I expect on trade-in? And a second question, should I trade-in or sell to CarMax (if I don't sell to family)? Thanks.

2003 Subaru Forester X
auto
red with tan interior
alloys
tires (almost new--around 2,000 miles)
interior excellent
exterior has a few dings but still quite good
no wreck
92,000 miles
maintained with Mobil 1 synthetic every 5,000 miles
bent valve repaired, timing belt and water pump replaced

morin2

Taking it to Carmax will give you a value to beat on a trade-in. However, be careful of overallowances on trade-ins. If nice, could get $6K in trade. More likely mid $5K range on a trade - but try to negotiate more. Or sell to family for carmax wholesale price.

http://www.edmunds.com/subaru/forester/2003/index.html

ateixeira

Private party that bad boy, after it's fixed.

I bet you can get $7-8 grand.

Ask $7650. The number keep going down so it seems like less than it is.

steine13

Ask $7650. The number keep going down so it seems like less than it is.

You're evil.
Good point, though.

It would really help if we knew where that puppy lives.
No way I'd pay that much for an '03 in the rust belt.... but Subies *do* get stupid money, esp. where the snow flies.

What's amazing is that you can still get a new stick Forester for about $20. I think I shall do so in the near-to-middle future. I finally got $1000 accumulated on my Chase Subaru card.

Heck, I haven't bought a car, new or otherwise, in nearly three years...

-Mathias

masan

This puppy lives in TN.

tifighter

Mathias, you've been talking about getting a new stick Forester for about as long as I've been on this forum.

Just do it already so we can all live vicariously through you... :shades:

steine13

That's not true.

I used to talk about getting a stick Legacy wagon.
But I cheaped out and got a stick Vibe.
Twice, actually.

The new Outback doesn't do much for me, though, and the Legacy wagon is history as well. So the Forester is what's left.

-Mathias

explorerx4

the outback got huge.

jeffyscott

I have a co-worker planning to sell a well maintained 2003 Audi A4 Quattro, based on edmunds/kbb it looks to be worth $10K +/- $1000 or so, does that seem about right?

Location: Milwaukee, WI
Year/Make/Model: 2003 Audi A4 Quattro
Body Style: 4dr
Engine: 1.8T
Driveline: AWD
Mileage: 75,000
Color: gray/gray
Major Options: heated leather seats, bose, moonroof, alloys
Condition: likely excellent and well maintained at an Audi dealer

Thanks.

ateixeira

True, but Americans love it.

The last 2 months sales were up over 100% from a year prior.

They cannot build enough - supply is just 10 days now (60 days is ideal). And the hardest to find ones are the loaded 3.6R w/Navi, go figure.

tifighter

Huge, perhaps. But the previous Legacy/Outback was next to worthless as a vehicle for 4 adults. The back seat was beyond cramped. A friend has an Outback Turbo MT, and if more than 2 people are skiing, it just doesn't work. His previous CRV was a lot better. Its the same reason why I ended up giving up my Subie for a Pilot a few years ago.

I don't like the looks of the new OB (especially compared to the previous shape) but I totally understand why it grew the way it did. At least Subaru was listening to its customers...

ateixeira

...and to bring this back on topic, the improvements have helped residual values for Subaru as well, with ALG awarding them with "Best Mainstream Brand" for resale. Forester and Outback each won their class, too.

This is why I say sell it privately. They're not hard to sell (I've sold 2 myself).

tifighter

Wow Juice, nice close. High five.

ateixeira

Thanks. :shades:

Both had manual transmissions, too. An auto should be as easy as selling girl scout cookies to starving college kids. On pay day. Right after happy hour.

steine13

Manual-transmission Subies are NOT hard to sell. Lots of people buy them new and hang on to them forever... they are tough to find used, and there are people who want them and have to search mightily.

The 4spd auto in the last-gen Outback is a dog.

-Mathias

explorerx4

Outback is the same size as my '02 Explorer, but only holds 5 people. cargo capacity is about 5 cu/ft more than an Escape.
to me, the Forester is a real Subaru, but Outback had been toyota'ized.
i don't get it, but if they can sell them new or used, more power to them.

breld

The only car I've been successful at selling privately was my old 98 Legacy GT, 5-speed, here in Denver. It took a couple of weeks, but only a couple of calls. It was a younger guy moving up from an old Integra. The Legacy was perfect for him - he wanted something sporty to take up to the mountains in the winter.

By the way, a couple of months ago I traded in my 07 Highlander for a new CX-9 and got great advice here. I had shared that the Mazda dealer had put my Highlander out at $23,991, which everyone agreed was pretty ridiculous, even for an inflated price.

Well, I pass that dealer everyday on the way to work, and that Toyota is still sitting there (I traded it Dec. 5th), now with a window price of $19,991 (which is still quite high).

So I got a great trade on the car, and it looks as though I (unintentionally) had good timing in trading it in. It's not part of the recalls, but I imagine the dealers are having a little tougher time selling Toyotas of any kind right now.

jayrider

If subarus are so hot on resale, why are there so many for sale? You were in the right place at the right time on your car trade breld, congrats. That happens only a few times in a lifetime. My only time was in 1973 when I bought a 65 dodge dart for $75 put on a muffler for $20 and sold it 3 years later for $150.

ateixeira

Score one for you.

ateixeira

If subarus are so hot on resale, why are there so many for sale?

2 reasons:

* They know they can get a lot right now when they sell their used one
* People are trading up for the new, popular Forester/Legacy/Outback models

Per KBB the used prices on Subarus actually went up slightly in 2009. That's just bizarre.

If you were on the fence, thinking about trading up, that might be good enough news to motivate you to trade up for a new one.

british_rover

The prices of lots of late model used cars went up slightly in 2009.

The supply of new cars were curtailed so much that it drove up the price of used ones.

We were paying a couple of thousand more for XC90s and S60s at the end of 2009 then we did for lower mileage ones at the beginning of 2009.

robr2

Boston
2000 Honda Odyssey EX
Minivan
V6/Auto
102K
White with Gray Cloth
Standard EX goodies
Clean condition.
No dicks or dents. Typical front bumper nicks from driving.
Tires are 80%
Brakes are 80%
Dealer serviced since new under severe schedule
Rear bumper cover replaced back in 2001.

What say the sages on trade in and private party.

Thanks,

deltheking

My guesstimate on this one is around 3.5k trade in value,,maybe maybe 4k. Better to sell it privately if you can .Ask for 6.5k privately and then see. Hondas have high parivate party value..And folks pay high for used Hondas. :shades:

Also the 99-03 Odyssey`s had major transmission problems.so the dealer will give a lower value.Hope this helps..Let`s see what the car folks say. :P

robbieg

So true. I have a 2005 Legacy sedan and the backseat is awful, awfully small.

Kirstie_H

A reporter is looking to speak to consumers on why they are not considering a Chrysler vehicle. This can be a Chrysler ,Dodge, Jeep or Ram. Please send your daytime phone number to ctalati@edmunds.com by Thursday, March 11, 2010.

Thanks,
Chintan
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com

brandmar1

Looking for a trade-in amount for the vehicle below. Bought it 5 months ago and finding that it is just way too small.

Location: S. FL
Year/Model: 2010 Mazda 3 Hatchback S Sport 2.3
Condition: Excellent
Miles: 5K
Color: Graphite Mica (Dark Gray) / Black Interior
Options: No extra options

Thanks in advance.