Real-World Trade-In Values

roadburner

I'd like to do it again someday. Maybe when my son gets out of college.

qbrozen

STi - yup, that's cheap. $33k was the cheapest one at auction.

roadburner

Thank you!

xwesx

roadburner said:

I'd like to do it again someday. Maybe when my son gets out of college.

Looks like that was a ton of fun! I took a winter trip that October (1999) out to Circle in my 1969 C20. It was snowing the whole way out and back, with about 12-16" of fresh snow on the ground during our return journey. It made for a LONG trip from Fairbanks, but was relaxing and peaceful. The night at Circle Hot Springs was memorable as well.

Places like that just don't exist much any more.

And, I'm starting to think that visiting these topics is bad for my (financial) health. I am finding myself with these little pockets of time lately: Just enough to peruse local inventories, even though I have a fleet of perfectly satisfactory vehicles at home. /sigh

shilling

Could you please give me valuation on a trade in 2002 Honda Accord 159K miles - Transmission is slipping, CEL light on. No rust. Minor fading paint (4 inches long on roof). I want to trade it in for a 2013-14 Hyundai Sonata GLS in the Boston, MA area

tjc78

I don't think there will be any comps for that Accord. Any dealer is going straight to wholesale with it, and any money they give you for it is strictly "on paper". I'd throw a sign in the window and hope for $750-$1000 to the right person private party.

henryn

I have to agree with @tjc78, no dealer is going to have any interest in that vehicle. They will probably sell it for salvage, at around $3 to $4 hundred, and give you nothing (except on paper).

qbrozen

hell, call local mechanics and see if anyone wants to take it off your hands. That isn't a tremendous amount of miles on an Accord.

isellhondas

That Accord is a good example of how an older, high mileage car can basically become totalled when one major thing happens.. It's hard to justify spending 3000.00 on a transmission and still have a CEL light on that could be an expensive fix.

But, it's a Honda and if the engine is running well and it looks even halfway decent, it'll easily bring 1000.00 on Craigslist.

henryn

isellhondas said:

That Accord is a good example of how an older, high mileage car can basically become totalled when one major thing happens.. It's hard to justify spending 3000.00 on a transmission and still have a CEL light on that could be an expensive fix.

But, it's a Honda and if the engine is running well and it looks even halfway decent, it'll easily bring 1000.00 on Craigslist.

That would depend, to a great degree, on just how bad the transmission is slipping. If it's not very noticeable, sure, $1,000 on Craigslist is a quick sell. If the transmission is slipping to the point where you worry if it will make it home without a wrecker, not so much.

suydam

When mine got to that state I donated it to the local high school career center auto program. Some kid who couldn't afford a car could learn how to fix it and maybe buy it at the end of the year.

karl6229

2006 Acura TL w/ Navi. Automatic. 161,000 miles.
Blue exterior. Tan leather heated seats. Side air bags. Tints.
South Florida car. No rust. Paint still shiny.
Tires have 20k miles on them.
Oil changed and reg maintenance performed. I have receipts.
Interior 75 / 100. Dashboard cracked. I covered w/ dash mat. Stain on back seat. Trunk clean.
Exterior 75 / 100. Some scratches on doors, and rear bumper. Headlights cloudy.
Would like to buy 2016 Fusion Titanium.

Mr_Shiftright

I think you'd be much better off selling a car like this privately. You're going to get a real lowball from the dealership IMO. They will just wholesale the car to a "buy here pay here" used car lot and so you have two middle men trying to skim profit on your car. 

qbrozen

$500

stickguy

as a trade, possibly.

just to compare, and why it should go on CL, I sold my 2000 TL back in July. 175K on it. well worn exterior, pretty good insides, and ran well with maintenance history (1 family owned). But still, 15 YO and hi miles.

got $2,700 cash from first guy that came to see it. Never even asked a dealer for a quote.

qbrozen

yes, that was the trade number, of course. that's what I do here.

steine13

Oh great sage of the Auction Reports!
This is for a mate at work, he'll be moving to foreign shores and leave behind this:

2012 Mazda 3 i Touring hatchback
2.0 l skyactiv engine 6-spd automatic
black
one owner
20,000 miles
Everything original including tires, which are
"in remarkbly good shape, considering how I drive it."
No smoking, no accidents, just a daily driver for a guy with an 4 mile one-way commute.

I'm thinking we ought to be able to get this one sold locally just in time for a minimum of fuss and inconvenience.

What do you think it's worth?
Thanks in advance,
-Mathias

roadburner

Another request per my bride:

Louisville, KY
2012 135i M Sport CPO (In service date: 1/12/13) 12k miles
LeMans Blue/Alaska Gray leather
DCT
EVERY option but Comfort Access and Park Distance Control

Thanks!!!

28firefighter

steine13 said:

Oh great sage of the Auction Reports!
This is for a mate at work, he'll be moving to foreign shores and leave behind this:

2012 Mazda 3 i Touring hatchback
2.0 l skyactiv engine 6-spd automatic
black
one owner
20,000 miles
Everything original including tires, which are
"in remarkbly good shape, considering how I drive it."
No smoking, no accidents, just a daily driver for a guy with an 4 mile one-way commute.

I'm thinking we ought to be able to get this one sold locally just in time for a minimum of fuss and inconvenience.

What do you think it's worth?
Thanks in advance,
-Mathias

For what it's worth, I just traded a 2011 Mazda 3 s Sport Sedan with Technology package and 24k miles for 11,500. Though they over-allowed from what I can tell as Q said auction value was 8-9k. My guess is this would be similar.

qbrozen

Mazda is worth about 10 and a half grand at auction, so I'd imagine most dealers would have it on their lot advertised at $14-15k. Put it out for $12995 and take the first $12k offer.

BMW - a similar one got $29.5k in Cali and one got just over $27k in PA. Wintertime and all, that probably makes sense. What is it like in KY this time of year?

roadburner

qbrozen said:

BMW - a similar one got $29.5k in Cali and one got just over $27k in PA. Wintertime and all, that probably makes sense. What is it like in KY this time of year?

Temps in the high 50s.

qbrozen

what are they asking for it? Is it CPO?

roadburner

Sorry, forgot I didn't send you a link; it's a CPO for $35,500. Thinking around $32,000 would be fair.

qbrozen

well, I'm told BMW CPO is pricey. If we split the difference and call this one $28k, they may have somewhere around $30k-$31k in it with the warranty. $32k is feasible, but possibly tight for them. My seat of the pants guess is that $33k would be more likely to take it home.

roadburner

Thank you!
I always appreciate your insight.

qbrozen

NP

tkfitz1

How about these two? I am not trading, but want a better idea of the possible dealer cost...

2014 Ford Fusion SE
White with a dark(grey?) leather interior
1.5 ecoboost, six speed auto
11000 miles. Sunroof and 18" wheels
Clean inside and out, no accident on carfax
Car is listed as a "Manufacturer buyback"
It drove fine but carfax says plugs were changed at 10000 miles.
dealer has no other info about car.
Is something like that still under warranty? They say yes, but.....
Also asking 17,000 for the car

AND

2014 VW Passat SE
Opera red with a black interior. Fake leather
1.8 TSI, six speed auto
14000 miles. Sunroof and nav. Keyless start
Clean inside and out.
NOT certified (at a Ford dealership)
Runs and drives fine.
Asking 18,500, plus about 395 in "fees"

Thanks

tommister2

Fitz - I'm not the guy with access to the auction data. Take my opinion for what it's worth. I would avoid the manufacturer buyback. It may be fine but who knows? Ford will never give you an honest answer. For the VW I believe I have read of others buying brand new Passats for that price range since the VW diesel scandal. Check some other forums here - it was probably in chronic car buyers.

stickguy

I would not touch a buyback. Especially without a full history. Too risky, and I assume it will be branded with a scarlet letter (like a salvage car is).

the Passat sounds nice. the SE has more stuff than the 2015 LEs that recently were blown out (and pretty much gone). Not sure what you can get on a 2016, but much harder to find one with the Roof/Navi package (though to be fair, I find the VW nav in my 2015 Jetta to be pretty old fashioned!)

I would see if any dealer has a 2015 leftover and how low they will go. If not, the one you found does sound nice, and can probably be negotiated down, but Qbrozen can tell you that.

just out of curiosity, I checked my local dealer. They still have a new 2014 in stock. MSRP 27K, listed for 19,900. An SE without the roof/navi. They do have a 2015 lift with roof/navi, and that darned thing has a sticker of over 29K. No clue what they would blow that out for!

http://www.cherryhillvw.com/new/Volkswagen/2014-Volkswagen-Passat-ccdceee60a0a00de69308199c86d3d34.htm

steine13

Be still my beating heart...

In my annual quest for a winter beater, I have come across this at a local used-car lot.
They're known for buying undesireable trade-ins from the local VW/Subaru dealership.

2004 Volkswagen Passat wagon
1.8 turbo 5sp manual transmission.
I don't know the trim level, looks like a base car .. silver over black cloth.
161,500 miles
No accident evidence to my semi-trained eye, it's got a couple door dings.
Havent' driven it.

"Book" or even auction value on a 12-year-old car is a really iffy proposition, but I would appreciate a general range of miled-up Passats from the auction ... if any have been logged.

They're asking $2,600 for a car that looks well taken care of but past its prime.
It's got Michelins in OK shape. It's a supersition of mine that if you use expensive tires, you dont' skimp on your car in other ways.

There is a double set of holes in the hatch where the license plate goes, and rusty studs in one set. The story it's telling me is one professor/staff owner from the University, probably German or otherwise foreign; never took the license plate off until we got new ones 5 years ago... traded it in where he bought it and probably serviced it.
These are excellent cars with stout bodies and fickle electronics; if you have a good one, it'll last a long time...a bad one will make you cry.
I'm thinking you don't get to 160k without proper oil changes, so that part seems OK.

Or it started its death rattle and was traded in pronto. This car I wouldn't buy for fifty bucks without a proper inspection. Such a pretty face..

Please educate me as to the value on these, oh sage one!
Thanks in advance -- I don't like to clog up the board just to be polite.

Oh, and the info on the Mazda 3 was much appreciated. Looks like my buddy has some equity, which was expected but welcome information.

Cheers -m

Mr_Shiftright

I'd like to jump in just to say that at $2,600, you really can't buy anything decent anymore, no matter what it is. Therefore, at this price point mileage is somewhat irrelevant. To my mind, there are just two levels here---$2,600 and junk car. So every car that is reasonably clean and runs well HAS to be worth $2,600, and any old miled up car that doesn't run or exhibits serious maladies is valued at junkyard buy rates.

Looking at it another way, statistically speaking most cars are washed up at 175K--225K. So, playing the odds here, you will get 1.5 to 5 years use out of it, tops. Given a junkyard price of $300, if the car collapsed in 2 years, it would have cost you about $100 a month.

kyfdx

One big advantage on that car is that it's a stick... Automatic transmission repairs are an instant total on a car like that.

steine13

There is much in what you say, sir...

However:
(i) We're in the rust belt, which changes the equation somewhat.
(ii) Having to repair it and maintain it can get interesting... in the spirit of what you're saying, it's gotta be OK to drive as is, or forget it. Two years sounds about right...but it's hard to know...
(iii) The market appears to be going back to normal.. I've been trolling for a few weeks now on craigslist, and I've seen a number of deals that hung around a day or two, then "deleted by owner."
Presumably, a happily consummated sale.
2004 Focus, clean, 150k, stick, $1,600
2005 Taurus, 110k, leather, grandpa died, $2000 obo.
etc.

A year ago, I would have agreed with you, but I also gave up on buying old cars, as it made no sense in that environment.
Now there seems to be some structure again in the $2,000 and under market.
And of course a lot of wouldn't-touch-it-for-free junk.

I'd like to keep my wife's beloved '03 Sienna out of the salt another winter... and I have a two-mile "commute" so if I get stranded I can walk home, even in the snow.
The appeal for me is no collision insurance, and an interesting car.
Oh yeah and a 16-year-old new driver that is a little nervous driving my '14 Outback

Ja if I can get "1.5 years" out of it, sign me up man! Lovely car, really, but a grenade with the pin half out.
cheers -m

cdnpinhead

1992 Honda Prelude, 165K+ miles, Manual, Red ext/black int, Phoenix. Fair condidtion at best, but runs fine. Tires are ok. The question is whether it's worth $1000 or 1500, or even less. Daughter's old car and have been putting off dealing with unloading it.

Thanks.

steine13

It's worth $2,600, see Shifty's remark above

Seriously, though, $1,900 on craigslist and they'll be on you like you would not believe. Big fan base.
Don't negotiate over the phone, take the first cash offer and call it good.
If you list it for under $1,000, cynics like myself will assume major problems and stay away.
"but runs fine" = around $2 "asking."
cheers -Mathias

cdnpinhead

Thanks -- very helpful input.

stickguy

Mathias, the stick makes that car. Hi mile ATs on a lot of cars give me the willies.

I would not pay more than 2K for it, but I am also cheap. Too bad you aren't in AZ. I hear there is a great deal on a Prelude out there!

still, if the PPI checks out good, probably worth close to that 2,600. Especially in Michigan (gotta be a whole different price structure in the midwest rust belt vs. NoCal with NoRust where shifty is).

You would have liked my TL I sold last summer. Got $2,700 for that with 175K on it. All the records to new, all that good stuff. You would have gone nuts.

Mr_Shiftright

The problem with shopping for cars under $2K is that a) you have to wade through an enormous amount of junk to find a "keeper" and b) even if it seems like a "keeper", you're going to have to fix something on it. So, a decent $2000 car that needs tires, a fix to the driver's window (won't come up) and a bad muffler isn't a $2000 car, it's a $2750 car, or more. I'd stick to cars that have no *urgent* needs---i.e., things you can postpone. I'd pay more for that privilege alone.

steine13

A thousand dollar car ain't gonna roll
'Til you throw at least another thousand in the hole
Sink your money in it, and there you are
The owner of a two thousand dollar thousand dollar car
[The Bottle Rockets, "Thousand Dollar Car"]

robr2

I just traded a 2005 1.8T stick wagon with 135,000 on it. I got $1400 for it with a CEL due to a dead secondary air pump ($500), 3/32" on the brake pads ($600), a leaking valve cover gasket ($250), 3/32" on the tires ($500), and a big rust spot on the rear tailgate ($700). $2600 is a great price if it is running well.

steine13

I'll take a look at it tomorrow and report.
I expect it's a rat, but nothing ventured nothing gained.
Lansing being the home of R.E. Olds, this is one of the best towns for buying "furin" cars. Rust aside...
So it's entirely possible this puppydog is worth it.
Ve vill see.

qbrozen

2014 Fusion - hovering around $15k-16k. What does a buyback do to the value? I have no idea. As you have seen in some of the responses, it chases away at least some buyers, so I'd say it takes a hit. I'm going to say, unless its CPO, $15k retail would be my limit.

2014 Passat - somewhere in the mid $14s at auction, so they've got about the standard $4k bump from there. $17k-$17.5 should do it.

2004 Passat GL wagon is worth $1k at the block with those miles.

explorerx4

@qbrozen,
A few months ago, I asked you for a value on my 2013 Escape SEL.
Your number, because I bought it used and was trading in, was 17k.
The dealer offered me 17k, so I took it.
I did look at other sources and it was not an unreasonable number.
Also, tied to having trade in was a $1500 rebate.
Your number gave me a lot of confidence in the ball park value.

Trade in:


Replacement:

qbrozen

Congrats!

tkfitz1

qbrozen said:

2014 Fusion - hovering around $15k-16k. What does a buyback do to the value? I have no idea. As you have seen in some of the responses, it chases away at least some buyers, so I'd say it takes a hit. I'm going to say, unless its CPO, $15k retail would be my limit.

2014 Passat - somewhere in the mid $14s at auction, so they've got about the standard $4k bump from there. $17k-$17.5 should do it.

2004 Passat GL wagon is worth $1k at the block with those miles.

Thanks for the info. I offered 16000 for the Fusion on the condition they sell me the ESP at their cost. we shall see. I know the Passat will go for 17500 out the door, but am concerned with the long term viability of the keyless ign and the cost of maintenance on the car. I keep my cars a long time.

steine13

So, the 2004 Passat wagon for $2,600....
Probably an OK car, but it wasn't my day. When I showed up around noon, there was a note on the door "gone 11:00 to 2:00."
And when I did make it over there again near closing, the Passat had just sold.

It wasn't a total loss... I drove a 2006 A3 manual.. poorly fixed rust spots, properly advertised, and bad syncros in 3rd gear, coming or going... overpriced for my money at $4,400. Leather interior, though, and pulled like ox.. a nice car once upon a time.

And then an interesting one: 07 Scion tC, one owner, stick, 170k miles, maintained to a T but... pops out of 5th gear. The first four gears it pulls great, shifts are crisp, love the steering wheel... seat's a little flat but overall VERY nice for the age and mileage... I'm thinking what the heck, given my driving patterns if I get it in the low teens, I'll drive it as a four speed and figure it out int he spring.. but the price is $2,800 at which point I'll go and find my own miled-up car without the transmission trouble.

Still, this place gets the rejects from the local VW dealer, so it's not unlikely we'll come to an understanding one of these days.. the guy seemed reasonable enough.

And just in case, I sent an email to my mechanic to see if he has an idea about fixing the transmission. A quick google search shows this to be a common enough issue; same tranny as the Vibe/Matrix twins, maybe?

And how was your day?
Cheers -m

stickguy

Well, my tC never popped out of 5th. Though I did trade it in with about 10K on it! Just keep your hand on it to keep it in gear?

also, that baby is geared really short. Even 5th was not enough. So as a 4 speed, better not want to do more than 60!

but likely bulletproof if maintained. basically a Camry underneath (the drivetrain).

the A3 with a bad trans? run. fast. Run Forrest Run.

Mr_Shiftright

5th gear pop out is either caused by an external problem (sloppy linkage, worn transmission and engine mounts) or an internal problem, most usually worn bearings causing internal transmission movement. It's not synchros, so if someone tells you that, they don't really know.

breld

Helping out a friend on this one:

In Denver,
2013 Honda Civic Sedan, EX-L Nav
Silver over gray leather
38k miles
Couple of parking lot scrapes - nothing too serious, but still.
Original tires, so probably needs new ones.

What do you think on trade?

Thanks!

qbrozen

$12k'ish