Real-World Trade-In Values

Michaell

My sister is still on the hunt for a car for her middle son.

She's sent me a couple of cars they are interested in ... wants to know what a good all-cash offer would be for them.

#1 is a 2006 Civic coupe, silver over grey. I don't have the trim level - could be an LX or EX. 139K on the clock, asking $4995

#2 is a 2005 Altima, white over tan. This one is a V6, but again, I don't know what trim level it is. 115K miles, asking $4695

Any thoughts or guesses would be most welcome -- I figure to start negotiations around $1K less than asking, then work up from there.

Mr_Shiftright

henryn said:

Ehhh... "Terribly dirty" ?? Man, I don't think so. That would leave me with a really bad feeling about the car, and the way the last owner treated it.

Sounds like it didn't suffer from being overly loved.

qbrozen

Michaell said:

My sister is still on the hunt for a car for her middle son.

She's sent me a couple of cars they are interested in ... wants to know what a good all-cash offer would be for them.

#1 is a 2006 Civic coupe, silver over grey. I don't have the trim level - could be an LX or EX. 139K on the clock, asking $4995

#2 is a 2005 Altima, white over tan. This one is a V6, but again, I don't know what trim level it is. 115K miles, asking $4695

Any thoughts or guesses would be most welcome -- I figure to start negotiations around $1K less than asking, then work up from there.

sticks or autos?

Michaell

qbrozen said:

My sister is still on the hunt for a car for her middle son. She's sent me a couple of cars they are interested in ... wants to know what a good all-cash offer would be for them. #1 is a 2006 Civic coupe, silver over grey. I don't have the trim level - could be an LX or EX. 139K on the clock, asking $4995 #2 is a 2005 Altima, white over tan. This one is a V6, but again, I don't know what trim level it is. 115K miles, asking $4695 Any thoughts or guesses would be most welcome -- I figure to start negotiations around $1K less than asking, then work up from there.

sticks or autos?

Oof. I should know better. Automatic for both. 

qbrozen

I'll have to call the Civic an EX to be safe. I'd say $4k private party. $5k retail would be fair IF it has ZERO needs. Otherwise, start deducting.

I'll call the Altima an SE. $3k PP and maybe $4k retail if no needs.

Michaell

qbrozen said:

I'll have to call the Civic an EX to be safe. I'd say $4k private party. $5k retail would be fair IF it has ZERO needs. Otherwise, start deducting.

I'll call the Altima an SE. $3k PP and maybe $4k retail if no needs.

Thanks - my sister bought an '06 Mazda 3i today. 127,000 miles for $5K. It's getting detailed and she'll pick it up Monday. Dealer gave her $2500 for the Navigator.

sda

mc4nam said:

henryn said:

Ehhh... "Terribly dirty" ?? Man, I don't think so. That would leave me with a really bad feeling about the car, and the way the last owner treated it.

Yea. I may have to run from it. It was a lease and the guy jumped out of it after a year. That light tan headliner was just really dirty. Somebody didn't wash there hands I guess.

How in the world do you get the headliner dirty in one year? Was he a smoker? I have the same color and after 3 years and 62k it looks new.

stickguy

well, if nothing else, they should double their MPG going from the truck to the Mazda. Nice cars. Hopefully it lasts well for them. Cheap enough, but at that mileage, you just never know.

Michaell

stickguy said:

well, if nothing else, they should double their MPG going from the truck to the Mazda. Nice cars. Hopefully it lasts well for them. Cheap enough, but at that mileage, you just never know.

Agreed, especially with the high gas prices in CA. Sister will drive it for now; she told me today she hopes the dealer will find her the RX within the next week or so. She's got a budget of $12K, which leads me to believe it, too, will have a lot of miles on it.

I've got my fingers crossed that these high mileage cars don't eat up a lot of money with repairs and maintenance. I'm still of the opinion that a lease of a small CUV at $250-300/mo would be better for her, but she's always been a bit of a brand snob.

stickguy

Sounds like my SIL. I consulted, heard her tale of money woe, need something economical. Recommended CX5, which had all the safety and convenience features she had to gave (navi, BLIS). Got a great offer. Then spent mire than supposed budget for a base RDX with none of it, and kept complaining she misses have navi. But admitted it was 95% because she needed to have a "prestige nameplate"

stickguy

Your sister sounds nuts (nothing personal!). This is about what you find, and this us NC, lhere a Lexus has to be cheaper.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/683381884/overview/

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/676813501/overview/

Michaell

stickguy said:

Sounds like my SIL. I consulted, heard her tale of money woe, need something economical. Recommended CX5, which had all the safety and convenience features she had to gave (navi, BLIS). Got a great offer. Then spent mire than supposed budget for a base RDX with none of it, and kept complaining she misses have navi. But admitted it was 95% because she needed to have a "prestige nameplate"

I've had similar conversations with my sister ... even to the extent where I suggested the same car (CX-5). But, she and her husband are big boys and girls, and in the end it's their decision.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Your sister sounds nuts (nothing personal!). This is about what you find, and this us NC, lhere a Lexus has to be cheaper.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/683381884/overview/

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/676813501/overview/

I'll pass those along to her, as examples. I suppose the good news is that there are a ton of these out there, so finding a good example ought not to be too difficult.

stickguy

well, if any place should have a lot of used Lexi, socal is probably the best bet.

not sure exactly what the attraction is, but to each their own.

Michaell

stickguy said:

well, if any place should have a lot of used Lexi, socal is probably the best bet.

not sure exactly what the attraction is, but to each their own.

Yeah, I'm not sure either. Sis gets fixated on one particular vehicle and she's like a dog with a bone.

The same was true with the G35 coupe.

mc4nam

sda said:

mc4nam said:

henryn said:

Ehhh... "Terribly dirty" ?? Man, I don't think so. That would leave me with a really bad feeling about the car, and the way the last owner treated it.

Yea. I may have to run from it. It was a lease and the guy jumped out of it after a year. That light tan headliner was just really dirty. Somebody didn't wash there hands I guess.

How in the world do you get the headliner dirty in one year? Was he a smoker? I have the same color and after 3 years and 62k it looks new.

I have no idea. I did not smell smoke. Car was just dirty altogether. Salesman seemed to think it would all come clean. I will at least look at it again once he notifies me it has been detailed.

breld

Hey Q - can you provide your thoughts on this (just in case ):

In Colorado,

2012 MINI hardtop
Base model with manual trannie
Ice Blue with Carbon Black interior
It has the panoramic sunroof, but other than that, it's bare bones
38k miles, good condition

Thanks!

stickguy

Just in case. Right.

Corvette, queue up the spreadsheet. Punch incoming.

qbrozen

A little bit all over but I'll guess based on lack of options that it falls on the low end, which would be about $7k. So retail is $10k TOPS

qbrozen

Oh I just realized this is YOUR car. Hmmm... Well, be prepared for an awful trade-in offer. I prob wouldn't want if for more than $6k if I was in charge, but you never know.

Mr_Shiftright

ouch

breld

Ouch is right. Though it's not far from what I figured.

Mr_Shiftright

This car begs to be sold privately to adoring parents just sending a kid off to college.

The dealer is going to hang an $11,999 price tag on it--why give him all that money? (that's dealer retail asking price of course). I agree with Q--you're leaving $3K on the table with a trade.

28firefighter

Mr_Shiftright said:

This car begs to be sold privately to adoring parents just sending a kid off to college.

The dealer is going to hang an $11,999 price tag on it--why give him all that money? (that's dealer retail asking price of course). I agree with Q--you're leaving $3K on the table with a trade.

Third-ed. Perfect car to list for $10.5k cash on craigslist.

breld

Good point - since we're looking at another MINI, thought maybe the dealership would have more interest in the trade, but probably not.

Mr_Shiftright

He's probably got too many-mini base cars. He'd be more interested in the bejeweled models.

steine13

Would someone else like to yell "Timber!" or should I?
I am drawn to this like the moth to the flame.
http://lansing.craigslist.org/ctd/5907872217.html

Mr_Shiftright

Price seems ok. Best you can do is bring it over to an Audi specialist before you buy and let them dig into it.

If you post a VIN we'll look into it a bit more for you.

No Yelp reviews on the dealer.

xwesx

It's certainly attractive. I should be a bit more steeled on that mileage given that I have two Subaru wagons, and both are north of 100,000 miles, but 134,000 still gives me pause.

stickguy

It's pretty. Other than the awful faux wood trim. Yuck.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

It's pretty. Other than the awful faux wood trim. Yuck.

I don't think real wood steering wheels are legal anymore.

tjc78

My Enclave has one, pretty sure it is real. My 04 Grand Marquis certainly had real wood as somehow it got chipped and there was no denying it.

Mr_Shiftright

Hmmm....maybe so. The Germans are very good at making wood look like plastic.

I always thought wood wheels would be a serious safety hazard. Maybe it's a composite of some type with just a veneer of wood?

steine13

Mr_Shiftright said:

I always thought wood wheels would be a serious safety hazard. Maybe it's a composite of some type with just a veneer of wood?

I'm thinking these days, you're hitting the air bag, not the wheel. Could be one of those 70s welded-chain wheels and it wouldn't matter. Wouldn't that look classy in an Audi?

>> If you post a VIN we'll look into it a bit more for you.
WAUDH74F38N041624

But don't turn it into work, please -- I did some checking on a fanboi forum. Oy vey -- not a bad engine per se -- by contemporary VAG standards -- but not without its little, uh, idiosyncracies. I don't think I'll have the stomach for it. Price seems way right, though.

I looked at it from the outside. Exhaust is very sooty, dunno if that's normal for these... it would be for, say, a Dodge truck but not for a Camry. Good looking car.

>> No Yelp reviews on the dealer.

A friend of mine bought a car from him and I've talked to him a few times. He seems alright, his pricing can be very good or a little high, nothing extreme. He's got a 2004 Accord DX (no cruise!??) 5sp with 120k and a remarkably clean body. He's asking $3850 for it, which seems stiff but not unreasonable. Valve train is clean, so maintenance appears to have been done. New-ish "Arizonian" tires, so crappy and no excuse to buy good ones... oil seems low & dirty, which doesn't fit with the clean valves.. maybe it's using some.

I drive past the place when picking up take-out, so I usually know what he has. Not a bad place to pick up beater cars. And somewhat eclectic:
http://lansing.craigslist.org/search/sss?userid=20557146

Can't convince myself that any of this makes more sense than a cheap lease, though. The only reason I'd be interested in anything that old and miley is that I drive maybe 3k a year. So a new car is totally wasted on me, unless we make it the family runabout.

Which is what we're doing at the moment, but I'm 52 now and should I be riding my bicycle to work in this weather? I probably should as I don't get any other exercise...
Anyway, rant out. Thanks for the understanding and the plesant conversation. This is not that kind of support group..

stickguy

I am in the same boat, with miles needed. So an old runabout, or a cheap stippo lease, in theory is plenty for me. But, that puts the wifes car back into the all the time car. And I don't really feel like using it for that. Guess I got spoiled with all the goodies. Even the wife agrees about wanting that stuff. She is fine with the RDX and likes it, so doesn't care if my car is the fancy one. Hence the concept of upgrading either one.

mjfloyd1

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2014-infiniti-q70-4dr_sedan_v6_awd-used-15721104.html

Good deal? Bad deal???

stickguy

wait, now someone else is posting listings from my favorite local guy? Only about 5 minutes from me, if you want it looked over!

That is the former M series right? Like the colors, and nice low miles.

mjfloyd1

I noticed it when you had given some ideas to Q...I believe these were the M's

Kinda weird how every Infiniti is a Q. QX if it's a SUV or crossover

stickguy

ah. did a quick look on cars.com. Not a lot out there, but that is easily the best deal, at least at asking prices.

one thing I have noticed from this dealer, they tend to price aggressively, and good stuff does not last long. So, hard to just look at internet listings, not knowing if the other ones are padded by 10%! Also depends on what options are important. this one seems to have the sport and safety tech packages too, but 15,000 more miles.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/662841348/overview/

Mr_Shiftright

steine13 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I always thought wood wheels would be a serious safety hazard. Maybe it's a composite of some type with just a veneer of wood?

I'm thinking these days, you're hitting the air bag, not the wheel. Could be one of those 70s welded-chain wheels and it wouldn't matter. Wouldn't that look classy in an Audi?

>> If you post a VIN we'll look into it a bit more for you.
WAUDH74F38N041624

But don't turn it into work, please -- I did some checking on a fanboi forum. Oy vey -- not a bad engine per se -- by contemporary VAG standards -- but not without its little, uh, idiosyncracies. I don't think I'll have the stomach for it. Price seems way right, though.

I looked at it from the outside. Exhaust is very sooty, dunno if that's normal for these... it would be for, say, a Dodge truck but not for a Camry. Good looking car.

>> No Yelp reviews on the dealer.

A friend of mine bought a car from him and I've talked to him a few times. He seems alright, his pricing can be very good or a little high, nothing extreme. He's got a 2004 Accord DX (no cruise!??) 5sp with 120k and a remarkably clean body. He's asking $3850 for it, which seems stiff but not unreasonable. Valve train is clean, so maintenance appears to have been done. New-ish "Arizonian" tires, so crappy and no excuse to buy good ones... oil seems low & dirty, which doesn't fit with the clean valves.. maybe it's using some.

I drive past the place when picking up take-out, so I usually know what he has. Not a bad place to pick up beater cars. And somewhat eclectic:
http://lansing.craigslist.org/search/sss?userid=20557146

Can't convince myself that any of this makes more sense than a cheap lease, though. The only reason I'd be interested in anything that old and miley is that I drive maybe 3k a year. So a new car is totally wasted on me, unless we make it the family runabout.

Which is what we're doing at the moment, but I'm 52 now and should I be riding my bicycle to work in this weather? I probably should as I don't get any other exercise...
Anyway, rant out. Thanks for the understanding and the plesant conversation. This is not that kind of support group..

The A6 is a one-owner car, so that's good. What's not good is that it's an Audi.

Let's face it, after about 60,000 miles you are on thin ice with an Audi. Mr. Warranty is your friend.

steine13

Shifty, I really wish you wouldn't sugar-coat it like that.

Here's one that I saw on the lot that's not online:
A bright red 2004 Mini Cooper S with the pano roof and a manual.
White painted rims, stripes, the works. Miles unknown, $3800.
I so want to drive it just for the experience.
This has got to be a total fright pig at 13 years old.

stickguy

I took the kids (little at the time) when they first came out (must have been Christmas time 2003) and took a Mini S for a test drive. Recall it being wildly fun. But even I was smart enough to realize they were going to outgrow it real quick! and that was without trying to fit my wife in too.

qbrozen

The Q70 is a very very good deal considering the lowest I see at auction are a couple with 25k miles, one sold for $28k and the other for $30k.

stickguy

interesting. I'm free tomorrow to look at it! and free is about what my "expert" opinion is worth. But it gives me an excuse to browse.

stickguy

mjfloyd, better grab it quick. Since you posted, looks like they dropped the price another on the Infiniti 1K. Down to $29,998 (usually they drop 500-1000 for a quick sale if it lasts on the lot more than a week or so).

actually, interesting place. They keep all the cars inside, in a warehouse set up. Though that does make it hard to just browse the lot.

qbrozen

29,998 is what I saw when I clicked the link last night. So it was 30,998 just yesterday? 

Mr_Shiftright

steine13 said:

Shifty, I really wish you wouldn't sugar-coat it like that.

Here's one that I saw on the lot that's not online:
A bright red 2004 Mini Cooper S with the pano roof and a manual.
White painted rims, stripes, the works. Miles unknown, $3800.
I so want to drive it just for the experience.
This has got to be a total fright pig at 13 years old.

Not necessarily. Mine is a 2003 and I've struggled to make it into a decent car. Right now, it looks great and everything works, and for $3800 you really can't have more fun for the buck. It's already fully depreciated, so you can't lose much if you don't like it and want to flip it.

The reason Nature makes some things cute is so that we don't kill them.

stickguy

qbrozen said:

29,998 is what I saw when I clicked the link last night. So it was 30,998 just yesterday? 

Yup. When he first posted it was 31. Actually late last night was still 31 on cars.com.

Sounds from you like a strong deal.

mjfloyd1

I suspect that it will be gone before I hear anything on my TDI

xwesx

Mr_Shiftright said:

The reason Nature makes some things cute is so that we don't kill them.

That's basically my reply any time somebody says to me, "your kids are so cute!"