Real-World Trade-In Values

sda · January 2021

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:
Note that he needed new tires in 13k miles!
My brother's car eats through tires within about 12K (or less). But, his car has a staggered setup, so he cannot rotate them.

With the staggered set up does rotating tires side to side provide any significant benefit?

xwesx · January 2021

sda said:

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:
Note that he needed new tires in 13k miles!
My brother's car eats through tires within about 12K (or less). But, his car has a staggered setup, so he cannot rotate them.
With the staggered set up does rotating tires side to side provide any significant benefit?

No. His car has a rear LSD, so the tires do wear quite evenly, just quickly. I cannot remember the exact tire he uses, but they are Michelin something.... Super Sport 4S maybe? Quite sticky, quite high performance... but they wear down in an almost-visible manner. He went through two sets of tires in his first year of ownership! My argument to him is that he should drive it less.

tjc78 · January 2021

xwesx · January 2021

Hahah! Thankfully, none of that. He just can't humble himself enough to take his "daily driver" on many (most... okay, maybe ALL) days. LOL

magnumek · January 2021

Hello. I own two Infiniti vehicles which I want to sell as the mileage is on the higher side. I was not planning on buying a new car until I sell one of my old cars but a friend of mine is selling a 2018 Cadillac ATS 2.0T Coupe Luxury AWD with 30k miles, he is asking $23000 for it. I would only buy it if that's a great deal because it is not my dream car so I would sell it in the near future but I dont want to lose money on it. According to KBB it is a trade-in value but there aren't any like this selling locally so it is hard for me to determine the value. I would have to pay 7% in taxes if I'd buy it.

Do you think it is a great deal or is it just decent?
How much do you think I would be able to sell it for in a year?

roadburner · January 2021

Forget whether it's a good deal or not; there are very few cars that you can own for a year that won't suffer significant depreciation. No way would I buy a car I didn't like a then keep the sled for 12 months.
YMMV, of course.

qbrozen · January 2021

magnumek said:
Hello. I own two Infiniti vehicles which I want to sell as the mileage is on the higher side. I was not planning on buying a new car until I sell one of my old cars but a friend of mine is selling a 2018 Cadillac ATS 2.0T Coupe Luxury AWD with 30k miles, he is asking $23000 for it. I would only buy it if that's a great deal because it is not my dream car so I would sell it in the near future but I dont want to lose money on it. According to KBB it is a trade-in value but there aren't any like this selling locally so it is hard for me to determine the value. I would have to pay 7% in taxes if I'd buy it.

Do you think it is a great deal or is it just decent?
How much do you think I would be able to sell it for in a year?

Not much data to go on but $23k seems like a good deal. You could try running it through Carvana and Vroom to see what they’d pay for it.

stickguy · January 2021

Q is the expert, but if I stumbled upon that car, at that price, and I liked the colors I would be seriously tempted.

explorerx4 · January 2021

No way to tell the future but you could compare to the value of a 2017 of the same model.

magnumek · January 2021

qbrozen said:

magnumek said:
Hello. I own two Infiniti vehicles which I want to sell as the mileage is on the higher side. I was not planning on buying a new car until I sell one of my old cars but a friend of mine is selling a 2018 Cadillac ATS 2.0T Coupe Luxury AWD with 30k miles, he is asking $23000 for it. I would only buy it if that's a great deal because it is not my dream car so I would sell it in the near future but I dont want to lose money on it. According to KBB it is a trade-in value but there aren't any like this selling locally so it is hard for me to determine the value. I would have to pay 7% in taxes if I'd buy it.

Do you think it is a great deal or is it just decent?
How much do you think I would be able to sell it for in a year?
Not much data to go on but $23k seems like a good deal. You could try running it through Carvana and Vroom to see what they’d pay for it.

Carvana offers little over $24000 and Vroom just a little under $24000

stickguy · January 2021

pretty good sign that it is a good deal. But only if you actually want it.

xwesx · January 2021

stickguy said:
pretty good sign that it is a good deal. But only if you actually want it.

Agreed. In a year, you probably won't break even or make money on it, but you likely won't lose much either. It's not often that you're going to find a good car at trade-in price to purchase. Look at it this way... including taxes, you're still only paying a good private party price.

Sandman6472 · January 2021

If you do like it, go for it. Betting that you'll end up liking it more than you thought and next thing you know, three years have gone past. And if there's no drama with it, all the better. I personally like the ATS as it was a bit on the smaller size and looks great in most any color combo. For some reason tough, red looks really very nice on that vehicle.

sunfire445 · January 2021

Hi Q

Could you share the ballpark value for a 2016 GTI S auto, red ~57K mi. in CA 92502.
Great condition, good tires, clean carfax/no accidents, original owner. Has been a really fun car all these years, but a bit worried since the powertrain warranty is about to expire, so I am considering trading if the numbers make sense. Just tried Carvana and they came back with 14.5k. TIA.

qbrozen · January 2021

sunfire445 said:
Hi Q

Could you share the ballpark value for a 2016 GTI S auto, red ~57K mi. in CA 92502.
Great condition, good tires, clean carfax/no accidents, original owner. Has been a really fun car all these years, but a bit worried since the powertrain warranty is about to expire, so I am considering trading if the numbers make sense. Just tried Carvana and they came back with 14.5k. TIA.

How many doors? Standard S or S Performance?

stickguy · January 2021

Hey QB. Just in case, trade (well, selling without buying a replacement) for a 2019 Jetta 1.4t R Line. White silver. Clean carfax, looks good overall. No accidents, nothing more than a minor scrape on the front lower lip. But 40,000 miles. White Silver color.

Thanks.

qbrozen · January 2021

stickguy said:
Hey QB. Just in case, trade (well, selling without buying a replacement) for a 2019 Jetta 1.4t R Line. White silver. Clean carfax, looks good overall. No accidents, nothing more than a minor scrape on the front lower lip. But 40,000 miles. White Silver color.

Thanks.

$13k auction

stickguy · January 2021

Interesting. Carvana pegged it at $10,900.

sunfire445 · January 2021

qbrozen said:

sunfire445 said:
Hi Q

Could you share the ballpark value for a 2016 GTI S auto, red ~57K mi. in CA 92502.
Great condition, good tires, clean carfax/no accidents, original owner. Has been a really fun car all these years, but a bit worried since the powertrain warranty is about to expire, so I am considering trading if the numbers make sense. Just tried Carvana and they came back with 14.5k. TIA.
How many doors? Standard S or S Performance?

It’s a 4 door, S version automatic DSG

explorerx4 · January 2021

@sticjguy,
One thing I should mention about our friends' kid who worked in Boston. He decided to move after a couple years and the first thing he did was buy a car.

breld · January 2021

stickguy said:
Interesting. Carvana pegged it at $10,900.

Wow, that's a bit discouraging. My stepdaughter's Jetta is pretty much the same - SEL vs R-line though.

Does seem to me Carvana is over correcting a bit for their inflated offers over the past several months.

breld · January 2021

breld said:

stickguy said:
Interesting. Carvana pegged it at $10,900.
Wow, that's a bit discouraging. My stepdaughter's Jetta is pretty much the same - SEL vs R-line though.

Does seem to me Carvana is over correcting a bit for their inflated offers over the past several months.

You probably saw this, but Carvana has a purchase pending on a 2019 R-line for $17,590 (only 22k miles, but still). So seems like their offer for yours has quite the targeted profit.

stickguy · January 2021

I did see that. Only thing I could figure is that the miles did it.

xwesx · January 2021

breld said:

stickguy said:
Interesting. Carvana pegged it at $10,900.
Wow, that's a bit discouraging. My stepdaughter's Jetta is pretty much the same - SEL vs R-line though.

Does seem to me Carvana is over correcting a bit for their inflated offers over the past several months.

IIRC, Carvana is a fan of low-mileage cars, so the 40K on it might be an oversized factor that weighs down the offer price.

stickguy · January 2021

Odds are I’ll keep it for myself, if she ends up needing to get rid of it. A win win.

qbrozen · January 2021

sunfire445 said:

qbrozen said:

sunfire445 said:
Hi Q

Could you share the ballpark value for a 2016 GTI S auto, red ~57K mi. in CA 92502.
Great condition, good tires, clean carfax/no accidents, original owner. Has been a really fun car all these years, but a bit worried since the powertrain warranty is about to expire, so I am considering trading if the numbers make sense. Just tried Carvana and they came back with 14.5k. TIA.
How many doors? Standard S or S Performance?
It’s a 4 door, S version automatic DSG

All things considered, I'd say $14k on a trade, at best. So $14.5k from carvana is in line.

niomarvin83 · January 2021

As a person who has been in this, I will say what happens after years not only of working at auto auction auctions, but also of reading auction reports.
I will ignore the lousy colors because they will be out of order and there will always be a couple of dirty cheap cars. Let's say they all make between $ 1,000 and $ 26,000. Then I see that matte black costs $ 20,000, although it runs more than 33,000 miles. I'm turning off this car because there's something wrong with it, I'm sure. It was apparently either restored after the accident or had significant paint damage, no matter how well done.

sb55 · February 2021

@qbrozen
Any idea of the value of this?
https://www.hendrickbmwcposouth.com/certified/BMW/2018-BMW-X5-8ac4a5d90a0d0c1403efbe49e5edd43d.htm
It appears that it was also leased from there, so probably not an auction vehicle. Nicely optioned and a good color for us (we live on a dirt road, so it will never be clean, anyway).

sda · February 2021

sb55 said:
@qbrozen
Any idea of the value of this?
https://www.hendrickbmwcposouth.com/certified/BMW/2018-BMW-X5-8ac4a5d90a0d0c1403efbe49e5edd43d.htm
It appears that it was also leased from there, so probably not an auction vehicle. Nicely optioned and a good color for us (we live on a dirt road, so it will never be clean, anyway).

About 25 minutes away from me. If you’d like me to have a look just let me know.

corvette · February 2021

sb55 said:
@qbrozen
Any idea of the value of this?
https://www.hendrickbmwcposouth.com/certified/BMW/2018-BMW-X5-8ac4a5d90a0d0c1403efbe49e5edd43d.htm
It appears that it was also leased from there, so probably not an auction vehicle. Nicely optioned and a good color for us (we live on a dirt road, so it will never be clean, anyway).

~~Brown~~ Brown-ish, ~~manual~~ automatic, ~~diesel~~ electric, wagon.

stickguy · February 2021

Bigger than I care for, but I really like that X5

sb55 · February 2021

I had a X-3 loaner last month. After 2 BMW 5’s (e61 wagon and now diesel sedan) the 3 just seems so different.
Wife wants a hybrid. Can’t get a Rav 4 or CRV or Venza or such for similar $ as a CPO BMW.

qbrozen · February 2021

sb55 said:
@qbrozen
Any idea of the value of this?
https://www.hendrickbmwcposouth.com/certified/BMW/2018-BMW-X5-8ac4a5d90a0d0c1403efbe49e5edd43d.htm
It appears that it was also leased from there, so probably not an auction vehicle. Nicely optioned and a good color for us (we live on a dirt road, so it will never be clean, anyway).

is it still there? link is taking me to a selection of 4 vehicles.

corvette · February 2021

Same here. I saw it earlier, but assume it's gone now.

stickguy · February 2021

hopefully SB snapped it up!

xwesx · February 2021

qbrozen said:

is it still there? link is taking me to a selection of 4 vehicles.

The last of those four: Reduced Price! Quite the bargain now!

sb55 · February 2021

stickguy said:
hopefully SB snapped it up!

Darn. It's now gone! And it wasn't me.

explorerx4 · February 2021

Hendrick - support a convict(although pardoned)

steine13 · February 2021

Learned Friends,
I'm asking for some information, and some advice as well, please.

My 21-year-old just graduated and started her first real job, which is going well. She still lives with us but has been looking for apartments. If she likes the one she'll be shown tomorrow, she'll move three blocks south, which is kind of funny.

Anyway, this is relevant only in the sense that like her parents, driving will be mostly over short distances. She will have to go places on short notice, though, to provide tech support, like she had to do Friday and again Saturday, in the middle of a snow event, to a place 40 miles away out in the Michigan sticks. She's curretly driving my 2012 Fusion (V6 auto), which is a great car if you're retired... she doesn't like it much, and really wants a stick shift.

She's open to buying new, though nobody is thrilled about going into hock.. she has ten grand saved that she could use for a car, but I'm not really finding anything locally. Last weekend I saw a 2013 Forester 5sp on the trade-in lot at my local Subaru/VW dealer, and I checked it out. Maintained but not loved, 125 long miles, seats not as clean as I liked but no signs of abuse. Oil hadn't been changed in a while but records existed in carfax, so call it a B minus. I'd have been OK to pay mid $4s for this sled and hope the head gasket holds. The dealer did not [yet] pass it through to my regular used-car lot but put it on their own: $8885. Please. I kinda wish now I'd bought out one my Cruze leases -- she liked those. Water under the bridge.

That dealer has a reputation for ridiculous pricing, though it wasn't a surprise. They do, however, have THIS:
https://www.williamsautoworld.com/certified/Hyundai/2017-Hyundai-Accent-1e7fa7b90a0e0a175cb563afaa7cc7e6.htm
[2017 Accent 6MT stripper with AC]
Someone talk me out of it.. for mid-to-high $8s, that may be worth considering. Anybody know anything about these? That's my first question.

We both drove a new GTI, and that's in the running but it's a lot of money $30k OTD. And we both felt like, It's nice but I don't have to have it.

On the other hand, last summer they had a $3750 dealer rebate, at which point it might be worth it -- heck it might be the car I'll later wish I'd bought. After 2021, it's haptic buttons and all-digital dash, and I don't think that will work out well. So that's my second question: How do I find out about the rebates on the GTI in a timely fashion? Since last summer, the only information I found on Edmunds is in the leasing forum, and so far it's not encouraging.

Other cars:
Impreza or Crosstrek: Not wowed but good price, stick available, and AWD.
Corolla: Mademoiselle is 5 ft nothing and cannot find a good driving position.
Honda Civic hatch: Probably the smart choice. She likes it and thinks she can make it work. The nearest stick to test drive is in Ohio, though. She hasn't driven the auto.
Mazda: $$$ plus future rust bucket, so probably not.

With the right cheap car now, she could get a fun summer car [Mustang?] later and she's open to that. My gut says for her to bite the bullet now and go new. She does take good care of her things and has a clean driving record of six years.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
cheers -m

Michaell · February 2021

@steine13 - my son bought a used Accent a few years back (automatic, but still a stripped down model), which he then gave to his girlfriend (now wife), when he bought his new Elantra GT a few years back.

If you are looking new the Elantra sedan and hatch are both available with a stick, and have a ridiculous amount of features for the money. If you stick with the lower trim levels, they should be available for under $20K (he paid $17.5K plus TTL 2.5 years ago).

Long warranty, too, which is a plus.

Good luck with the search.

kyfdx · February 2021

@steine13

My son bought a 2012 Forester with a stick, same miles for $6500 in November.

On a 2020 GTI (if you can find one), the dealer gets a $3000 incentive from VW, if you don't take the low rate financing.

stickguy · February 2021

Accent is probably fun enough with the manual trans. Cheap too. If you can snag that at a bargain I would go with it. At some point when she gets tired of it, can always upgrade. Or get the fun car. Either way, not having a payment will be a nice thing.

and instead of buying a 30K car with a hefty payment, can she find a cheap lease? I actually saw one by me recently on Rodo. A new Jetta S manual, for about $213/mo with jut $213 DAS. That is a good value deal

I don't know that the new design elantra still offers a manual in the base model. If so, a good option too. If you can find one (good luck!)

qbrozen · February 2021

new Honda Fit? Cheaper than the Civic, at least.

I definitely suggest new, or at least NEWER. With the $10k down payment (and fusion trade-in??), the payments would be next to nothing. I suggest it because she relies on her vehicle for work.

explorerx4 · February 2021

@steine13,
Having to drive out in any weather to somewhat remote locations has me thinking Crosstrek(Base and Premium available with manual trans).

tj11119 · February 2021

Too bad the Sport's 2.5l isn't available yet with the manual.
Still I would pick the Crosstrek Premium with the 6sp because of its great AWD if you deal with really bad weather. I test drove one for my sister last year, and for a daily the Subaru is a really nice option.

The GTI is fun specially with summer tires -I've owned a mk7 for 4 yrs now, but you will have some reliability issues while in warranty for sure.

steine13 · February 2021

Thanks guys -- I knew I could count on help spending my kid's money

I'll answer in order -- except @qbrozen: Could you plase take a look at what that 2017 6MT Accent hatch should be worth -- dark silver, 24k miles, minor ding on carfax, CPO'd after the accident? VIN KMHCT5AE0HU357383 just in case.

>> [@michaell] my son bought a used Accent a few years back (automatic, but still a stripped down model), which he then gave to his girlfriend (now wife), when he bought his new Elantra GT a few years back.

He must have liked the car to give it to someone close and buy the same brand again.

>> If you are looking new the Elantra sedan and hatch are both available with a stick [..]

Good advice, but out of date. Manuals are dropping like flies.
Only the N is available with a manual now.

>> [@kyfdx] My son bought a 2012 Forester with a stick, same miles for $6500 in November.

Right, and in Kentucky, I'd gladly pay that. I checked out a similar car for a colleague last year, and it was a fright pig underneath, bad rust everywhere. The previous owner's sin was a lengthy interstate commute to Ann Arbor -- in other words, high pressure salt spray 3 months out of the year.

>> On a 2020 GTI (if you can find one), the dealer gets a $3000 incentive from VW, if you don't take the low rate financing.

Ya I'd looked for 2020s as a lark, nothing left.

>> [@stickguy] Accent is probably fun enough with the manual trans. Cheap too. If you can snag that at a bargain I would go with it. At some point when she gets tired of it, can always upgrade. Or get the fun car. Either way, not having a payment will be a nice thing.

That's why I posted it. Dunno what it should be worth but it's surprisingly cheap for THAT dealer...these are a tough sell here in GM country, though.

>> and instead of buying a 30K car with a hefty payment, can she find a cheap lease? I actually saw one by me recently on Rodo. A new Jetta S manual, for about $213/mo with jut $213 DAS.

It's an option; we'll have to look. Nothing up here at the moment, and buying is preferred.. but what's really preferred is whatever makes financial sense.

>> I don't know that the new design elantra still offers a manual in the base model.

Precisely the problem.

>> [@qbrozen] new Honda Fit? Cheaper than the Civic, at least.

We checked into that. There isn't one with a manual in the entire US.

>> I definitely suggest new, or at least NEWER. With the $10k down payment (and fusion trade-in??), the payments would be next to nothing. I suggest it because she relies on her vehicle for work.

That's my thinking also. Like I said, she takes care of her things and has been responsible with our cars.

>> [@explorerx4] Having to drive out in any weather to somewhat remote locations has me thinking Crosstrek(Base and Premium available with manual trans).

It's a consideration. Everything around here is pretty flat, though, so snow tires will get you anywhere safely. The manual crosstrek near Detroit she wanted to test drive won't be here until March... and will probably be presold. May have to buy sight undriven, which is rough . Especially when you're short.

Michaell · February 2021

@steine13 - a co-worker is looking to get her second Crosstrek - both with manual transmissions. She loves them, but before that they had a 330i RWD with a stick shift they picked up as an ED.

After the next Crosstrek lease is up, she said they will likely go electric.

Can you find a gently used car with a manual?

kyfdx · February 2021

@steine13 Why not an Impreza hatch?

steine13 · February 2021

@explorerx4 It's on the list:
>> Impreza or Crosstrek: Not wowed but good price, stick available, and AWD.

The dealer with the Crosstrek -- the one that's now 'in transit' rather than 'in stock' -- also has an Impreza 5sp.
The goal was to drive both and know if they'll work.

A GENERAL REMARK:
I expected a lot of love for the Civic hatch. Apparently the styling doens't just grate on me

28firefighter · February 2021

Would highly suggest finding a used 2018/2019 GTI with a manual - they depreciate heavily and either of those model years will have the balance of a 6 year/72k mile warranty.

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