Real-World Trade-In Values

boss6060 · July 2003

Terry,

I guess I should mention that my parents will be trading in the 1996 Cadillac for a 2000 Lexus ES300, dealer certified. We negotiated the price to $22,500 for the Lexus with 45,0000 miles, but I still feel this is high, any advice? Thanks a million.

dtwleungnyc · July 2003

hello, this is the crystal ball forwading service calling in regard for Terry. We still don't have the crystal ball ready yet for delivery, therefore; in the mean time, please provide the following information.

Color of both cars (ext and int)
equipments
where do you live?

stebu · July 2003

Just curious... how'd the gas tank take a hit? Seems out of sort with the rest of the damage.

pwein1 · July 2003

Thanks for the info on the MPV ES. Can y'all be kind enough to hit these for me?

1999 Mazda Miata
Silver, 65,000 miles, tan leather, pw, pl
Rubber about 70% left, soft top convertible
Texas vehicle

2000 Mazda Miata
Red, 15,000 miles, tan leather, pw, pl
Good rubber, one owner private, soft top convertible

Thanks in advance,

robr2 · July 2003

The vehicle in the next lane lost its rear tire/rim and I hit it and drove over it at highway speed. The bodyshop discovered the exhaust and gas tank damage when they put it up on the frame measuring thing-a-ma-jig.

kristenepi · July 2003

Looking for trade in value for:
2000 Jeep Wrangler SE
Red
63,000 miles
2.5LT/4 cyl automatic
soft top
a/c
tilt/cd
4 brand new tires
no accidents
Denver, CO
Thanks!
Trying to decide between used Accord, Camry or Saab. Any suggestions?

photo_guy · July 2003

>>Hey let's not go into a guilt thing here .. I'm sure he was Very Aware of the situation, plus he got $2grand to cover his potential loss (thats darn good on his side) so you Both made out ..<<

Yes, I have talked to the guy several times and he is happy with the deal. I am very happy so it was a true win-win. It is nice when that happens - it just doesn't happen very often for me.

Thanks again for your assistance and info.

stebu · July 2003

Whoa... major bummer of an accident. Not much you could do about a freak thing like that. Hope the dollar hit to your trade-in isn't a double whammy for you.

lmp180psu · July 2003

If possible, I need a fair offer amount for these two particular cars from a Nissan dealer. We are going in to negotiate tomorrow morning around 10 AM.

1998 Honda Accord EX Coupe
White exterior
Beige Leather
59,000 miles
power seat
auto climate control
sunroof

2000 Nissan Altima SE
Burgundy/Maroon exterior
Beige cloth interior
33,000 miles
NO sunroof
NO bose stereo

Both cars are in very good/excellent condition. Located in Philadelphia, PA area. Thanks for your help!

rroyce10 · July 2003

..... Austin city Limits .. huh ..?

       Miles are a little tall, color is no help in Austin, 4x4 helps, roof is a helper, clean, deep in rubber, no weird interior experiments or boom box stereo's .. trade side you should be seeing the high $16's, low $17's ..

               Hope this helps ...

                       Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2003

...... Wholly Molly, I better hurry ..

        00 Altima SE, good color, better be clean, no re-paints, looks feels and drives new, deep round things .. trade side, the mid to high $8's, if it needs stuff, start deducting ..

        1998 Honda Accord EX Coupe, 4 banger - right.? - right color, miles are low for the year, sounds like the mid to high $9's if it's a nice one ...

              Is that quick enough ..?

               Good luck ..!

                       Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2003

...... Seems kinda cheap, and really cheap with a CPO (I think the cost is $900) .. I would have this one looked at *Close* by a pro .. the CPO is a warranty and causes the cost to go up, could be asking $33+ .. sniff sniff, do I smell a fender bender here with a $3,000 re-paint ... ?

Terry

lmp180psu · July 2003

Sorry, forgot that EX's come in 4 and 6 cyl.. It is a V6 BTW. Would that add about 1k-1.5K to the trade in price? What would a good offer on the Altima and Accord be- 1500-2000 above trade-in? What if they are CPO's ( they are) -Forgot about that too! Not having a good night. These cars aren't even for me- for a friend.

Also if you have the time, what is the trade-in for a 99 Maxima: black exterior, charcoal cloth interior, 66,000 miles, NO sunroof, NO power seat, but it does have the BOSE system. A few small stratches but no accidents etc.

Thanks Again, Lou.

rroyce10 · July 2003

....... Sounds like a nice one, right color, service is all over the place, miles are low for the year, parts and service are expensive in a Bimmer, what you put in you can usually get out, kinda .. trade side, the high $5's, maybe the low low $6's ..

Me personally, this pup would be going down Retail Rd, you got color, you have miles and you have all the service since Jesus was a baby .. $8,9 in the paper and $7,9/$8,5 sends this dude to college ..

Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2003

.... Dooooooh .....! You forgot those 2 xtra cylinders ...?

         better be adding another ghee whiz to the formula ..

            It's a GXE with a Bose ...?

                     Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2003

..... I can't think of a particular vehicle/time element .. but there is times and vehicles that react at a much closer pace and that can make a Big difference.

        Right now, it "seems" the New Accords are doing very close (02/03) to the previous model, actually there seems to be a big want and the difference on the wholesale side is only "around" the $1,0/$1,5, ~ meaning there is more demand for the previous model and the new models are being given away at the showrooms to compensate .. kinda holds true for the old/new body style Avalons, of course the older "7's" haven't changed much in price since March, while the New body 745iL's are dropping like bad habits ...

                I hope this helps ...

                       Terry.

rroyce10 · July 2003

..... If it's a nice one and it doesn't need much, then "double nickels" ($5,500) is about all the moneys on a 71k 96 Deville .. $6,5 ..? nope, I don't think so, it's seems like that dealer is trying hard to get your business and stepping right up to the pump to get it ..

          $22,5 for the ES300 with 45k .. ? that's another Nope .. dealer might have the low $17's in it, add the $900+ BS warranty, then a this and a that and I will bet they don't have $18,5/$19,0 in it .. $20,5/$21,0 that's about all the money - $22,5 ..? Nope, not in this lifetime ...

                 Good luck and let me know ...

                        Terry.

robr2 · July 2003

Repost as I forgot to tell you it's a 4 cylinder:

Terry - need some ideas here.

I have a 98 Accord EX 4 dr Auto
Color is Heather Mist (somewhere between gold and silver)
65,000 miles
beige leather, power seat - all the usual EX goodies
Tires about 70%
Couple of tiny dings and some minor rim rash
In Boston
Full Honda dealer serviced as per the severe schedule

Here's the kicker - it's in the bodyshop now with an appx $5K repair almost done. When it's done it will have new:

front bumper and fascia
front supports
radiator
fan
AC condensor
exhaust
gas tank.

What do you think it was worth before hand and how bad am I going to get killed at trade in time? It's at a quality shop but a hit is a hit to a used car guy right??

rroyce10 · July 2003

front bumper and fascia
front supports
radiator
fan
AC condenser
exhaust
gas tank.

           Well for starters, nobody will ever notice ..... hahahaha, Happy April Fools Day .!

           This will be an easy one to spot, Stevie Wonder would catch this one in the dark .. it will "probably" look, be thought as, worse than it really is (maybe frame damage.?) ..

           BA (before accident) a dealer would probably hit it around the $9's .. AA, (thats not Alcoholics Anonymous) After Accident, it may be worth in and around the $6's, maybe the low $7's - it's really hard to hit this one without actually seeing it in the "after" mode~ could be worth alot less .. it's definitely not a Retail piece for a dealer ..

               I hope this makes sense ..

                       Terry.

robr2 · July 2003

I figured I would take a bath on it. I guess we drive it till it dies then.

ishimmered · July 2003

Thanks Terry, you're awesome!

Ashley

clpurnell · July 2003

Thoughts please on the following.

'03 FX35 RWD Black w/ Brick/Black Interior, Tech Package (all the toys, keyless go, dvd, nav etc) 7500 miles pictures here . Thinking of moving up to the big daddy 04 FX45 with shiny wheels

Also number on '01 Chrysler 300M 38k, No roof no chrome. Silver over black. Front bumper has scratch from coming off curb. right front fender was repaired from minor accident (2k at dealer shop).

Both of these in "cool" houston. Thanks!

jgwaltney · July 2003

terry -
have you seen enough 2001 LS 430's hit the block or come off lease yet to have a feel for these? (eg say a 2001 LS 430 pretty std with maybe 35-40k miles, in a normally acceptable color)
any thoughts since we're coming up on 3 yrs since they first hit the market back in fall 2000?
thx - jeff

gteach26 · July 2003

how about an '01 LS430 with the Ultra Lux package (all of the toys) in Gold outside/light beige inside, 37K miles, with chrome wheels, in S. Fla?

mjhilb · July 2003

Help Terry,

Looking to get a fair value of my 99 Nissan Quest SE

58,000 miles
Dark Red color
Leather, dual power front seats, am/fm, cassette, multi cd changer,
Video Player, Power Sun Roof, 2 tone paint, New tires, Alloy wheels,Garage door link, power windows, mirrors
Paint is in condition for the age of the vehicle
No major dents, normal wear and tear
Located in the chicago area

Local Honda dealer offering me $8500 on trade, KBB Fair value at 9850, and intellipoint at 9k-10k. I was trying to hold out for 9k from the honda dealer. im thinking he is low balling because of a $30180 price he gave me on a '04 honda pilot EX w/ Leather

breld · July 2003

I've been around to the Nissan lots here in Denver looking for a 02-03 loaded Maxima SE with a 6 speed.

I got a call today from a dealer who got one in from auction:

2002 Maxima SE, Silver, leather, sunroof, Bose, heated seats. 29,000 miles. I haven't seen it yet, but I assume it's in great condition.

I imagine they'll push the rare nature of this car, but I want to offer $19,000, figuring they only paid $15-$16k at auction for it.

Am I way off or is this doable?

groverc · July 2003

I just traded my 1996 SAAB 900SE 3-door on Saturday. It's a done deal, but I can't help wondering if I made a good decision. Any comments, good or bad, are welcome.

The car is Imola Red with black leather. Turbo, heated seats, sunroof, all options, 85.5K miles, good tires. The car is very clean in and out.

Now for the bad. The AC blows warm, the check engine light is on, the struts are questionable, the windshield washer does not work, has a performance exhaust (which is loud), one door ding and quite a few stone chips on the hood.

I accepted $5,000 on trade Saturday. I would appreciate any and all comments so that I can learn how to best trade cars next time around.

Thanks!

FWIW, I purchased a 2003 Legacy L SE. MSRP $21,337, invoice $19,323, I paid $19,000 after $1,000 rebate. I also took the 2.9 financing.

jratcliffe · July 2003

Lessons for next time:

1. Did you check KBB, Edmunds, and NADA to see what they said trade-in for this car was? If not, do so next time.

2. Did you ask Terry (or one of the other wisdom-pearl-bestowers) on this board about the real-world value of this car? If not, do so next time.

Beyond this, don't stress about this deal. It's done. You got $5k for it. If somebody tells you you could have gotten $8k (not that they would, I haven't the faintest clue whether it's a good deal, haven't done either 1 or 2 on this car), what would that change? Move on.

rroyce10 · July 2003

..... How cool, 2 birds with one stone .. kinda like Tigers shot on the 15th, in the sand - uphill, did 231 yds with a 3 iron and 6 inches from the pin .. (musta learned that from me ~ hey, drugs ARE fun

        01's, lot's of them around, miles are a little tall on this one - gold in color, light tan gut's, the Big Package and standing in chromes .. better be deep in rubber, no kisses, no Hardee's invasions, better shine like the sun and service "thanks you .." .. trade side, in and around the $39,5ish figure ..


           Jeff - thoughts ..? .. I have driven probably 5/6 of them, maybe 8/9,000 total miles .. great vehicles, strong in the market -should- do Very well as far as re-sale for a looong time, don't break, quiet, roomy, climbs like a cat, can hold 4 large Tour bags in the trunk .. :-)

          What was the question again ..?

                       Terry ;-)

kristenepi · July 2003

Hey Terry!
Any help on the CO Wrangler I posted would be great!!
Kristen

rroyce10 · July 2003

..... Ok, back to the tree hugger ..

          It's an 00 SE, we got 60k+, lot's of miles even for a Left Coaster, (have you ever thought about switching dating services .?) .. we got cold breeze, an auto, kinda rare but can help big time, color is great and we have the 4x4 going for us ..

           No meteorite hit's, no I drive up 40 degree grades and fall over, just a clean Red Jeep with deep rubber and a like new top .. right ..? - trade side, in and around the ultra high $7's, low $8's, if it needs -0- super clean, service records falling out of the dash, it could see the upper $8's cuz' of the auto ..

                Good luck and let me know ...

                         Terry.

kyfdx · July 2003

If it makes you feel any better.... I wouldn't give you $5K for that Saab... doesn't sound like a bad deal..

photo_guy · July 2003

Terry, Just FYI - I did sell my 96 Accord(See #13567). I had offered it someone I know for $6K thinking I would pass on a good deal (I'm still giddy from my CR-V purchase) and avoid the car sales craziness. Well, they went into "analysis paralysis" for a month. Meanwhile I was doing the online and word of mouth sales thing.
I had put off putting an ad in the paper for as long as I could and just placed the ad yesterday. Sure enough, I get a call from "Miss Decisive" last night saying they want the car. (Apparently their current 190K mile 92 Accord had trany fluid that looked like sludge with little bits of glitter and that made them take action).

It should have been much easier than that but all's well that ends well.

Thanks for your assistance!

kristenepi · July 2003

Thanks Terry!
I'm a recent addition to the Left Coast (got tired of the dating service of Detroit!)
Thanks for the input...since I've got your attention what do you think I could get from a private seller?
Kristen
PS-Are you available to fly out to Denver to negotiate my next purchase?? I've got my heart set on a "pre-owned" Saab 93 Convertible. I'll give you a cut of the savings

breld · July 2003

I've been around to the Nissan lots here in Denver looking for a 02-03 loaded Maxima SE with a 6 speed.

I got a call today from a dealer who got one in from auction:

2002 Maxima SE, Silver, leather, sunroof, Bose, heated seats. 29,000 miles. I haven't seen it yet, but I assume it's in great condition.

I imagine they'll push the rare nature of this car, but I want to offer $19,000, figuring they only paid $15-$16k at auction for it.

Am I way off or is this doable?

kristenepi · July 2003

Thanks Terry!
I'm a recent addition to the Left Coast (got tired of the dating service of Detroit!)
Thanks for the input...since I've got your attention what do you think I could get from a private seller?
Kristen
PS-Are you available to fly out to Denver to negotiate my next purchase?? I've got my heart set on a "pre-owned" Saab 93 Convertible. I'll give you a cut of the savings

groverc · July 2003

You're right, it will change nothing. I just can't help but to constantly speculate. It's just me.

I did check Edmunds, KBB and the black book, but I didn't consult this board. I didn't know of it until today. I guess I'm struggling with how to decide the condtion of my car, or any used for that matter. A seasoned car appraiser is going to see a car totally different than an average consumer. I'm just asking for other opinions, nothing more and nothing less.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Terry any insight you could share on my 96 SAAB 900SE, mentioned a few posts earlier?

kristenepi · July 2003

Thanks Terry!
I'm a recent addition to the Left Coast (got tired of the dating service of Detroit!)
Thanks for the input...since I've got your attention what do you think I could get from a private seller?
Kristen
PS-Are you available to fly out to Denver to negotiate my next purchase?? I've got my heart set on a "pre-owned" Saab 93 Convertible. I'll give you a cut of the savings

rroyce10 · July 2003

... Send me a picture and I will let you know ..

Terry.

kristenepi · July 2003

Thanks Terry!
I'm a recent addition to the Left Coast (got tired of the dating service of Detroit!)
Thanks for the input...since I've got your attention what do you think I could get from a private seller?
Kristen
PS-Are you available to fly out to Denver to negotiate my next purchase?? I've got my heart set on a "pre-owned" Saab 93 Convertible. I'll give you a cut of the savings

rroyce10 · July 2003

....... One of two things happened, he either paid too much *or he paid what it's worth .l.o.l..

         The auto's, the real nice ones with 28/32k are doing the high $15's, low $16's .. with it being a handshaker, he might have paid that much cuz' they are "oh so rare" (cuz' nobody wants them .l.o.l.)

         So let's figure $15,500, auction fee $250, transport $300, a look at, a little this and detail $250, he could have $16,5+ in it depending on the pack .. Yeppers, your right $18,5/$19,0 would be All of it ..

                        Terry

gteach26 · July 2003

Thanks Terry!

breld · July 2003

Thanks Terry! Appreciate it.

rroyce10 · August 2003

rroyce10 · August 2003

..... ****The AC blows warm, the check engine light is on, the struts are questionable, the windshield washer does not work, has a performance exhaust (which is loud), one door ding and quite a few stone chips on the hood.

I accepted $5,000 on trade Saturday. ****

           Five Grand ..? as in $five thousand$ ..?

           It's a 96 SE with 90klicks, you can't give these things away New, let alone used, - and on this one, everything is broke and/or not working, typical Saab .. $5,000 ...? Yeeow, these things have the re-sale value of an Artichoke ~~~ this dealer better be on your Xmas list for the next 5 years cuz' it's a $2,500 vehicle on a Push. He either has a vision problem, didn't know what year it was, or he stretched himself silly to get your business .. you read the black book, right ...? you need to slip this the guy the tongue ... Wow.!

          You did absolutely wonderful .! What - a - gift.!

                      Terry.

rroyce10 · August 2003

.... Congrats, see what happens when you are tripping over those dollars, to get to them dimes .. could have been history weeks ago .. but it is gone, thats whats important .!

Terry.

rroyce10 · August 2003

..... It seems it was worth the move from Chi-town to the Big H .. an FX35, now a Fat Daddy FX45 , Oooh, better be getting a new Piaget watch to go with ..

            Theses are great vehicles, I have driven a few and dooo like em' .. (by the way, thanks for the great pics and info ..) .. trade side, the $35/$36 zipcode, the only thing that can hold it back will be color ..

                  Let me know ..

                      Terry.

zueslewis · August 2003

for a chuckle, this comment is concerning a sunroof on a 2002 Focus ZX5.....

"By the way...I'm only paying $1,100 for the Solaire. My Ford Dealership (at the Richmond Automall--great place) really wanted me to turn in my lease and purchase a new vehicle, so they gave me a great price on the sunroof ($1,100), and the aftermarket leather ($1,100). The lady at the shop told me that the retail price of the sunroof is $1350, and the two-tone leather $1650, but that dealerships typically subsidized the cost so that they could sell more cars. Whoooppeeee for me. I'm happy with the discount!"

How much resale does $1,100 worth of aftermarket leather and $1,100 of aftermarket roof add to a Focus?? Can you imagine if he'd paid "retail" for both products ($3,000)?

I hope this guy got the $2,495 Ford ESP, the $995 protection package and credit life/disability - wouldn't want that fine leathered-up ride being unprotected...

rroyce10 · August 2003

.... The 99, well the miles are tall, right color with tan gut's, these things will run forever, it's worth in and around the high $8's if it's a nice one, a good Retail "asking" price would be $11ish .. the 00 has no miles (LS.?), so figure trade side, the ultra high $11's, low $12's - $15+ on the retail side ..

Terry.

rroyce10 · August 2003

...... ** "By the way...I'm only paying $1,100 for the Solaire. ** --- what the heck does that mean ..? whats a Solaire ..?

Gheez, this is not good .. an aftermarket roof is like an aftermarket Sponge, whats it worth, dealers buy em' at the auctions cuz' their too lazy to look inside .. the leather, might be worth a few Hun, between the two of them Maybe a nick ~ hate when that happens .. hope he didn't purchase the $1,500 Automatic Start package . ;-))

Terry.

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