Real-World Trade-In Values

ldbricker · May 2004

See Dan run. Run Dan run. Oh, sorry, got swept up in nostalgia.

turboshadow · May 2004

How 'bout this one?

2002 Civic EX Sedan, 23K, handshaker, slider, power windows, locks, ABS, CD player, black with grey cloth guts. Located in Columbia, SC. Dealer is asking $14,9 which seems high to me.

What say you, oh wise one?

Turboshadow

tyresmoker · May 2004

...not to beat one but, getting back to the Hyundai/Kia buy back issue. Lets face it, those of us with exposure to auctions see buy-backs of all types, shapes and sizes going through. Including, as I indicated before a fair amount of product from MB and other makes thought to be beyond reproach.

Anyhow, rememeber, these companies are on the "mend" and in many cases are quicker to buy back a product from a consumer for the sake of customer satisfaction/service. Not to say faulty transmissions and the sort are not real, but their goal to make the customer whole is.
Vehicles that are deemed suitable for resale show up at the auctions as buy-backs because this is the method that is acceptable in the industry that is best to dispose of them.

rroyce10 · May 2004

......... There is a BIG difference between seeing 1 or 2 vehicles at a 4,000 unit auction, then seeing a entire lane consumed with 20/40 units as in Kia and Hyundai's case, they even have their own "day" to run them thru .l.o.l.. ... Huge difference, especially since MB has, what.? 800,000/900,000 vehicles rolling around the planet with 150/190k on them .. come on.

Let's move on ....

Terry.

ldbricker · May 2004

several high mileage cars with the top car being 1M miles. Nothing compared to the Volvo P1800 with 2M plus miles on it but still a better commercial than some of the look at our latest bell/whistle ones.

driftracer · May 2004

"Anyhow, rememeber, these companies are on the "mend" and in many cases are quicker to buy back a product from a consumer for the sake of customer satisfaction/service."

Simply not accurate - in my job, I see cases all day - that's what I do - Hyundai and Kia fight just as hard as, if not harder than, any other company out there - they won't do the right thing, have to be sued, and take it all the way to trial.

These are not companies that are interested in cutting their losses, improving their position and people's opinions in the market, and doing right by the consumer. They have improved SOME, sure, but haven't changed their litigation and compliance attitudes in the least.

I agree, the horse is dead, but tyresmoker, feel free to drop me an e-mail if you'd like some of my personal stats that wholly prove you wrong.

stickguy · May 2004

In my laymans opinion, if you look hard, you can get fairly close to that number on a new '04, with the discounts and support that seem to be out there these days on Civics. In any case, even if you had to pay 16.5 new, $1,600 isn't enough to pay for losing 2 model years and adding 23K miles.

I agree with the rule that you buy Honda and Toyota new, and domestics & tier-2 imports 1-2 years old, at least as long as Honda resale prices stay up there.

kyfdx · May 2004

Ditto...... 1-2 year old Hondas and Toyotas are rarely good buys. You really have to bargain hard to consider them..

leomort · May 2004

question for you?

   What do you consider tier-2 imports?

I agree that it's probably best to buy Toyota & Honda new. Nissan and Subaru also seem to hold their value almost as well, at least from Pittsburgh, PA. So they might also be worth buying new. Thanks.

                      Regards,

                           Leo

rroyce10 · May 2004

..... So he's got that color thing going, huh.?

               It's a 00 with 90k, 2wd SR5, Ecab, V6, a little meat clever action going on, might have tapped a small raccoon and the tires are almost on the new side ... trade side if the service is all there, then in and around the ultra high $6's, depending on the color combo and how it looks it "might" see the low $7's ....

                      Don't forget to let me know.

                          Terry.

rroyce10 · May 2004

....... Nissans are still a great buy, it's those friggin' Subu's that are lookin' to break a world record .l.o.l....

Terry.

tyresmoker · May 2004

all right fellas, fair enough...Points taken..could argue this either way all day long and pretty much get nowhere...

rroyce10 · May 2004

.......... Honda's are really good vehicles .. But ..!

As more and more are on the streets, the difference between the wholesale (trade) price and the retail is growing smaller and smaller ... a few years ago you could retail out of a Honda and make a few Big ones, nowadays it's more in the $800/$900ish range (no matter what the books say!) unless of course it's a super low miler and has been covered up and driven every other Tuesday and cleaned and serviced on Thursday and blessed by the Pope .... you need to have that dude in the paper for $10,499 and if that doesn't fly in a week, then hit $9,999, also get ready for that $9,5ish figure on the "buy" side - and like it.

Terry ;-)

telos · May 2004

Hello,

Wondering about my trade in value. I am in Houston, Tx.

2002 Tahoe LS, 35,800 miles, with leather, dual power seats, cassette and CD, rear air and radio controls. Good shape. No mechanical or other problems. Kept in garage. I was hit by a car 5 months ago. Repair cost appx $5 to 6K. Hood, fender, bumper, tire, etc replaced. No frame damage. All repaired now.

Carmax only offered me $18,500, because they seem worried about how extensive the repairs were (guy said he couldn't tell if frame and been affected - it has NOT). KBB seems to say car should be worth at least $20K.

Any ideas what its worth? Thanks

exb0 · May 2004

Thanks. Ill drop the online asking price to $9990, and put it in the Post this weakend.

BTW, How do I get the Pope to bless my car?

rroyce10 · May 2004

....... Try 1-800-Call-Pope .......

Terry ;^}

leomort · May 2004

Hi Terry,

Yeah! Tell me about the Subaru's!!! Maybe because it's a northeast thing???

Used Nissans are starting to get up there in price too! Last May when I was looking at 3yr-4yr Toyota 4Runners, the Pathfinders weren't that much cheaper. maybe $1K. The low price difference and the fact that parts and insurance are higher made me rule it out.

Since Toyota's and Nissan's SUVs were commanding such premium, I went with an Explorer. Got a 2yr old for about $4k-5k cheaper.

Mazda's seem to be a good value/buy used.

Leo

telos · May 2004

Hello,

Wondering about my trade in value. I am in Houston, Tx.

2002 Tahoe LS, 35,800 miles, with leather, dual power seats, cassette and CD, rear air and radio controls. Good shape. No mechanical or other problems. Kept in garage. I was hit by a car 5 months ago. Repair cost appx $5 to 6K. Hood, fender, bumper, tire, etc replaced. No frame damage. All repaired now.

Carmax only offered me $18,500, because they seem worried about how extensive the repairs were (guy said he couldn't tell if frame and been affected - it has NOT). KBB seems to say car should be worth at least $20K.

Any ideas what its worth? Thanks

rroyce10 · May 2004

......... 6/7 years ago you couldn't "Give Away" a Subu (or a Saab for that matter) south of the Mason Dixon line ..

But nowadays, I see them do big numbers from W. Palm to Raleigh (it must be all the snow we have been having.??) .. but you still can't give a Saab away ..l.o.l.........

Terry

jbollt · May 2004

You say high $6 low $7s on trade...what about down Retail Rd? If it's detailed to the max, is it likely to pull low $8s???
thanks

leomort · May 2004

Hi Terry,

Maybe AWD vehicles have become the "in" thing now?

Leo

stickguy · May 2004

certainly the Mitsubishi/Suzuki/Isuzus, and at times Mazda, Nissan at one point. Korean brands too.

You know, pretty much anything without an H or T on it.

cstowe · May 2004

OK Terry, here are two prospects for ya...

2003 Acura TL-S at the dealer,
-certified,
-silver,
-new sneaks,
-all the goodies,
-the guy who traded it in must have a girlfriend who lives in another state because it has 48,000 clicks on the odo...
-dealer is asking 24.8K...seems high

the other one...

2003 Saab 9-5 Arc (v-6 turbo), at the dealership
-maroon metalic skin over black leather guts,
-bun warmers and crack coolers (with that color combo I will need it),
-auto with the thumb shifters on the wheel,
-slider,
-x-ray vision,
-all the facny pants stuff,
-looks like it was bought at an auction in texas (still has the TX inspection stickers)...
-the guy who traded this one must be dating Rosie 'cuz we only have 7,000 clicks ...
-it is not certified but they might...?
-The Saab dealer must have been hiting the Absolut too hard because they are asking $35.9K

Both are livin on Tulsa time.

What are some fair prices from the Great Oracle of Orlando?

rroyce10 · May 2004

........ ** What do you think? What would be the auction price for 02-03 GS300 Sportdesign with 15-20K miles now? **

$500 over what he pays for it is a Great deal, a extreme super deal, just remember he has the auction fee's and transport that is part of the cost ... for a 02's? like I said before he's going to be paying the strong $27ish figure for a 02 and $28,0 wouldn't surprise me a bit, especially with low low miles .. and the 03's with "small" miles will be strolling around that strong $29/$30ish figure ... it could be waay worse, you could be spending $29,900 for one with lots of meteorite hit's ........

Terry.

qbrozen · May 2004

Just a word of warning, though, a friend had the same "deal" with a dealer regarding paying a few hundred over auction. Well, I don't know what auction this guy went to, but he paid private party street price for an '03 Maxima with a missing stereo. But, a deal is a deal and my friend took the car. So just watch who you are getting into bed with.

akangl · May 2004

We've put the Chevy up for sale (more or less) for $3950, but I had this thought. Would it be unreasonable to ask the guy who has the 1998 Cavalier to take the truck straight across for the car? He deals in vehicles like our truck (older miled up trucks) so I think he might be interested. However, I guess I'm a little worried he will be offended. Our truck isn't bad, its average for its age/miles. Of course we are still waiting on a part to make the Chevy driveable, so this is all hanging on that.

I dunno, guess I just find it hard to fathom that our 94 Chevy with 158k could be worth even near what a 98 Cavalier with 61k is. This has been an arguement all weekend between me and hubby.

rroyce10 · May 2004

...... Excellent Point .! .. if I remember correctly, this is a Acura dealer.? .. right.? .. just make sure they have experience and know what their doing.

             Point #2: make sure they are *GOING* to the auction and will actually get a feely touchy thing going on ~ why do I say this .? .. because in our wonderful world of technology, dealers can now buy vehicles *online* ....

                So for those that like to look pretty all the time and hate getting their Valentino shoes messed up they bid online instead of going ... one of the high points of "my" day is watching the monitor as the ABC dealer from Texas or the XYZ dealer in Baltimore is bidding on that 03 Benz with the slammed and repainted rear door and watch them bid their silly little brains away on a vehicle I wouldn't touch ..l.o.l..

                 Technology is a wonderful thing, but it can make you stupid AND lazy .........

Terry.

turboshadow · May 2004

Found this one for sale down the street, and although I'm not a huge SUV fan, it interested me...

1999 Mercury Mountaineer 2WD
Black, tan leather guts, V-8, slider, rear air, dual power seats, am/fm/cassette w/ multi CD, ABS, towing package, power windows/locks, roof rack, 60,500 miles.

They are asking 12,5 for it.

Terry???

Turboshadow

rroyce10 · May 2004

............ ** Would it be unreasonable to ask the guy who has the 1998 Cavalier to take the truck straight across for the car? **

             Helloooo.! tap tap tap .. is thing on.? tap tap tap tap, it seems to be working ..

                 Are you having a blonde moment.? .. remember this post ..?

           ** >>trade it<< ** , sell it, burn it, whatever it takes .....

               In *Alaskan money* they probably have a quarter in it, miles are almost low for the year, add some service, some other stuff it "might" be seeing $3,0 in it, might take $3,5/$3,8ish .. ** >>like Drift said, trade up or down or even or sideways, whatever<< ** ..

                   I'm so happy you read this posts ... uuugh, your kkkkkkilling me ............

Terry.

rroyce10 · May 2004

..... ** if not, they put it on the lot and sell it as usual... Motivates them to get better car for less money and us to buy from them... **

                Good dealer, no wonder you bought a few vehicles from them .. I do like those RL's, but like I always say: "Always buy and drive what YOU like ...." .. that GS is a Fat Daddy and I'm sure you will love it .. keep in touch and let us know how it goes.!

                      Good luck,

                              Terry.

rroyce10 · May 2004

...... That's what I would be thinkin', send it down Retail Rd ...

For starters kick the topper, then finish any service, a Super great detail and then a wonderful Ad in the biggest paper in your area $9,495 *asking* and send that wild man loose for $8,0/$8,9 ........

Terry.

rroyce10 · May 2004

........ Is it a 2WD ...?

or is it one of those 4WD critters..?

Terry.

akangl · May 2004

Well........I wasn't sure.......and yes, blonde moment......or blame it on the cold meds, the weather, my husband, whatever.

I did call him and ask, he said he would take a look at the truck but couldn't promise he would be interested since its a reg cab, said if it was an x-cab he has a guy would would buy it in a minute.

*IF* that part comes in this week and *IF* I can get my little brother off his [non-permissible content removed] and fixing the truck I will take it up to that guy this week. If he doesn't want it I'll swing it by a BHPH lot that was interested in December and offered $3200 that *I* like an idiot walked away from. *stupid me*

rroyce10 · May 2004

........ Hmmm .. low miles, V8, 2wd, slider, tow pack, abs, leather, rack and power pack .... $12,500 .? that's a great price.!

                  If you live in Finland...!

              Dealer might have the low to mid $7's in it, "could" have spent the low low low low low $8's if it's puuuurfect, no kisses and it Glows in the dark ..... Tall $9's, low low low $10's on the retail side .. $12,500 on the "I'm walkin'" side .....

                           Terry.

dweller1 · May 2004

HELP: 1) My 17 year old son wasnt hurt, the other 2 people in the other car were taken to the hospital as a precaution, but seemed to be reasonably ok( I pray they are only scraped up)
2) The accident was the other guys fault, but our 1997 Mustang convertible was totaled. 82000 miles on clock,tires with 50 % remaining. V6, automatic, dark red with tan top, in the land of Mike Vick, of course. Paint on car was average for a 1997 , top didnt leak and the interior was slightly invaded by chick fil-a(no rips but kinda dirty }. What should I reasonably expect from their insurance company, as I see comparable cars in the 6500-7500 price range from private parties. thanks ....dweller

dweller1 · May 2004

I have located a clean title, no accident (carfax verified) '02 Jetta with only 13,500 miles (VW warranty 48K miles or 4 years), dark blue paint with grey cloth interior..Kbb trade in price for good condition is 12465..Owners were asking 14K, gave up, will take 12,500. The car is for my 16 year old girl who wants a Jetta or Mustang (no Japanese cars for her, she says "boring". Sounds good to me; what do you think?

My first Jetta- 2000 GL, 2.0, 5-speed, purchased new, kept for 26 months, 33 k miles, drank oil like nobodys business (3 quarts one time in between 5000 mile oil changes, airbags replaced under warranty.This piece of crap had to go: I really liked the looks of a jetta so I traded it for a 2003 GL 1.8 T thinking , different motor, every carmaker makes a lemon once in a while,,,,,,,,,, WRONG. This one was in the shop 5 times from aug 2002- feb 2004. Coil packs ,get the tow truck, air bags twice, and i even forget what the other issues were now but even if you have warranty, you still have the freaking hassle of sitting in the waiting room,drinking stale coffee and looking at the same old magazines you saw when you were there last month. I'm not a person who complains a lot or expects everything to be perfect, but if your new 17-21000 dollar car wont run, then im taking the thing to the shop. All this said I still like the way vw's look but I would not buy one or recommend
one to anyone. P>S> If you think your kid will be angry for not buying the Jetta , just think how mad she will be when the Jetta is in the shop once a month for your entire ownership of the car.

grahamb · May 2004

Thanks for this great service!!!

60,000 miles
Auto Transmission
CD Player
Moonroof
Milano Red
New Brake pads (one year)
New Exhaust (one year)
Needs tires
Been in one accident, replaced the front fenders, hood, bumper.
Runs great.

Bumpers have been kissed a few times with a few chips/marks on them.

What am I looking at after a nice detailing if I sell it myself Vs. trade-in.
I'm in Brooklyn, NY.

Thanks so much in advance!!

lancerfixer · May 2004

You're getting sage advice. Run, do not walk, from a Jetta. The Mustang is a bad choice, too. If your daughter is dead set against a Japanese car...let her walk. Just kidding. Kinda.
Seriously, if you want her in a safe car that's not a Mustang, not a Jetta, not boring, and in that price range, try a 2000-2001 Saab 9-3. It's no Civic in the reliability department, but it's light years ahead of the Jetta, has good crash scores, and she won't see herself at every stoplight (unless you live in Cambridge, MA or Vermont.) Lot o' car for the money, IMHO. Terry could probably provide some input.

spatulaman · May 2004

as Spatulaman said in his post - "Yes...I recall VW of the late 80s thru mid 90s....they were building utter crap....fast forward to today, and lo and behold, they're still building utter crap, although it is far more attractive crap.....and they say you can't polish a turd!" In my personal experience, truer words were never spoken.

Ooooh...wow....I'm all famous now....people are quoting me. Hehehe.

driftracer · May 2004

posting this for a friend...

2004 Explorer XLS Sport, V6/4WD, auto, red/gray, 11k miles, spotless (I'd hope so at 11k). Limited slip rear, located in Cataldo, Idaho (near Coure De'Alene and Spokane, WA).

What say you on a trade?

corvette · May 2004

Agreed, run, do not walk... I had a 1999 new body style model, and I held on to it way too long because I let my love of the car cloud my judgement. That said, there's something about the feel of a German car that no one else has (I think the Saabs might have it, but I've never driven one). The Mustang definately doesn't have it...

lancerfixer · May 2004

No, Saabs kinda have their own feel; it's really hard to describe, but if there were a way to somehow make torque steer, rubbery shifters, and turbo lag fun, Saab found a way to do it. They also provide entertainment...watch someone who's never driven a Saab try to find the ignition switch. It's hours of fun!

Edit: No one out-Germans BMW. No one.

oac · May 2004

Figures, eh ? You'd recommend a Saab. Hehehehe.... Recall what Terry said about those Saabs. Can't give them away.... Me personally, I won't touch cars that no one else wants to own.

Here are my recommendations for spektre's teenager:

- 6th-gen Nissan Maxima SE/GLE (1996-1999). These cars run strong all day long. Very reliable and the V6 engine is super nice. Underrated car in the market for what you get.

- a 2nd-gen Lexus SC300. Good, reliable, functional, and will last you quite aways...

- a low/high-miler Suby Impreza/Legacy. Good, fun car to drive. To save $, stay away from the Turbo-charged versions, just the straight 4s will do fine.

There has to be a heck of a lot of cars out there that are fun to drive, relatively cheap, and decent reliability for a teenager. But if being *cool* is the key, then Acura, Infiniti, Audi, and BMW may be the way to go, for the right dineros....

oac · May 2004

That May 15th pot is looking real strong

Who was it that had that date pegged for you? duncan, stick, jlawrence ????

butchbr73 · May 2004

by the way, its a 4th Gen Maxima, which is actually years 1995-1999... the 6th Gen is the 2004 model.

lancerfixer · May 2004

Well, I tried to stay away from Japanese...there seems to be a built-in "don't wanna" factor there with his daughter (personally, I love 'em. I've had two Acuras and a Honda and wouldn't hesitate to buy one again.) I agree that Audis and BMWs are fine cars, but a good example at the $12k price point will be hard to find. I was thinking of "European, cheap, not boring, and more reliable than a Jetta" (the last one was easy,) and the 9-3 seems a good fit.

As far as cars that no one else wants, I usually like 'em, if for no other reason than the uniqueness factor and the fact that they're cheap. Now, I'm not saying I'm going out to buy a Citroen, but I think there are some darned fine cars that got overlooked by the market (Saabs, of course, Mazda 929 and Millenia, etc.) that I wouldn't mind owning, and in fact represent tremendous buys. I think a three year old 9-5 is the deal of the century, though I'm sure many disagree.
I dunno. Guess I've always liked Saabs. But then, I did grow up in the Boston suburbs!

oac · May 2004

Thanks butch, for the correction, meant 4th-gen, of course

Lance: Yeah I hear ya ! Teenager wants a Jetta to be *cool*, but dad will be stuck with the repair bills, lol. I'll gladly buy the Jetta IFF I don't get to pay for repairs.

akangl · May 2004

Hey I HOPE to have the car by then and the Chevy gone. However if the @%$&# part doesn't come in for the Chevy soon it'll be after the May 15th pool. I think it was kyfxd (or however that goes together) that guessed May 15th.

We have to go to anchorage on the 20th, if I don't have a small car by then it will cost me $100 in gas to drive the Explorer......a small car would be around $40. Who knows, whatever is going to happen will happen.

I DO know that I will have a car by the end of the summer. I have to, the Explorer is too expensive to drive all the time.......16 mpg hwy is a killer, especially at $2/gal and 30k/year packed on. Keep in mind our other vehicle is a V10 Ram 3500......so its no better on gas.

akangl · May 2004

While I don't think its a great first car I can't say they are horrible either.

I've owned 2 Jettas, a 1994 GL 2.0L 4-cyl manual trans, car was beat half to death when I got it and only had 30k on it. I drove it for another 15k with little trouble. The other one was a 2001 GLS 1.8T manual trans......I loved that car beyond words, BUT, it was leased and at 8 months old we were already over 2 years worth of lease miles (had 20k on it). We traded it on a used Jeep. I only had 2 problems with the car and both were dealer induced.

I would own another one in a heartbeat. Even had serious thoughts about trading my Explodeder for a Jetta TDI wagon.....'cept they performed that dang marriage ceremony when I bought my Explorer so short of an ugly expensive divorce I won't be trading it anytime soon, good thing I like it. Guess that's what ya get when you buy something with the resale value of used diaper. Thus the reason I'm looking at used Cavaliers and Focuses (Foci?). My heart will always belong to VW, maybe someday I'll have another.

rroyce10 · May 2004

2003 Acura TL-S at the dealer,
-certified,
-silver,
-new sneaks,
-all the goodies,
-the guy who traded it in must have a girlfriend who lives in another state because it has 48,000 clicks on the odo...
-dealer is asking 24.8K...seems high

            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

            Seems high ..? I guess.! .. it has almost 50,000 miles on it - Yeeow.! 50k in 16/18 months.? - that guy certainly needs a new dating service .. and the good news is, the dealer is asking $24,8 .? - I guess someone has been smoking those funny little cigarettes .... In the meantime while he was puffing away, he maybe paid $17/$18ish for the TL, and with a little this or that it might hit the table at $19 (maybe) and $21 would ALL the money on the entire planet .... $24,8.? bold.! this guy is Bold.!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
the other one...

2003 Saab 9-5 Arc (v-6 turbo), at the dealership
-maroon metallic skin over black leather guts,
-bun warmers and crack coolers (with that color combo I will need it),
-auto with the thumb shifters on the wheel,
-slider,
-x-ray vision,
-all the fancy pants stuff,
-looks like it was bought at an auction in Texas (still has the TX inspection stickers)...
-the guy who traded this one must be dating Rosie 'cuz we only have 7,000 clicks ...
-it is not certified but they might...?
-The Saab dealer must have been hitting the Absolute too hard because they are asking $35.9K

Both are livin' on Tulsa time.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

                Would the mileage be "around" 7,438 .? .. looks like he bought it at the Dallas auction ..

                        $36..? .. Ok, I have this Timex I can sell ya for $450 ... dealer paid $27 for it, so by the time he got it home he might have close to $28 in it ..

                 A L L the friggin' money on the retail side would $30ish, you might go as far as $31 for it, nope never mind, it's a Saab not a Searay ....

               Who is this guy .. Pirate Pauls Pawn Plumbing and Car Store ...?

                         Terry.

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