Real-World Trade-In Values

volvomax · November 2006

$26K is strong.
$24k is very good money on that car.
BTW, I'm assuimg that you have the 3.0 model.
Car won't be worth any more in the Spring, unless you are planning to retail it yourself.

virginiadonkey · November 2006

Richmond, VA
2005 Lincoln LS Luxury (base model)
3.0L V6
RWD
16700 miles
Medium Blue with light gray interior
no major options
couple of small scrapes on bumper corners from 1st owner, only scratched the clearcoat...color coat is fine
New tires (courtesy of Ford)
No prior damage
fresh oil change

had one dealer offer for 16K stating this was high money for this car (they rated it as average condition, when asked why, they had no answer)

explorerx4 · November 2006

the trip electronic odometer reset itself to 0.0 and stayed that way. i brought the car in and the instrument cluster was replaced. the overall mileage (odometer), had to be pre programmed. i ended up with about 25 less miles on the odo then should have been.
my question. Is this going to affect the value of my car? 'true mileage unknown', or 'not original mileage'?

qbrozen · December 2006

had one dealer offer for 16K stating this was high money for this car (they rated it as average condition, when asked why, they had no answer)

Which part were you questioning? The value or the condition? If you are questioning the condition, what would you prefer they rate it as? Its a very young car, so there is no reason to rate it other than average unless you stored it in a climate controlled garage and never drove it.

By the way, $16k does sound about right ... but I'm no pro.

woodyww · December 2006

Does the car now have a sticker on the door-sill that indicates OD replacement? And/Or--(I don't know how they do it in your state)--has the dealer reported it to your state DMV so that the subsequent owner will get a TMU title?

If so, keep all the paperwork on the car & the OD repair so you can establish the true mileage. That might help lessen any hit to the resale value.

volvomax · December 2006

An 05 car w/ scratches is in average condition.
$16 is ALL the money for that car, most are going in the $12-13k range.
Miles are low, which is why you got the $16k bid in the first place.
I doubt any dealer will give you any more in real money.

volvomax · December 2006

technically, it is. However, if the repair was done under warranty and is well documented, then you shouldn't suffer any loss of value.

dubbsy01 · December 2006

Bruce from Boston, MA
I've recently been looking for an 07 Tahoe and have had two occasions to sit down at dealers. Both dealers came up with the same trade amount.... $20,100. should I accept this offer?
Trade vehicle is as follows:
05 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad-cab SLT 4wd
Silver w/ blk lthr interior, sun roof, pwr driver seat,
5.7 Hemi, 20" chrome rims, fiber glass paint matched lid, factory auto start
9600 miles
I owe $21,884. just want my pay-off.... what's a good trade in value for this truck?
Thanks,
Bruce

volvomax · December 2006

Well, $20k is right on the money. If the truck is extra nice it might be worth $20,500. $21k, let alone $21,800 is a bit of a stretch. Since you are looking at a Tahoe, you might find a Chevy dealer willing to give you what you want to move one of those suckers.

cms2 · December 2006

Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Year/Make/Model: 2002 BMW 525iA
Body Style: 4dr
Engine: 2.5 liter 24 value 6 cylinder, Steptronic auto trans
Driveline: fwd
Mileage: 55,500
Color: black/gray leather
Major Options: cold weather package, premium package
Condition:
Minimal scratched front bumper; small gap in rubber strip on bumper (may be due to moving to cold weather?)
Tires - Less than 20K miles - very good
Brakes - half life
Maintenance - up to date, oil just changed
Other: windshield wash resevoir needs replaced, front bumper and undercarriage replaced in 11/05 due to deer accident (still warranteed as purchased as pre-certified vehicle in 01/05)

explorerx4 · December 2006

volvomax and woodyww, thanks for your responses.
i did end up gaining about 30 miles, or a gallon of gas.

explorerx4 · December 2006

fwd is a typo. right?

smh12 · December 2006

So. Calif.
2005 Lexus RX330
FWD
19k miles
Crystal White/Beige

Chrome Wheels
18" wheels
Navigation
Prem Plus Pkg

no dings, no scratches, no accidents...very clean

Would like to trade-in for the 07 RX350.

Thanks!

british_rover · December 2006

Probably although I had a guy in recently with a 530i who thought it was FWD...

div2 · December 2006

Probably although I had a guy in recently with a 530i who thought it was FWD...

That imbecile should be forced to drive a Daewoo for the rest of his miserable life!

jdedit · December 2006

Location: Missouri
Year/Make/Model: 1997 Pontiac Sunfire Sedan SE
Body Style: 4 door Sedan
Engine: 2.4 liter 4 cylinder; 4 speed automatic
Driveline: FWD w Traction Control
Mileage: 68000
Color: Maroon
Major Options: CD Player; Steering Wheel Radio Controls; Tilt and Cruise; Keyless Entry; Air Conditioning; Traction Control

Condition: Nice condition; Few minor dings near the rear bumper; Interior clean; Seats in good condition; Passenger side window needs new motor;

Tires - Fairly new-20% worn;
Brakes-New on both front and rear
Maintenance-Performed on schedule

One owner car. Never been wrecked.

I'm wondering what sort of trade-in value I can expect? Would it be better to replace the passenger window motor, or just take the hit on the trade-in value?

Thanks
Jeanne

explorerx4 · December 2006

my wife(WONDERFUL PERSON), had a '96 sho. a year or so after we traded it, she asked me if it was fwd or rwd. :sick:

cccompson · December 2006

Jeanne, I'm hopeful that someone else will jump in here with a number but, whatever it is, it won't be much - south of $2000 probably. Whether the window works won't affect the value, at least not to the extent of the repair cost.

This is the sort of car that's good to sell (or give) to someone you know or advertise in a local community paper. Quality condition inexpensive cars are very hard to find.

jdedit · December 2006

Thanks for the response, ccompson. I was figuring around $1500, so I guess I'm in the ballpark. I'm a bit hesitant to sell it myself, but it just might be worth it to do so.

Kirstie_H · December 2006

If you live in a college town, you should get a lot of bites. It's cheap, AND it has quite low miles for a nearly 10-yr-old vehicle. That's perfect transportation for a new driver or college student.

I'd put $2K or best offer on it and sell it at the first sign of anything close.

woodyww · December 2006

I'm betting anyone who drives a RWD bmw in even one Winter knows--or finds out fast the hard way--in the first snow storm--that it is definitely RWD. (I had a SIL who wrecked a non AWD 3 series in a snow storm).

But with the 525iA: does it have a salvage title? Carfax? undercarriage replaced--what does that mean? People tend to get a bit nervous when told the car was in a deer accident & had the undercarriage replaced.....esp. with an expensive euro-car.....It could be worth 50% to 75% of the same car w/o an accident.....

qbrozen · December 2006

'03 CRV LX AWD automatic, 55k miles, gold over tan, in NJ.
Its been bumped a couple of times, but no paintwork. The rear door was pushed in when someone hit the spare tire. That's fixed. The grilled is currently cracked.

Could someone please provide the trade value on this gem?

Thanks.

sadatx · December 2006

Greetings,

Looking for trade in #s on the following vehicle.

2004 BMW Black/Black 745Li
RWD 4DR
4.4L V8, automatic
36000 miles
19 inch wheels, convenience package, luxury seating package, premium sound, rear shades
Tires are abt 50% worn
All maintenance done by dealership and up to date
No prior damage
Located in the Chicagoland area

Thanks!

british_rover · December 2006

I just took almost the exact same vehicle, except for half the mileage, in trade and I put 44,000 dollars on it.

So maybe 38-40k for your car. Not sure how much of a hit RWD cars take in the winter in chicago though.

div2 · December 2006

I'm betting anyone who drives a RWD bmw in even one Winter knows--or finds out fast the hard way--in the first snow storm--that it is definitely RWD.

Based on my 24 years of driving RWD BMWs in all types of weather, I can state that all you need to drive a RWD BMW in winter weather is a good set of winter tires and adequate driving skills.

erics6 · December 2006

Yup. Ever been to Germany in winter. A good set of winter tires will always do the trick.

volvomax · December 2006

Figure $29-31,000.

groverc · December 2006

I have worked out a deal to buy a 2007 Suzuki SX4. I want to get down to one car, so the deal I have is to trade a 1996 Lincoln Mark VIII with 62,000 miles, car is well kept and very clean. Needs a few mechanical repairs: small hole in the catalytic convertor and I only have the valet key. The dealer is offering me $4,000. The other car I want to trade is a 2002 base Miata with 24,500 miles. Very clean, but has been rear-ended. Repair work was excellent. Dealer is offering $11,000. I would be paying sticker for the SX4 at $15,594. The trade difference is $594.

Any thoughts? Good deal?

hyundai_slsmn · December 2006

I love the people that when you give them thier trade value they always want more money and when you ask them where they arrived at their figures they say generally one of three things.

Well (insert internet trade website here) said I should get $14,750 for it. What I love about this is people always look at what the sites say their trade should be worth and the site is always right about their trade value but is always high on what they say you should pay for the one youre looking at. And I belive all of the "print check" buttons have been removed from the online sites.

Well my payoff is $17,500 so I need to get $17,500 for it. Well in the real world the payoff has absolutely nothing to do with the value. If your payoff was $1M your car would still be worth what it's worth, if your payoff was $0 would you accept $0 for the car?

The best ones are always "well I know youre gonna sell it for $XX,XXX" "Well if I sold it outright I could get $XX,XXX for it"

erics6 · December 2006

Seems fair for the trades. You already made the deal, right? Dealers are already discounting the SX4 here. Under $15k for the automatic.

mikeb10 · December 2006

Terry,

Looking for what I should expect to get on my trade-in

New Jersey
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
Wagon
4WD Selec-Trac
74K miles
Dark red ext/Beige int
V6
17" rims
All options-heated seats,power sunroof, alloy wheels, CD changer, wood trim, heated mirris, memnory seats/radio
New Tires and brakes are under 5k
Truck is very clean and looks good
A few minor scratches, never in an accident, very well maintianed.

Would like to trade-in for the H3X

Thanks! Mike

volvomax · December 2006

wholesale between $7-8000.

hyundai_slsmn · December 2006

in the NE area i would say between 6000-7000

qbrozen · December 2006

'03 CRV LX AWD automatic, 55k miles, gold over tan, in NJ.
Its been bumped a couple of times, but no paintwork. The rear door was pushed in when someone hit the spare tire. That's fixed. The grilled is currently cracked.

Could someone please provide the trade value on this gem?

Thanks.

groverc · December 2006

Thansk Eric for your input. I did go ahead and complete the trade earlier this weel. I just like to hear what other opinions on my research and negotiating skills.

Looks like I may not have done so well here. I didn't know that SX4 is being discounted more than $1,500 bucks. I was under the impression it was being recieved well.

My deal is done, so I am not going to look back. I like the SX4, so all is good. Anyone else have any comments? Terry?

volvomax · December 2006

wholesale prob around $11,000, depending on the quality of the repair and whether or not there is anything on the Carfax.

zodiac2004 · December 2006

I love the people that when you give them thier trade value they always want more money and when you ask them where they arrived at their figures they say generally one of three things.

Well (insert internet trade website here) said I should get $14,750 for it. What I love about this is people always look at what the sites say their trade should be worth and the site is always right about their trade value but is always high on what they say you should pay for the one youre looking at. And I belive all of the "print check" buttons have been removed from the online sites.

You know what I love.
It's dealers charging $299 doc fees, and $799 paint protection package.
You know what I love even more.
It's Hyundai dealers asking for MSRP for their cars.

volvomax · December 2006

The reason why dealers have those fees is because they can no longer make a reasonable profit on their cars. They have to make the money somewhere. And no, making $100 or $300 on a $25,000 car is not reasonable.
As for MSRP, it is the manufacturers SUGGESTED retail price.
Obviously, not all cars will bring MSRP, but there is nothing wrong in asking for it.

jipster · December 2006

Anyone else have any comments? Terry?

I don't think Terry(aka rroyce) works here anymore. Stopped seeing his posts about 6 months ago.

qbrozen · December 2006

Thanks Vmax.
that's right where I figured.

mark156 · December 2006

I think Terry was laid off because he was caught smoking in the Edmunds break room. :P

We miss Terry... hope all is going well with him as he was a tremendous help to me a few times.

Mark156

cdnpinhead · December 2006

Yeah, I'd really like to hear from Terry just one more time.

It'd give us all a chance to catch up on what he's been doing for the last six months (lots of golf?) & also an opportunity to thank him for years of good honest info & entertainment.

Kudos to Volvomax, British Rover & others, but it's just not the same without Terry.

tidester · December 2006

but it's just not the same without Terry.

So, who's going to pick up the slack?

Tag, you're it!

tidester, host

qbrozen · December 2006

edmunds could pick up the tab for a subscription to galves for me and I'd be happy to help out. ;b

it just won't always be totally accurate for the west coast ... or central states ... or southern states ... or alaska, hawaii, puerto rico ...

volvomax · December 2006

subscription to Manheim is your best bet

qbrozen · December 2006

ooooo... can i get that online?
got a web address? i'd like that.

british_rover · December 2006

They have Manhiem for Palm now...

Now that is cool. You can be standing right next to the guys car and punch its info into the palm get numbers in seconds.

Galves is good to have if you do business in the North East since some dealerships will just go by straight galves right down to the by the numbers mileage deduct.

BeamerMan · December 2006

Hi I live near Manheim. Just what is "galves" Also what does a subcription to Manheim cost?

volvomax · December 2006

I'm not sure, but I think you have to be a dealer to get the Manheim auction data.

cccompson · December 2006

Galves is another valuation guide. It is principally used in the Northeastern U.S.

Real-World Trade-In Values

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles