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tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
2002 Ford Windstar SE
6 Cyl FWD
60k miles
Dark Green ext/ Gray cloth int
Dual power sliding doors,
Video Ent. System,
Rear a/c controls
Side Curtain Airbags
Class III 2" reciever trailer hitch
Full Size Spare with matching 16" Alloy Rim
The van is suprisingly clean for 3 kids (neoprene seat covers were the best investment made!) Small surface scratches that should buff out easily.
Tires are 80%
Brakes 70%
All maintenance & recalls up to date
Wife test drove a new Freestyle yesterday and we're leaning towards downsizing a bit.
Are they your off-the-cuff opinions based on your life experiences?
Are they based on any published data?
Are they averages of many published sources?
If you rely on published sources, what are they?
2002 Ford Explorer Limited
4dr suv/wagon
4.6 litre V8 automatic
4wd
80,000
light green
moonroof/towing package
good condiotion
tires-unknown wear
brakes-unknown
no known accidents
What would a real world value on this SUV be.
Whenever possible I try to use auction data from the part of the country that the car in question is being traded.
Even so, it is still more of an art than a science.
Do you think most dealerships' used car appraisers, for trade-in purposes, would also base values on the auction sales?
I'm curious too, is there any rule of thumb which might explain how auction results compare to or differ from Kelley Blue Book trade-in value calculations which take into account region, mileage, condition, warranty, repairs and so forth?
Back then, a guy named Terry [RRoyce10] gave out numbers plus a running commentary that was very illuminating.
No, I'm not kidding. It should take a couple hours of your time and it'll be worth it.
-Mathias
I just discovered this forum title today so I have a lot of backposts to read.
So am I.
But when he's asked, in so many words, to justify his numbers, I think it's OK to point someone to a bunch of old posts that explain how those numbers are derived.
-Mathias
2003 VW Passat GLX FWD
Auto, and traction control
Anthracite blue, with grey leather interior
It has 45900 miles. The powertrain is flawless, and the interior is in excellent condition.
I curbed two of the wheels and scraped some of the paint off, but it's only cosmetic damage. Otherwise, the exterior is as good as a 4 year old car should be.
New front brakes last year, tires have at least 4/32" tread. Full maintenance record from a VW dealership.
I'd like to know soon, as I am probably going to trade it in tomorrow.
They will also judge the trades potential value on their lot, or if they are going to wholesale it, just get bids from wholesalers.
There is NO rule of thumb, no ultimate guide, no hardand fast rule when you are appraising a car.
Year/Make/Model: 2001.5 Volkswagen Passat GLX
Body Style: 4dr
Engine: 6 cylinder, auto
Driveline: FWD
Mileage: 84,500
Color: Anthracite Blue/ Beige
Major Options: all standard plus in dash cd changer
Condition: Very clean interior(new mats), minor scratches on rear bumper.
Tires - new
Brakes - 9 months ago
Maintenance - timing belt replaced
Other: no body repairs
Thanks!
Year/Make/Model: 2003 BMW M3 Coupe 6-speed
Body Style: 2 door coupe
Engine: 3.2 litre straight 6
Driveline: RWD
Mileage: 17,000
Color: Imola Red Exterior on Black Leather Interior
Major Options: Premium Package (leather, power seats, sunroof), Xenon Headlamps, Cold Weather Package (heated front seats, headlamp washers, ski pass through), Aux input
Condition: Immaculate, always garaged, handwashed and detailed with professional products, interior routinely vacumed and cleaned. Small scratch on rear bumper, noticeable upon close inspection. Wheels have some curb rash. All recalls and scheduled maintanance completed at authorized BMW centers, extended warrantly on any engine component that is touched by motor oil (6 year, 100,000 mile).
Thanks for your advice, it is greatly appreciated.
Mike
Mileage: 65,000
Color: Silver with Black Leather interior
Options: Acura has no options, just Navigation. This car has Navigation.
Condition: Paint is very glossy, cleans up very nicely. Has two door dings, one on each side of the car. Some scratches on the front bumper, and the rear door on the drivers side. The interior has no damage or tears in the leather, could use a good cleaning due to two active boys and a wife who is not exactly a neat freak when it comes to her car. There is some minor fading on the passenger side air bag.
Windshield has a repaired rock chip. Tires have 15,000 miles, they are Yokohamas. Front brakes have about 15-20% left per the last service.
Car has been fully serviced by Acura since we bought it at 12,500 miles. Thanks for any information.
Year/Make/Model: 2004 TSX Auto with Navi
Body Style: 4dr
Engine: 2.4L
Driveline: FWD
Mileage: 29,000
Color: Pearl White
Major Options: Navigation, Rear Spoiler
Condition:
Excellent interior... some slight wear on leather. Exterior has few blemishes... tiny ding on roof and some curb rash on wheels.
Tires - 6,000 miles on them
Brakes - 50-75% worn
Maintenance - done on schedule
Other:
I'm actually looking for some ideas on a private party "purchase" value rather than a trade in. A guy I work with has this 2001 BMW 330 Convertible for sale that I've been lusting over. Here's the info:
2001 BMW 330 Convertible
Dark blue with tan leather
Auto trans
44,000 miles. Original owner.
Navigation, Htd. seats, CD Chngr.
4 New Michelin tires
Some stone chips on the hood/front bumper but nothing major. No accident history but rear bumper was repained due to parking nicks.
Dealer service records. Might need front brakes though.
He wants $24,000 which seems high for a 6 year old BMW.
Any advice appreciated.
It looks like he's going with a straight N.A.D.A. retail listing. You should be able to do much better than that in a private sale.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Maybe a bit more, M cars are hard to pin down.
Trade in @ $12,000
We have 11 payments left on the HL, which comes to roughly $4K. I am thinking we can wait until the end of the year for the new van but not sure if this is a good idea.
Should we trade now, or wait til the car is paid for next year?
Thanks very much.
In other words, this is money you get to keep. You build equity faster than it's depreciating at this age.
Generally, when a brand new model arrives, do used version of the outgoing model lose value? :confuse:
07 Hyundai Elantra Limited
4 Dr
2.0 liter 4 cyl automatic
FWD
6000 miles
Dark Gray Ext/ Gray Leather Int
alloys, sunroof, 6 disc cd changer
no damage
I'm just curious what these are bringing at auction, so i can know what its worth. Thank you for your time.
Year/Make/Model: 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan
Body Style: 4dr
Engine: 2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo - automatic transmission
Driveline: AWD
Mileage: 82,000
Color: Silver with blue/black cloth
Options: Premium Sound System (speakers and sub), auto-dimming mirror/compass, rear spoiler
Condition: Paint chipped on passenger side rear quarter panel, 2" square in size
New ( 3,000 miles) Pirelli all-season tires
New ( 3,000 miles) upgraded Carbotech performance brake pads
All maintenance/recalls performed on-time by the Subaru dealership
Are dealer advertising fees (say Toyota's TDA for example) negotiable? I thought they were part of the invoice price for the vehicle and not generally negotiable.
Thank you very much!
2001 Audi S4 Avant
AWD Wagon
Automatic
86,000 miles
Black/Black
Premium Package (moonroof, bose, cd changer)
Condition: Well-kept, glossy paint, a couple small (1/4") dents, curb rash on a couple of wheels, needs tires, maint up to date (documented)
Based on available data, trade in is somewhere between $13-14000
"Actual Miles
6 Digit Odo
Green Light"
silver, manual, San Francisco
$14,800
64,356 M YELLOW Boston 03/23/2007 $14,900
This one's automatic. I think. And it's Y-e-l-l-o-w. The mind boggles.
Anyway, these are the only two that I could find that looked "right", apparently they get into accidents often. Imagine that.
I'm assuming volvomax got the Manheim numbers; these are from another company.
Audis don't like high mileage, and yours is higher than either of these. Also, cars bring more money in CA then they do in Alabama, say. I'll bet there's not another S4 anything in the greater metropolitan Huntsville area. Certainly not an Avant... that might tell you something.
I think that if you trade it in, you'll have a hard time getting $13. The darned thing might sell in a weekend, or it'll sit forever, it's impossible to predict.
If I had money like I don't, I would love an S4, but I would never buy an automatic in this car... others will have other preferences, but nobody is going to say "Oh, alright, I guess I'll take it." It's no Camry.
Being an Avant is a nice wrinkle; they do command more money, but the buyer pool is really small... OTOH, just try and find another one.
So if you can make it glow in the dark and can find a big audience -- ebay, autotrader, cars.com -- I think you should sell it yourself. *Especially* since you have the full maintenance history... to a real afficionado, that will make a big difference. So I'm going to go out on a limb and recommend you get some nice tires for this thing, have it professionally detailed and the curb rash fixed, if that's possible.
Then throw it to the wolves and ask $15,900 or $16,500 the first week and be ready to deal. If it's a nice as it sounds, it shouldn't last long.
Trade it in, get $12 and change... or $11 at any Honda dealer ;-)
Good luck, and let us know,
-Mathias
2004 BMW 325 Convertible
5speed auto
47,900 miles 1 Owner
Color: Black exterior/Black leather interior
Options: Metallic Black paint,sport package,
power top, sport seats (10 way),wood interior trim, heated seats, electrochromatic mirrors
Interior: Top notch, Exterior two small door dings, Tires: new, front brakes & rotors new
What's it worth? Fair market trade? Thanks Tom
Still, sell it on your own, you'll do a lot better.
Selling a Black/Black car in the South? That color's not normally helpful, but since only a crazed enthusiast is only gonna be interested in an S4 anyway, who knows?
I agree to try e-bay, or one of the audi enthusiast sites, to sell. I don't know about buying new tires--it's not like putting new rubbers on a mini-van FS--guys who buy a car like this "might" have very specific ideas about what tires they want, & those might not be what you'd buy.
Personally, I wouldn't play too "hard to get" with this one. With the colors, the MILES, the auto., I'd probably grab the first real cash offer anywhere in the range of what volvomax & steine13 estimated.....
need a little help on a car. i don't have tons of info - i am doing this for my sister, who is in HI.
its a 1996 or 1997 subaru legacy wagon L
automatic
I think its green, i forgot to ask
approx 130k miles
she said its in good shape - no major bumps or bruises
they've been good on maintaining it and changing the oil and whatnot...
she did say they had to put in a new starter, and that their mechanic said a head gasket currently has a small leak in it...they drive 80 miles a day to/from work, so they are looking to get into something a little more reliable for the year they are there (she's looking at a maxima, not sure in the info for that yet)
anyways, i was thinking she could ask 1200-1500 but am not really sure...any help on a fair private party value for it would be great!!
thanks!!
-thene
Personally, I'd keep looking for one with lower miles--if it had 40-50K miles I'd be way more enthusiastic. Or buy a WRX wagon. If you're buying, I say, make a Ridiculous offer--so low, you could pay for a lot of repairs if need be.
I understand the S4 lust, but I'd probably pay more for one with lower miles, even if it had to be shipped. And don't forget, this guy may have a lot of trouble selling a black 80K mile audi w/no warranty in AL. A wild guess is that you may be holding most of the cards here. Just my 2 cents....
A price of $8500-$9000 leaves you a lot of money for repairs, if your budget is $12K..
Black wagon with black interior in the South... slushbox in a performance car.. AWD where it never snows...
Yup... bargain hard...
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