Real-World Trade-In Values

woodyww · January 2008

It's got very high miles for an '06.......I'd hold out for a lower mileage one, unless the pricing truly reflects the miles......what are they asking?

redkey1 · January 2008

Boston MA
2004 Acura TSX
4dr sedan
Automatic, I4
Front-wheel drive
Mileage: 65,000
Color: Black / tan interior
No navigation
Above average condition

Thoughts on trade and private party would be appreciated. Thanks!!

volvomax · January 2008

Miles are a bit steep.
Prob $13,000 or so on the trade side.

figure mid teens priv party.

briegel · January 2008

They have two, each listed at $45,995 on their website.

volvomax · January 2008

Typical Lexus dealer,they are asking all the money for the cars.

sb55 · January 2008

NY Metro Area
2006 Porsche Cayenne V-6
23K miles
Titanium Gray with Black Leather
Major options include Nav.(PASM), Sunroof, Xenons, Memory seat pkg.,
Perfect Condition. Service up to date. No Paint work and smells new.
It is CPO to 100K which will transfer to new owner.
I have orig 17" rims and also 18" rims.

I checked a couple of months ago and am now ready to "pull the trigger" on another Vehicle. At the time I was quoted $33,000 on this board, but have been having dealers tell me only $28,000 now. Seems really low. Is this all that I can expect?

volvomax · January 2008

Seems a little low to me, but Cayenne's have horrible resale anyway.

breld · January 2008

I'm going with a friend this afternoon to look at trading in her PT Cruiser, and wanted to get some input on what a real trade-in value may be:

In Denver,
2003 PT Cruiser (base model)
Black on black cloth
91,000 miles
Only option to speak of is automatic trannie

Interior and mechanics are pretty good; tires are near new.
Exterior has some damage to it - minor scrape on front fender, rear reflector needs to be replaced.

So, I'm fully aware there's not much value to be had in this car, but any thoughts on realistic trade-in? If it makes any difference, she's looking to trade in on a Jetta.

Thanks a bunch!

ateixeira · January 2008

That's not the new 3.6l V6, right? It's the old 3.2l, 250hp?

The engine may be the liability there. It's the slow Porsche.

volvomax · January 2008

You probably have a $2-2500 car

breld · January 2008

Thanks a bunch.

I was "hoping" for $3k, but knew that may be optimistic, so no surprise with your estimate.

Thanks again.

stickguy · January 2008

man, I would scap that up for my son for 2.5K!

cccompson · January 2008

This is a good one to put on craigslist.

longislander1 · January 2008

Boy, that's a nice car for $28K even with the V-6. I would contact Porsche Club of America (pca.org) and advertise it on their chapter web sites and in the Metro NY club magazine. I'd also contact the guys on ppbb.org, the Boxster board, and ask them what they recommend. A number of them have Cayennes as second cars. Good luck.

danbone111 · January 2008

As an independent dealer specializing in high line vehicles, if it's truly as nice (and original) as you describe, I'm a buyer for that car, all day, any day, @ 30k.-and thats without selling you anything in return. What that means is that so would any other dealer earning your business and taking that car on a trade.

erics6 · January 2008

For my brother. Needs a minivan for the kids. Probably going down retail road.
What say you... wholesale/trade and fair private party sale.

Portland, OR 97203
2004 Hyundai Elentra GT sedan
Blue
5 speed
50,000
The usual GT stuff; leather, alloys.
Good interior and exterior. Scratches and wear in all of the usual places.
Good mechanically. Up on all of the maintenance.
No collision damage.

Thanks!

volvomax · January 2008

Trade in, its probably a $4-5000 car.
Private party, $6-7,000

aknone · January 2008

Hi,
After reading some of the postings, there appears quite a few experienced auto-dealing professionals.

Could someone pls. give me advice on the following:

(1) trade value of an 03 Infiniti M45, Pearl White, Sand leather interior, loaded with NAV, Premium Q45 pkg (hot/cold seats, active/smart cruise control, voice active control, pwr moonroof, 71k mi (but great shape like 30's). Car looks great, change oil every 3k miles (Mobil-1 synthetic), no dings/denst, some curb rush, but car is hot color, flies, and honestly, feels barely broken in. What's a reasonable trade-in value? KBB, MSN, Edmunds are in the upper teens, but dealers sway bewteen Galves/Manahiem from 13-17K?

(2) I'm looking for an 03/BMW M5 - and found one salvage, fixed up, and with 30k miles on the engine. Is it wise to buy salvage?

Thank you all for your guidance.

volvomax · January 2008

Well, the dealers are right.
Car should trade between $13-14,000. Maybe $15000 if its really nice.

(2) I'm looking for an 03/BMW M5 - and found one salvage, fixed up, and with 30k miles on the engine. Is it wise to buy salvage?

NO!!
It is NEVER wise to buy a salvage car.

woodyww · January 2008

I'm looking for an 03/BMW M5 - and found one salvage, fixed up, and with 30k miles on the engine. Is it wise to buy salvage?

Oh, boy. What's the price/details? Maybe, possibly, at the right price, it might be something to consider. But not unless you really know what you're doing. And--I'm guessing--@75% less???--than a non-salvage M5?

Otherwise, buy the best condition, lowest mileage, un-wrecked M5 you can find, with service records up the wazoo, etc......

cccompson · January 2008

NEVER wise? No, can't agree. If the discount is enough (and your initial outlay is relatively small) and the damage history is well documented, there are times when it can make sense IF you plan on driving it into the ground. And that's the only way because once you buy it you're married to it.

volvomax · January 2008

I don't know how many salvage cars you have ever seen. But, the next one I see that was repaired the right way will be the first one.
First of all,the car is never structually sound again. I wouldn't even want to contemplate getting into an accident in one.
Then there is the mechanical aspect.
Salvage shops tend to skimp on mechaincal repair,esp of expensive cars.
Who knows what will go wrong down the road.
BMW will give you no assistance and the car isn't eligible for any recall work.
An M5 is not a car that can be repaired or maintained on the cheap.
Even if you steal the car, you still could spend thousands keeping it running.

cccompson · January 2008

Well, having done some body work when I was younger, I've seen very little quality repair work, regardless of damage severity. Nor was I confining my comments only to cars salvaged due to heavy/extensive crash damage - there's several ways cars get totalled out. Older vehicles can be "totalled" with surprisingly little (and no structural) damage.

I should have said, though, that it's most unlikely that I'd ever lay my own money down for one.

aknone · January 2008

Thank you (Volvomax & CCCompson), for sharing your advice and the extremely quick responses. I truly appreciate sharing both your expertise. Wow, I wasn't aware BMW disowns a salvage vehicle. Nice.

My instinct also leans towards "no" on the Salvaged M5. I guess sometimes we need a reality check from pros. While the photos of the car look great, I agree at high speeds (expected of an M5 ;-), I imagine it shakes. Not to mention the high cost of repair in general.

Best regards

merlion0821 · January 2008

I'm looking for the trade-in value on an '03 Toyota Corolla LE with 41,000 miles. It is black, and is in excellent condition with the following options - automatic, ABS, side airbags, cruise control, and AM/FM/cassette/CD stereo. There has never been any damage, tires and brakes in good condition, and all service records.

For what it's worth, it'll be traded on another new Toyota.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

rgustafs · January 2008

Location: Alexandria, VA
Y/M/M: 2005 Honda Pilot EX-L Navi
Driveline: 4WD
Mileage: 22,500
Color: Black/gray
Mjr Options: Rear backup camera (love it!)
Condition:
Usual dings from stupid people with unweildy car doors; tiny (.75 inch) tear in headliner in rear section, but interior like new and owned by non-smoking 1-person home. Brakes and tires great (no clue on %); all maint done by Honda at suggested intervals
Other: Rear-eneded while sitting still and driver behind was going about 5 MPH. Replaced plastic bumper cover, but no damage to any metal according to Honda body shop.

Just trying to figure out what trade in value should be. It's a lease, and I am WAY :surprise: under on mileage (15K/3yr). Can I make a deal with the Honda (or Acura!) dealership when I bring it in to get the next lease? I am hoping they will put something toward my next lease since they are getting more car back than they expected.

Thoughts? Assistance? Advice?

Thanks!

lilro33 · January 2008

I currently lease a 2003 Nighthawk Black Pearl Honda Accord Ex Coupe auto 4 cylinder FWD w/Leather and Navi. My lease was for 5 years with 12k miles each year. I am the original owner of the vehicle and my lease is up in March. I currently have 30k miles on it and is in mint condition. I am trying to decide if I should purchase the car at the end of the lease. My payoff as of today is $11,759 and my monthly payment is $260. Can you please provide the tmv for private party and dealer retail values? Long Island, NY

sebring95 · January 2008

You can trade your lease at any time and if there's any positive equity available you'll get that back. Usually only a good deal in the last couple months because the buy-outs are usually the residual amount plus all your remaining payments. So you might as well hang onto it until close to the end otherwise you'll be paying for two vehicles one way or another.

volvomax · January 2008

Trade in @ $8000

volvomax · January 2008

If the car is worth more than the residual, then you will have equity.
Generally however, leases aren't written for equity.

cccompson · January 2008

Before you trade it for 8 or whatever, please send me a private email (just click on my username for the address). My sister is looking for something like this for her son. Corollas with ABS and side airbags are pretty rare around Columbus. Thanks!

rgustafs · January 2008

I figure I might have a tiny bit of equity with a buyout of just under $19.5 at the end of March, but maybe I am way off.

volvomax · January 2008

Well, the current trade value is about that much, so you probably won't have any equity come March.

qbrozen · January 2008

a coworker has a neighbor who wants to do her the great favor of selling her the following:

'98 Z3 1.9 5-speed roadster.
leather, cd, security, bun warmers.
120k miles. white over tan.

He says he's going to ask $11k, but will bless her with a $9k pricetag. I think he's out of his mind. I just showed her a '97 with only 51k miles for $8900 listed on the net. That doesn't seemed to have convinced her though. (???)

So what is the real value of her neighbor's car? I'm thinking $6k in his pocket is more than enough.

Thanks!

volvomax · January 2008

In the South,that car is worth $6-6500 trade in.
So, $8-9000 retail.
Up north, esp this time of yr, trade is prob $5-6000.

If the car is really clean, and has all the maintenance records, its prob worth $8000 private party.

qbrozen · January 2008

Interesting.
So Edmunds is actually LOW? That's a first, I think.
They say $6200 private party.

So that '97 with 51k miles is a good deal as it sits?

ateixeira · January 2008

FWIW my insurance company wouldn't even cover a salvage car.

Check with yours if you plan to buy. You just have to be ready to lose it all.

volvomax · January 2008

The 97 w/ 51k is a great deal.
So long as there is nothing wrong w/ the car.

amad1 · January 2008

I'm considering purchasing a used 06 G35 blk coupe.

Miles: 15,077
Engine: 6 cyl
Trans: auto

Its pretty much a base model with CD player, stereo, power seats, heated fron seats. splash guards, sun roof.

According to Edmunds TMV:

trade in: $23,303
private party: $25,133
dealer retail: 26,517

The dealers actual asking price is $ 25,888

Can you give me a real world trade in price ?

Where should I start negotiations, form the trade in value, private party price or dealer retail?

Thanks

kyfdx · January 2008

Last Fall, a friend of mine bought a '98 Z3 2.8 litre with automatic and quite a few other options...recent top replacement.. New set of Michelins, too...

125K miles.. paid $8000..

That 4-cylinder model should be well south of that..

regards,
kyfdx

akangl · January 2008

FWIW my insurance company wouldn't even cover a salvage car.

Check with yours if you plan to buy. You just have to be ready to lose it all.

Allstate will, although that was something we didn't even consider when we bought our salvage Ford, got lucky though and they covered it. I do agree with everyone else though, unless you are going to drive it into the ground and you get a crazy good deal on it, its not worth it!

If we were to sell our Ford....ha, yeah right, that branded title is the kiss of death, not that we really care since we'll drive it until its ready for the junkyard!

volvomax · January 2008

Where should I start negotiations, form the trade in value, private party price or dealer retail?

Dealer retail.
You aren't a wholesaler, so trade in value means nothing to you.
Same thing w/ Private Party.
Dealers starting price isn't that bad either. It's only a little over private party.
Given that these things are trading between $22-23,000 anyway,you probably don't have a whole lot of negotiating room.

amad1 · January 2008

trade in value means as much to me on a used car as invoice does on a new car.

From what I understand, often times dealer pay less than trade in value for used cars. If that is case I want to know how they can justify 3-4k mark up. The car isn't even a CPO. I doubt if they have done 3-k in reconditioning. There must be some wiggle room or there's no point in purchasing a used car.

cccompson · January 2008

Since there's no way to know what real trade-in number was, it simply doesn't matter IMHO.

amad1 · January 2008

Since there's no way to know what real trade-in number was, it simply doesn't matter IMHO.

Isn't that what Edmunds and KBB is for? So that you can get something go off of. The car dealer will use those sources on you when you trade in your car. Your car could be in immaculate condition, the dealer is going to give you below KBB trade in value on the car you want to trade in.

Would you pay retail price a for used car?

Also, would the same be true for invoice if you don't know how much the dealer holdback is on new car?

cccompson · January 2008

Sorry that you missed my point. Dealers overallow on trades all the time. You have no way, repeat - no way, of knowing how much they truly have in any used vehicle.

I don't know what KBB, NADA, or Edmunds is for. Probably to make money for the owners. They certainly have little use for individuals buying or selling vehicles. Dealers don't use 'em except when it comes to selling price.

I've never paid retail for a used car. Well, maybe the first one in 1971 because it's the only one out of about the 60 or so used cars I've bought that was acquired from a dealer. Buying used from a dealer is for suckers as far as I'm concerned - why pay more for the same product? Actually, why pay more for less product? Buying privately at least allows me to evaluate the owner and get service records.

Holdback is easily determined. It's the various incentives that new stores get that buyers aren't privy too. But so what? New cars are a commodity and I buy from the cheapest place I can find because the market sets the price.

amad1 · January 2008

Buying used from a dealer is for suckers as far as I'm concerned - why pay more for the same product?

In your opinion, it would be wise not to purchase a used car from a dealer? As for private owners vs. dealers, there's a better chance that the dealers might have the used car you want.

Also, do you think a dealer would be willing to show me the wholesale price of they actually paid for a used car?

robbieg · January 2008

It is easier to find a used car at a dealer however you will likely end up paying more for it than if you bought it from an individual. Basically by going to a dealer you save yourself the time and headache of tracking down used cars. You have to ask yourself how valuable is your time and do you like the "hunt".

Assuming the car was bought at auction, the wholesale price is just the starting point of what the dealer has into a car. From there tack on auction fees, transport and the cost of reconditioning. From there add some profit for the dealer. Am I missing something volvomax?

longislander1 · January 2008

I realize this may be slightly off-subject, but I'd be skeptical of an '06 vehicle that a dealer hasn't CPOed, especially a sports car. Of course, I'm assuming you're looking at an Infiniti dealership. In any case, I'd get a pre-purchase inspection done. It can't cost more than $200-$300 and it may be well worth it down the line.

amad1 · January 2008

I was told that Infinity does not have a CPO program. Also, I would like to have mechanic inspected it. I would like to make an offer, but I have no intentions of paying dealer price because I know they are trying to get max profit.

Real-World Trade-In Values

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles