Anyone Else Insulted By Trade-In Price?

[Bschneider]

They're in business to make money - what do you expect? Sell it private party if you can - requires more patience but it's a better deal.



Secondly, this is America - you're free to find another dealer, get a trade-in value from them, then use the two against each other to get the best deal.

 

[Posm]

I made the same mistake as you did once. I bought the very last of a model year. Usually you get a great deal, but you take a whole years worth of depreciation immediately. In the dealers eyes, you have a three year old truck not a two year old truck. using that math, you and the dealer are near your $3000. 00/ year mark. Also, rebates on new vehicles hurt the value of the used market. Consumers look at the low rate financing and the rebates and discount the used stuff.

My 04 has been on the road only 6 or 8 weeks less than your 03.

I know this does not help you get any more for your trade, but it explains some of the reason behind the low prices.



Go private party and make the spread.



Bryan

 

[wbrown02]

The above posts are absoutly right..... If you want the most for your trade than you must sell it yourself... ... . That means that you are willing to do the work to make that sale happen... . Advertise, prep, take the time to answer the phone and e mails... . make payments while you are waiting for it to sell. By doing all of the above you have earned more money for your efforts..... Just like the dealer does when he takes your vehicle in trade... . You do the work... You deserve the money... . The dealer does the work... . The dealer deserves the money!

 

[guava]

There's just one problem with "the books"... the companies behind "the books" have never purchased a used vehicle. Not once. The day Kelley, NADA, Galves, or any other publisher actually buys someone's car or truck for the price they quote, I'll be ducking the flying pigs.



The price that matters is the auction price. If you know a dealership manager, ask for the latest auction numbers - THAT and that alone is the price dealers buy/sell/trade used vehicles.



When I traded my 96, it was for auction wholesale. That's what I expected, and that's what I got. KBB claimed THREE THOUSAND dollars more. No one from KBB was at my front door with a check to back that up, so I ignored it.

This is exactly right but usually hard to find someone who will give you this info. Sometimes asking the sales manager who their buyer is will work if you imply they don't have the car/truck you want but are willing to have them hunt down the right one at auction rather than take your business elsewhere.



Thats why I went with a new truck. I found out what auction was bringing for good used ones. Its very high.

 

[Patriot_RAM]

At one point I thought about trading my bombed '04 for an automatic '05 SWB rather than my 6sp LWB. They didn't give me a quote. I left after they said it would definately be between $12k and $18k. I had about $12k of add-ons on the truck at the time and it was less than a year old.

 

[rbattelle]

I thought that was the norm in a trade in.

Me too. When I bought my truck I had a supplier discount for 1% below invoice. I had a salesman at Key Chrysler in Xenia, OH offer me $1700 for my trade even though every other local dealer (3 or 4 of them) offered me $2800-$3400 for it. When I asked him why he looked me right in the eye and said, "Well, you're getting the truck for 1% below invoice, so we have to make our profit somewhere". He was NOT joking.



I didn't buy it from them.



-Ryan