I can tell you this if they offer you something low…then you go out and sell it for a grand more and come in with cash…it won’t count the same in your deal.
Everytime I’ve gone they’ll run a quote from KBB, NADA, and Edmunds and take an average of the values given the condition of your trade-in when they look at it. Sometimes they will try the obvious low ball, but if you know what you’re talking about you can get them to work with you a bit
they usually go by KBB…and even if your car is literally right off the show room floor, they will give you no better than “fair” condition for it. and then they will pick the car apart with a fine tooth comb and give you even less for it. it is at that point that you say “thank you, have a nice day” and leave and they will call you back in a couple days and say “lets make a deal” especially if you are buying a used car.
truth. Most if not all of the time you will get more selling it independantly vs trade in.
Sometimes its better to just go ahead with the trade in and then attempt to get to come to about what you want for it(people suck sometimes) . I dont know if there is 100% truth to this but is there some kind of dealer hold back number, Ex car has been sitting xx amount of time and therefore could be subject to a better negoation in order to move that one to get new ones on the lot?
My main question was, do most dealers go by a certain price guide to evaluate trades?
KBB, NADA, etc?
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To answer your question: dealers go by average auction price.
IOW: Unless you are trading a vette, skyline, etc… They’ll value it at whatever they can expect to fetch/pay for a similar vehicle in similar condition.
Yes, you will fetch more for your vehicle through private sale… maybe enough so that it offsets the tax benefit.
another problem with private sell is the wait time. it could sell in 2 hours or 3 months. will and deal, most of the time its just on paper, meaning that shit means nothing especially when you talking 500-1000
It really depends on how bad they need to move the vehicle you’re looking at. For example, many years ago in late January I stopped in to look at a Ranger. I had a 92 Tracker 4x4 and kept walking away from the dealers “deal” because I wasn’t planning on buying till spring.
Well, late January sucks for car sales. Lots of people are waiting till spring, and just after christmas everyone is broke. I kept pretending like each offer was making me consider it, then I’d say “nah, not worth it, I’ll wait”. Eventually they got the trade in high enough on the tracker that it was way more than I could ever sell it for, and got the Ranger’s price down well below kbb dealer retail. I drove it home that day.
PT cruiser isn’t exactly the hot ride that everybody on here drools over, but shit for 10 grand who cares.
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Why spend $10 grand on a new turd when you could spend ten grand on a better vehicle? There’s usually a reason why an almost brand new vehicle is dirt cheap.
And yeah, there’s no reference book that tells them what to give you on trade in. The less trade in for you the more profit and thus comission for them.
I appraise cars everyday. KBB is a good guide, but it can’t look at your car and see the scratches or dents. Also, consider the shape of your tires and brakes. If you pm me the details of your truck, I can tell you exactly what they are selling for at the auction. That’s the best way to tell what your vehicle is worth. Ultimately what someone will pay for it.