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experience with trading in your car?

I'm starting to think about trading in my car. I love my car and it's in awesome condition (it's a 2007) but it's a VW and we don't have a VW dealer in town, and there's only ONE mechanic in town that will even touch VWs. Needless to say, it's a pain in the arse and it makes me nervous if I ever need warranty work or need VW parts or something. Plus it would be really nice to have all wheel drive for the winters.

Anyhoo, this is the first "real" car I've ever owned so I have no experience with the trading-in process. I've heard it can be a nightmare and they will almost always try to scam you. If I decide to get a new car, should I just try to sell my old car by myself first? Any experiences with trading in?

Re: experience with trading in your car?

  • I just traded in my Mini at the end of March and had a GREAT experience with the dealership that I ended up getting the car from, but it took some research to get there. (The first dealership I was dealing with were a bunch of pretentious a-holes.)

    Do you by any chance have a CarMax anywhere near you? I would always suggest going there first because they will appraise your car for free and you don't have to buy anything from them.  

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  • Honestly, selling your car on your own sounds like a bigger nightmare then trading it in. Is your car worth more then you owe on it? Or is it already paid off? If you say Yes to either of those then it shouldn't be too bad. Go on to carmax.com or a similar site to see what the trade in value of your car is, that way you can have a $$ in your head. Chances are they will low ball you - car dealerships aren't in the business of just giving away money. You just have to keep that in mind, it's not personal, it's business.

    Good luck! 

  • i bought a jeep two years ago, and i sold my acura on craigslist. i went to carmax to get a quote and the lowballed the hell out of me and they do not negotiate.

    my car was paid off, so it was super easy. i sold it on craigslist, took the money, and put it down on my new car. easy peasy.

  • Do your research on both Kelly Blue Blook and NADA to find out the value of your car.  Then I would list it on Craigslist.  If you can't sell it that way then try trading it in.  Make sure you point out that they only want to give you "trade in" value while they want you to pay full retail.  Negotiate, negotiate, and don't be afraid to get up and walk away.   
  • I've traded and bought a lot of cars.  I usually figure out what I want start negotiating a price for the new car, and when I reach a monthly payment with a down payment i'm comfortable with then I say oh and by the way..i have a trade in and this is how much I want for it (do your homework to arrive at a good number).  If they don't meet it...walk away. 

    Like Mary said..don't be afraid to walk away... they are offering great deals and incentives now so they want your business... and they NEED your business. 

  • I also want to add re: my reply- I've only ever sold a car on my own one time and it was a nightmare. I was young & stupid. Since then I've only ever traded in, which in comparison, was a piece of German chocolate cake.You will probably have a better time selling it on your own since you're much smarter & more mature then my 18 y/o self. :)

    And like Mary said, don't be afraid to walk away. You're doing them a favor by buying their car! Don't forget it.

  • Lisa7Lisa7 member
    Sixth Anniversary
    When we bought my FJ, we traded in my civic that was honestly not in the best condition and they actually gave me more $ than it was worth. It was still sitting there when I pulled away in my new car so they didn't even look at it or drive it. Think it's just a matter or negotiating with the dealer of what they will give it to you for. Good luck and happy shopping Big Smile
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  • You will get a lot less money trade in than if you sell it yourself, go to www.kbb.com and you can see what the trade in value would get you and what you could sell it for if you put it in the paper or out in the town with a for sale sign on it. There is a huge difference, for instance, DH has an 06 Jetta, he is wanting to get rid of it and get a new mustang, if we were to trade it in we would get around $7000 for it, if we sell it ourselves we can sell it for $10,900. I voted for waiting and selling ourselves for almost $4000 more!
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