What is customary/what do the look for a trade in car/truck?

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Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
Cash buyers are scoffed at because the dealership is making no additional profit via financing.


If you scope out specific brand new cars and you note the car unsold near the end of their fiscal year (usually November) you can have more leverage as a cash buyer if you can get them the money before they start on the numbers.

I know because I've done it twice, sadly the above technique only works on slow movers but I got a brand new holdover $42,000 car for about half price
(but it was going on 2 years unsold)

Used cars on the other hand are very poorly priced and usually non-negotiable.
The new 2013 in my example was much cheaper than the same car used. That also is the 2nd car I've bought new because it was less than used
 
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I have not financed in house for over well over a decade. With the exception of when toyota gave me .9% last year , I took that. But otherwise I have a bank with guaranteed rates and pricing deals set up. Call it in, write it up, go in and sign and do the courtesy visit with finance to tell them no to everything. Dealers where I am a repeat buyer, simply let me walk in and sign and leave with my keys thank you, I will be back.

As for the car, in question, it is always better to sale privately if it is a high value or desirable car with a following such as jeeps and FJ cruisers in mountain towns.
While if it is a low demand vehicle you are better off trading and taking the sales tax advantage.
 
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
Cash buyers are scoffed at because the dealership is making no additional profit via financing.


Cash buyers are never scoffed at. Ever. That is simply not true.

Cash buyers have the cash to buy. That is a good thing, given that probably half the walk ins have no business whatsoever even thinking about buying a car. Very poor credit, questionable income, no job etc. The guy with cash might actually buy a car. The guy with blown up credit who has been rejected at 10 dealers probably can't. But he will try ...

The dealer might try and sell you on the benefits of financing, like super low rates, almost free money, the security and flexibility of NOT having a chunk of money tied up in a car should something bad happen etc.

What you won't get is some sort of great deal because you have cash, unless there is a 0 % OR cash discount offer from the manufacturer. The I'LL PAY CASH, WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME deals are long gone.
 
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Originally Posted by geeman789
I'LL PAY CASH, WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME deals are long gone.


Not really I had a particular car that I noticed sitting
I nagged the local dealer on It with a "I've got cash if " statement by email,
It was a full year later and was told we need this paid for and gone by ... make an offer
I got to take the car home for what I offered no hassle.
2013 new bought in November 2014 for about half price.

The dealer wanted it off their books.

I've done something similar twice, was a great deal both times.

Key is having plenty of time to get a car and focusing on cars that are selling slowly for your particular dealer.
 
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Originally Posted by Rmay635703
Originally Posted by geeman789
I'LL PAY CASH, WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME deals are long gone.


Not really I had a particular car that I noticed sitting
I nagged the local dealer on It with a "I've got cash if " statement by email,
It was a full year later and was told we need this paid for and gone by ... make an offer
I got to take the car home for what I offered no hassle.
2013 new bought in November 2014 for about half price.

The dealer wanted it off their books.

I've done something similar twice, was a great deal both times.

Key is having plenty of time to get a car and focusing on cars that are selling slowly for your particular dealer.


Sure. If that works for you, great. But you don't get to choose options, or colour etc. You take what is left, if you want it.

But the guy who walks in wanting a typical current year model car isn't getting any great deals because he has cash. The dealership would actually prefer he finance. They make some extra money on financing, and can then try and sell loan / life insurance on top of it. Having the cash isn't going to get you some huge discount, just because.
 
The car (with a bad motor) is worth very little. Maybe $500.00.
 
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Originally Posted by Blkstanger
Originally Posted by spavel6
Try CarMax and see what their cash offer would be. Some folks have been pleasantly surprised. CarMax bases their appraisals on the quality of the car and the demand in the marketplace for the model.

Then you can go and negotiate the new car separately, or have a baseline trade-in value in your pocket for negotiations with the new car dealer.

+1 Around here CarMax is the best place to sell a used car.
Maybe, but you have to get the car there first, and with 3 out of the 4 cylinders gone, the car isn't going to move. What is a 147k mile Sonata with a bad engine worth? Salvage value. That's it. If the salvage yard has to pick it up, $300 to $400 tops.
 
It really depends on the dealership.

When I bought my 2017 Silverado. I paid 36500 for it, they gave me 6800 for a 2002 2500HD no options 2WD with 56,000 miles.

They had it right back on the lot and got 11,000 for it.
 
I recently helped a friend get a new CR-V; the Honda dealership looked over Mani's 2016 (?) Nissan Rogue pretty closely and offered us fair $$ in trade.
So yes, it depends on the vehicle and dealership.
Everything is negotiable.
Remember, trading in a vehicle is letting them have all the headaches.
It is a service; don't expect top dollar.
 
In 014 traded 05 Chrysler 300 in for a 2012 Impala. Mom got a great deal on the Impala but only got 1000 trade in on 300 and she wanted to negotiate but I told her I already did but what she didn't realize was if I hadn't talked to them already she would have got less. 300 just got out of body shop with new passenger side door (accident), 150k and bad transmission with quote of 4k and a V6.
 
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
Cash buyers are pretty much laughed out of the dealership. The days of "paying cash" for cars are long gone. The "cash talks" mentality only works if buying from a private seller.


I paid cash for a used Mercedes at a Land Rover dealership. It never really came up how I was paying for it, they said cash or finance was fine and I ended up negotiating a price. It was only on the lot for 3 days and I was actually willing to pay their asking price because it had all the options I wanted. I even went to the finance guy afterwards where he tried to sell me about 10k worth of ad ons like 2k for wheel protection and the rest split up on some other stuff like extended warranty etc. Didn't give me a hard sell on any of it, I just declined it all. Left that day and came back before closing with a bank check and got my paperwork. I thought it was strange that they didn't take a deposit, but I know that if they don't take a deposit, they could sell it from under me at any time.
 
I know several dealership finance managers and they get a monetary bonus for every deal that gets financed.
 
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
I know several dealership finance managers and they get a monetary bonus for every deal that gets financed.
Bonus? No, they work on commission. That is why they apply so much pressure.
 
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
I recently helped a friend get a new CR-V; the Honda dealership looked over Mani's 2016 (?) Nissan Rogue pretty closely and offered us fair $$ in trade.
So yes, it depends on the vehicle and dealership.
Everything is negotiable.
Remember, trading in a vehicle is letting them have all the headaches.
It is a service; don't expect top dollar.


"Top Dollar" is high bluebook. I know many on here keep a car until it's just about non-serviceable-and that's fine if it works for them. Personally, I have traded in a few low miles "clean" trade ins and received the high blue book amount. This is VERY EASY to do if you have a clean low mile truck-and you are trading it in for another.
 
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