Took my max (02 6-speed with all options but nav and hlsd, 46k, great shape) to a dealership the other day thinking i may trade it in. In summary the dealer offered me 13 thousand for it. How bad does that suck *****. I may just drive it for five more years out of spite. You cant even buy a new hyundai for thirteen grand. The funny part is that they had a 01 SE anniversary edition for eighteen thousand, with the same number of miles. When I questioned them on that they pulled the "it is a rare limited edition" on me. Yeah. ok. and how many loaded up six speeds do you see on lots. God, I am furious.
-Getz

 

There's nothing surprising in this. Dealerships are in business to bend people over. Some suckers would take the guys offer, and the salesman was hoping you would be one of those people. Sell privately.

 

The other side of this is that we all ^5 and get excited when we get $4k off sticker on our brand-new cars, but then we're shocked when our resale sucks. If you can buy one new for cheap, resale will suck. If Nissan built less cars and sold closer to sticker, the resales would stabilize.

 

Yeah, that sucks. I was trying to play down an 01ae at a dealership about 6 months ago and the guy was telling me there are special camshafts, pistons, etc which is why it is so expensive. Its pointless to argue with them.

However, the prices they tell you is most likely the price they will pay for the car if they bought on at an auction. One thing to keep in mind is that they incur costs to keep the cars on their lots. Another thing (this does not apply here) if your car is pretty old and you try to sell it to the dealer, the dealer may offer you even less, because banks dont like to finance older cars, so the people looking to buy them would most likely pay cash. The ford dealer I talked to tries to keep the "cash cars" at about 10% of the inventory.

 

. I think itll even out eventually. Imports drop slower then domestics but they seem to level out while domestics keep falling. so...keep the car. who knows, should the rumor be true and they phase the maxima out, your car might become a hot commodity. maybe.

 

Just did a quick appraisal on Edmunds.com...

Trade-In: $14,429
Private Party: $15,737
Dealer Retail: $18,213

And this is the BEST-CASE scenario! I ran it w/ all options (except NAV & hlsd) in PERFECT condition, under your zipcode.

Doesn't make me feel too good either. Then again, when I sale my 2k2 Max, she's gonna have about 200k on her...

 

You have to keep in mind too, the dealer needs to make a profit here. If you're looking to get rid of your car easily, then you trade it in. If you're looking to get the closest amount to what it is worth, then you sell it directly to a private party. But then again, that can be more hassle than it's worth.

 

try www.carmax.com or if you have time sell it privetly you can probably get 16 or so for it no problem

 

Values are "on paper"....not really what it's worth to the owner.

It has alot to do with the economy, the flooded market, lease rates, low sales, etc, etc.

I'll be driving my car for a few more years to try and bridge that diminishing value gap that is so apparent right now.
When it levels-off around 13-15k....that will be the time to sell.
Hopefully that will be in two more years.

To sell it now would be tossing-away $10-15k, literally.


My buddy just totalled his '98 SE - and I told him to look for a used 2k2 or 3, since they are SUCH good deals right now.
Somebody is benefitting from these decreasing values - just not those who bought new....including me.

I still love my car!

gr

 

Try selling it in a different area or state even. I know that here in the Midwest Trucks hold there value 10 times better than cars. I had a 96 silverado that i had almost 4 years. Pd 15,000 put 45,000 miles on it then sold it for 10,000 and got my max. Just my $.02

 

Thanks for the info guys. I definetly will hold on to it for at least another two years, maybe indefinately and keep it as a daily driver to ease the burden of something really fun. It is funny though that the dealership needs to rape you on both ends. You would think that they would work a little when you are unloading a new vehicle from them. Honestly, I dont think I'll ever buy new again.
-Getz

 

Contrary to what some people think, "everyone" gets screwed when dealing with a dealership. It is just getting screwed at different degrees (+ or -).

But the convenience factor is there. You bring the car in, they quote you a price and "voila" its done. Selling privately is much more effort, more problematic and it can take weeks before you get an interested buyer.

Good luck with yours.

Bob

 

Yeah... depreciation really sucks. I discovered that when I put my 02 Max up on the market for a little while. But in either case, you're a lot better off selling the car privately than trading it in as long as you're willing to deal w/the hassle.

I've sold one car myself before and will admit it's a pain.

 

Take it to Carmax if there is one around you. I traded in my '02 F150 and they gave me more than I owed and more than edmunds said the trade value was, of course I had it in excellent shape.