I am looking into selling my 2K SE Maxima. So I went to KBB.com and Edmunds.com to see how much my car should go for in the private market. They both say different amounts. At least 2K dollar difference. Which one should I go with? Any suggestion? My car right now has 43K miles (all highway). Excellent condition, Exterior Sunlit Sand (gold), Interior Blonde Leather.

Equipment:
Air Conditioning
Power Steering
Power Windows
Power Door Locks
Tilt Wheel
Cruise Control
AM/FM Stereo
Cassette
Compact Disc
Bose Premium Sound
Dual Air Bags
ABS (4-Wheel)
Leather
Dual Power Seats
Sliding Sun Roof
Rear Spoiler
17 Inch Alloy Wheels
Tinted Glass
Wood Trim

 

I'd use KBB

 

i consider edmunds a bit more accurate in terms of how the market is in your area, plus u can select condition of the car, where in kbb they ossume the car is in perfect condition.

 

KBB is way to high. Stick with Edmunds or NADA.

 

Use NADA is the most close to blackbook. KBB is very high. Your car is probably in the $16.5-17.5 range trade-in.

 

These number are the averages of what people have sold their cars for in differenct areas. Some sold for higher and some lower. The best is to look in the local classified and see how much simlar cars are going for. I would also take it to a dealer and ask for the trade in value for an absolute minimum price.

 

I took the car to Nissan Dealer and they told me that the car trade in value is 10K dollars. Are they out of there mind!

 

I use Kelly, because working for an insurance company, that's what most insurance companies use.
We also sometimes use NADA too.

 

No. But if you went for it you would be.

Trade-in prices.

 

10K!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Nissan... so thats what the new Altima did for us. nice

 

Sorry guys, but once I sell my Maxima I won't be going back to Nissan. I don't care how nice they make the Maxima look, because once you buy it the next year model will look and perform better and your car will be out dated. I want to get rid of my car now before the Altima get's released and my car value drops more.

 

That's cool but you should realize cars are a bad investment. None of them (except maybe collectibles) will ever go up in value. Sure some cars hold on to a little more resale value. But if it means having to drive an Accord, Camry or some mini sport utility then you can have it. This has been said in here before but I'll say it again. Hang tight, sit back and enjoy the ride. Getting rid of your car when you are upside down in it is only going to make you more upside down in your next one.

 

If you are going to trade in your max, you cannot use kelly's, edmunds, etc. These guides often way over value cars by a large margin. In my opinion, Edmunds TMV has been close but still too high.

Dealers use Galves wholesale guides to determine trade-in values. Galves was originally developed for the banks and it reflects the absolute minimum a car could be "dumped" in the event of a reposession. Most dealers use Galves as a reference when buying cars wholeasle at auctions. But it is very uncommon for even them to buy wholesale at Galves prices because it doesn't factor in the costs associated with preping and delivering a car to the auction. However, dealers do use Galves religiously in determining trade-in values.

As far as your 2K SE, trade-in value is also effected by milege and condition, you haven't given us this info. $10K sounds low but could be accurate if your car has high mileage and/or poor condition.

I hope this sheds some light for you.

 

My car is in Excellent condition. It has 43K miles. All the info on my car is on the first thread above.

 

I don't have the Galves books myself, but I can tell you now, the mileage is probably what hurt your car's value. Galves allows for 12K a year w/o penalty. You take a big hit on mileage when the car is fairly new. However, I think you car is worth more than $10K. I would guesstimate more like $12k-$13K. I can ask some friends that might have the books to look your car up.

 

$10K for a $26K car thats only 18 months old? man... you'd have to be in primer with a body in the trunk.

I would be pretty upset if the dealer offered me less than $17,500. I would probably make a huge scene and ask to talk to the manager. I try to talk loud enough for the other customers to hear what they are trying to do. That usually turns the tables (when they think they have you over the barrel, just start running off other customers