Trade in or private sell when getting new truck

[LookinforDirt]

I would at least get quotes for your truck from places like CarMax, etc. before you head to the dealer table so you know what to expect. Wasn’t happy with the offer the dealer was giving me on my truck and told them I would leave, sell my truck to CarMax, then come back to finish the deal. They matched CarMax’s offer (which was 5k higher) so I didn’t leave the table.

That worked for me in 2023 when I traded in a cargo van for a new Ford F-150. I had quotes from CarMax well above what the dealer was offering. The dealer started at $20k and we ended up at $26.5k. At or a little above what CarMax quoted.

 

[Ajsomp]

Depends on how old your vehicle is. I will always do a quote from carvana, carmax, autotrader etc. before going to a dealer. IMO those are the bare minimum I’d accept for a trade.

I’ve been able to get the dealer to beat the carmax or carvana offer simply by not wanting to leave the table. I’ve also walked away and gone down the road and sold it to comparing dealers. During the post COVID height I sold a Silverado trail boss with a 6.2 for 3 grand more than I paid for it several months before. I sold my tundra in a similar manner.

That being said - cars/trucks in the 2-7k worth - private party all day. I have a commuter that is 19 years old with only 110k miles (bought it off an older couple) and I won’t get anything for it from a dealer. If the time comes, I’ll sell that via FB marketplace, Craigslist or elsewhere.

 

[nam1975]

I sell mine to the brand dealer. Most dealerships will buy anything today.
Even clunkers they flip to the wholesale auction for a few bucks.
Then I go buy the new vehicle only and I don’t have to mess with all the trade in games.

 

[go_deep]

Just did this process. Bought my wife a newer used car at the dealership, they offered about half of its value on trade in of the KBB private party value, I said no thanks.
Paid my 15 year old daughter to clean the vehicle up nice, took a pile of pictures, the more the better, listed it on about 10 groups and Facebook marketplace, paid the extra $6 for 3 days of additional exposure, my listing appeared like an ad to other people. It showed that around 1,200 people clicked on and viewed my ad, worth it. In the end I talked to about 12 people over 2 weeks via messenger, first person that did show up paid cash and I sold it for $340 under top KBB value.
That was worth every minute of my time and effort to get several thousand dollars more out of it.

If you don't have Facebook, ask someone who does to list it for you and put your contact information on there.
If your talking about a vehicle around $10k or less, kept up and clean for is age, they sell fast.

 

[COJoe]

I just sold my truck on Craigslist to the first buyer who had cash. I've sold a number of vehicles and campers on Criagslist. It's not as terrible as marketplace, which is awful trying to deal with low offers. It's not enjoyable selling anything anymore. I'll probably trade in my wife's Forestor when it comes time for a newer vehicle to avoid the headaches.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Givemethevin.com John Clay Wolf is Nationwide and has a radio show on Saturdays. Co Worker sold a truck to him, they beat the Car Max price by over $500 (in his ad he says he will give you a$100 if he doesn't beat Carmax). They picked up his truck the next day and paid him on the spot. Depending where you are, they have outlets almost everywhere across the U.S. and you can drive to them if you wish.
A good thing about trading in (at least here in Louisiana), the price of the trade in is deducted from your bottomline price and you don't pay sales tax on that amount. If your trade in is worth 10 or 15 K, that could be a lot of $$ you save on the tax. Selling to the public is a PITA, strangers calling you all hours, wanting you to meet them wherever, and the head ache of them coming back the next day trying to void the deal for whatever reason.

 

[Maverick1]

Tried to sell a couple of older, inexpensive vehicles on FB marketplace but the number of scammers that reached out was ridiculous.

 

[saskhunter]

Trade in: low hassle but lower re-sale.

Private sale: more hassle and higher re-sale.

Take whichever you're more comfortable with.

 

[Elkbelch]

I don't know about other states but in MO we can deduct any vehicle sold, private or not (just need a bill of sale) from the sales tax, we pay tax at the DMV when you do the registration/license not the dealer

 

[MuleyFever]

Traded in last fall partly because it was spur of the moment as I was driving through SLC and partly because the trade in value was in the $50k range so there was value in the tax difference. Truck before that I sold myself because it was a low milage diesel and I knew it would sell fast. Only took 2 days to sell but I still had to deal with scammers contacting me. In some cases I've traded in because the vehicle was having issues and I didn't want to deal with someone local that may have issues with it and come back pissed off. It's all a trade off and you just have to decide what you want to deal with

 

[Idaboy]

Great advice on this thread, appreciate it all, truck is probably in the 25K range so have to decide dealer tax savings vs pita prvt sale. Never meet at my place, meet by court house, fire station, police dept etc

 

[Weldor]

I'd recommend looking at selling to someplace like Carvana, or at least getting a quote. I did that with my last car. Got an instant offer based off real time market value. ZERO hassles. The tow truck driver did the half assed inspection. No aggressive sales person trying to nickel and dime you on every tiny nuance so they can give you the smallest price. Once it's on the flatbed, you get paid the price they quoted.

What was their offer like? Low-ball like the Stealers? or wholesale?