Well I know that if you want a new car and dont want your old one say you want to make a trade, they give you money for your car, usually some crappy offer way below what your car is worth [}:)]. They can either put all or some of that money towards your new car. If you still owe on your old car though, then I am not really sure how it works.
The ever present questions are.....How much do you ask for it? How do you advertise it? How much time will it take? Do you know how to properly prepare it for sale so as to get the best price for the car vs. $ spent detailing, repairing, etc? and finally if it's a better thing to sell it, why don't more people do it?
Yes, some dealers offer a ridiculously low price at first for your trade. If this is the way they are, just go somewhere else. You deserve to be treated with respect. Find a place where they do this. Most Mercedes-Benz dealers realize that insulting you with a ridiculous trade figure will only alienate you. They will be fair and honest, explaining how they came to the value that they placed on your trade in a way that you can understand.
Most consumers (of new and pre-owned autos alike) do not realize the time and money involved in properly preparing a quality vehicle for sale (especially a Starmarked Mercedes-Benz) marketing it and properly dealing with the next owners concerns about the reliability and service after the sale. The average pre-owned vehicle remains for sale about 52 days. Expect that selling yours will take longer unless you are a marketing genius, prepare it exceptionally well for sale ($$$) and/or take too little money for it. What has happened in that approximate 2 month time period? You have made at least two more payments (on top of the payments on your new one) You have continued to insure it (as well as your new one) It will depreciate. Something may go wrong with it mechanically or body damage from test drive or vandalism, extending the time and money spent selling it. On and on and on.
Oh, and who will handle financing and paper work? Will you take time out of your day to get the title work, etc taken care of?
Most people who decide to sell a car on their own end up wishing they had traded it and never try selling one again. Unless you don't care how long it takes or how much you get for it - Trade it. You will likely be much better off in the long run.
Sell it your self. The dealer is going to give you the about 2-3K below the latest auction wholesale price he could quickly unload it at [he picks the days numbers right off the computer screen]. Then he is going to spend about 1-2k tops to refirb at his cost and throw a 1 year starmark on it and sell it for high retail. The spread here is 10-15K depending on the area of the country. Even if it took you 90 days to sell the benz yourself, your way ahead of the game. You'll be going into the dealer without a trade, and that puts you in the best position to work price [and they will work price, just try walking out when you think you have your best deal]. Otherwise, they have you coming and going.
$10-15k spread? If dealers had that potential to work with don't you think they would get more competitive on their trade values so they could capture the trade and resell? Why wouldn't they be happy with a $5k spread instead of nothing? I fear your numbers are a bit unrealistic. However, you have the right to your opinion.
If you are considering a trade-in, one good strategy is to negotiate the best price on the new S you want and then AFTER an agreed price is reached, reveal that you have a trade-in. Never ever walk into a dealership with it written on your face that you have a trade-in! You always have less leverage if they know this.
CF.. The dealers make the real money on the used car lot and in the service bays. There businessmen. They want to make as much profit as possible. Your the one they will make that profit from. There not dumb. They sell cars everyday and we come in once very few years to buy. They know exactly how to extract the most money possible out of you. It's there job. As to the spreads, there not all that large, but they endevor very hard each day to hit those home runs, and they do. It's a business, not a charity, and they have become very rich at it.
Linear Mode
