Dianne's PHEV update thread for MY clients!

Hi Dianne, Margie and I really enjoyed the meet yesterday, she is really looking forward to the HyCam. Oscar gets a ATTABOY for all his running around for us yesterday!!!
See ya soon, Pat & Margie!

 

Dianne -

Thanks to you, Nathan, and Luis in your finance office for making the delivery of my PIP #1495 yesterday a smooth, pleasurable experience! It's heartening to know there are some good, honest people out there who take pride in what they do!

 

Dianne and Nathan,

Thank you for the smooth purchase on Sunday. My only disappointment was the trade-in offer. If I had known there would be no interest in a car over 10 years old, we wouldn't have bothered driving my Camry all that way. My husband would have preferred to be in his RAV for the drive home.

On a more positive note, I wanted to thank you again for the $500 off MSRP, the $100 gas card, and all the great communication leading up to the purchase. Given what others have reported about dealers here in San Diego, I am really glad I went with you, and not a local dealer. Thank you again for everything!

 

was it lower than kbb?

 

People tend to overestimate the value of their used car by quite a bit. I've never had a "good" trade-in deal at a dealership, and try to avoid it whenever I can. Selling your own car can be a pain, however, so sometimes taking a hit at the dealer is worth leaving the hassle to them.

But low trade-in value is really not their fault when you think about it. In order for them to get a good price for a car, they have to do whatever is necessary to make that car in like new condition again. The older the car, the more expensive that is going to be, even with their connections. A 10 year old Camry, with one owner, in mint condition, might net them a resale in the $7-$8,000 range, but it'd probably end up selling around $6-7,000. "One owner" does sell older cars, but it still depends on the overall condition of the car.

Considering they might need to put a thousand or more into the car, and still make any money on the deal, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that there wasn't much interest in a trade in.
Many times, cars older than 10 years - especially if they're not really low mileage or headed for classic land - are little more than candidates for auto auction, and then you're looking at an even lower payout.

Depending on where you are with taxes, it might be a worthwhile donation.

 

i was told they all go to auction except the creampuffs.

 

Well, Kelly Blue Book trade-in value is $4257-$4607, NADA is $4000-4625, and VMR wholesale is $4600. The vehicle is in very good condition. It has no exterior or interior damage, other than the bumpers being somewhat faded and scuffed, and it runs great. I have had numerous people tell me that the car is in great shape. The mileage on the car is low (under 100k) for the age of the car. Carson's offer was $2000.

 

Large dealerships don't bother trying to sell cars that have such low value. They wholesale auction them to smaller used car dealerships, when then sell them. That means the large dealer trade-in value for such cars has to be below wholesale value. If you want a more reasonable price, then try CarMax or maybe a small used car dealer. If you want to maximize the money you get for the car, private party sale is the way to go.

 

I picked up #329 on Saturday and want to thank Dianne and Nathan for making the entire transaction such a great experience. Dianne even helped me determine a good "friends and family" price for my 2008 Prius that I sold to a friend instead of trading in.

 

No visuals please.

:wacko:

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Priuskaren,
Do you have one of those "sell it yourself" places in the SD area, such as a Park 'n Ride Lot leased out for that purpose on weekends? There is one out where I live, and I have had good luck selling two cars rather quickly there. I priced my Prius slightly higher than the private party listing price at Edmunds.com, becuse I knew whatever I put it at, someone would want to haggle. It was also priced the same as a base model of the same year at my local Toyota dealer, but that carhad no extras and mine was a full-boat package 8 (2006) meaning leather, nav, etc. I had several offers and two buyers competing with each other after the second weekend, which drove the price up a bit. You don't have to be at the lot, but it helps if you are close so you can meet potential buyers there. Mine had 58K miles, otherwise in very good condition. I priced it at 15K and sold in about ten days for $13,600 cash. The sales lot charges were about $100 for the two weekends. At my place, once you have paid for four weekends, at diminishing prices each time, you can then park it free until it is sold. They will keep the keys and show the car if you like, but not allow anyone to test drive it.
If you don't have such a facility, I would suggest Craig's List or the big newspaper there in SD. Then, when someone comes to look (and I used this trick at the lot also) put their name on a list you have with you, and have a few other names and $$ amounts on the list as well. This also works if they call you. "Oh, your John? And you're offering how much? Oh, well, I will put it down, but I already have an offer higher than that. I can call you if it isn't sold." Let them think there is a lot of interest, even if they are the only one to contact you. Good luck!

 

I haven't had time to take exterior photos yet. That comes in about 2 weeks.

It's been crazy here too... though quite fun.
:boom:

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You 2 definately earned a nice time off. Enjoy your Easter - and rest up ... you deserve it!

 

Happy Easter, Dianne! See you soon. Maybe next weekend if PORT works fast.