Curious to those of you who have gotten a deal on a L on the X-Plan and did a trade-in. My question is if the dealer tried to rape you or actually gave you a decent price. Wondering if I should try to sell on my own first.

 

I got 22,750 for my '99 and got the X-Plan as well on my 2001.

BfB

 

They offered me 22,500 for my 00 with 27k on her so i would say they tried to pimp me,tried being the key word.Now if they had offered 23,700 or more i would have considered an 01.

 

The two dealers that I tried to deal with in Dallas tried to screw me. I was offered 20,800 and 21,000 for my 00 Lightning with 8200 miles. They tried to rape me with a phone pole. If anything it was good for some laughs!

Sam

 

Thanks for the info guys. Actually, I was wondering what kind of prices did anyone get on other cars. I have a 97 pathfinder that I'd like to trade-in in a few months once I get the down payment. I'd assume that since you were getting a hell of a deal through the x-plan that they'd stiff you on the trade-in really bad. From the looks of it, they are...

 

Hopefully LTNBOLT will see this so he can tell you what they offered him. It was really bad and I know his '00 is low mileage and cherry. The dealers act like they're the one getting raped because of the X plan and try to act like you're doing so well because of it and offer nothing for your trade. Nothing could be further from the truth. They're thieves.

Jim

 

I think we need to cut the dealers a little slack here...they are buying your car to resell it, not to drive it. they can go get off-lease cars at auction fairly cheap. It is always the case that you can sell for more on your own...any time you think you are getting a fair trade-in....you are just overpayiong for the new one. It is simple retail vs wholesale. The x-plan takes all the fluff out and you shouldn't expect any more than wholesale.

sell it on your own.

 

I'll cut them a little slack when they quit trying to fund their whole retirement on one deal. Try $18,000 for a 00 with 16,000 miles in mint condition. They said since I was get the X plan it was like getting $22,000 for my truck. I kindly declined and went to another dealer to get my intercooler replaced. It's one of the best decisions I ever made.

P.S. They had 6 01's on the lot.

 

My point is that a truck is only "worth" what somebody is willing and able to pay you for it. If it is worth $22,000 or whatever.... then wouldn't a $20 want ad...or a free ad here get it sold and then you can go do the x=plan deal hassle-free?

What I have found in the few times that i have had trade-ins is that the offer varies widely by dealer...you need to find the dealer who wants your truck on their own used lot....if they don't they are going to auction it and probably only get $18,000.

 

Is that suppose to be logical? This is a specialty vehicle not your dad's ford pickup that has a 100,000 brothers on the streets in the same color scheme. If I got $22,000 and they sold it for $23,500 or $24,000 then they made all the money they need to off of that sale. There are people that can't qualify for a $28,000+ L but can get in a $23,000 used one. I used the X plan figure but few know about it so they would pay $30,000 or better for a new one. Dealers will take you for everything they can get if you let them. I know what my L is worth in my area and I know what other people have gotten for trade in. Kelley Blue Book is high, NADA is about right and Edmunds is low. Dealer have to make money but it doesn't have to be a killing.

P.S. Dealer retail even with Edmunds is $24,001. $22,000 is not too much to ask. Marvin got that much for his 99.

 

No offense to anyone in here But I HATE CAR DEALERS!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I went to buy my Lightning the started ripping me off so bad with their fees and charges that I took the add that they "accidentally priced wrong" (forgot to put the fine print and accidentally wrote a price 3,000 less than they were really asking for it) I got so pissed off, I rolled up the magizine that the add was in and slapped it upside the dealers head (manager). Then I began screaming and swearing at him Like the good old days of a USMC Drill instructor. Funny enough, he called the next day with an apology and gave me the price that was advertized. You can't blame me. the dealer told me over the phone that even if the add was wrong (because it was such a good deal) that they woud honor the price. They knew that I had to drive 250 miles to get there and thought they would have me trapped. RIPPOFF!!!!!!!!!!

 

I used $22,000, because it was the number you mentioned....you can replace it with whatever you think the value is. Let me try one last time here. You can't expect every dealer to buy whatever you have at market value.....they might already have a full used lot or be short on cash, or know that they can get an identical one at auction for $2000 less (because some guy accross the state was so hot to get an '01 that he took the 18,000 for his '00 that his dealer offered and his dealer has 2 already so his dealer is shipping it out to auction).

The other problem they have is that while used cars are lower priced, they also usually require shorter term and higher interest rate loans...so payments aren't always that much lower. Older used cars, yes...people that can't qualify for a new car can afford them....but a one year-old used car is the flat spot in the market.....too used to get top dollar...too new to appeal to a wide range of buyer.

I am not trying to start a war here, but we don't walk into JCPenny and demand that they buy our old Levis before we buy new ones.

Lots of car dealers happen to sell used cars and therefore offer decent trade-ins...but they aren't legally or even morally required to do so. Most do because they make money at it. The fact is a lot of people take way too little for their trade....you and I are smart enough to know what we have is worth and don't just take it. As long as there are those "jump at any offer" guys out there LTNBOLT, you and I are going to get the offer that they are going to jump at...its just smart business on the dealers part. To them a mint L that they paid top dollar for and will be lucky to make $500 on doesn't look near as sweet on the used lot as some blue-green crown vic that they got for a song and stand to make $3000 easy on. I don't get pissed at the dealer though....I go and sell it on my own.

Again though...why not sell it on your own?

 

Apparently you've never heard of sales tax. That adds up to quite a bit on $22,000. Around here you only pay tax on the difference between the trade in and new vehicle price. If I wanted to deal with running adds, test drives, screening joy riders and hoping the deal goes through then I would open up a used car lot. The amount of savings to me is not worth the hassle.
If I had to sell because of financial reasons then Yes I would sell it myself.

I have sold several used motorcycles with some deals going smoothly and other being a pain in the a$$.

BTW, there were no used L's on there lot and it's quite apparent why. Deals fell through 3 times last year on a new 00 red L because the people didn't qualify. Used specialty vehicles usually don't sit around the lot very long unless they have an outrageous price on them. When we traded our 87 GN it was sold to a mechanic in the back before we left the lot. We also got a decent tradin price too.

I don't mine losing a little for the convenience but I'm not going to get taken to the cleaners.

 

With all that I think you are clearly making the right decision...I don't think the sales tax works the same way around here...was talked about a while back but I think you still pay the full amount...been 12 years since I traded anything in.

All I guess I was getting at was the dealers viewpoint because it always pays to know where the other guys head is when you are going to battle....and to him how much tax you pay doesn't matter...his perspective is still just like I described. A bummer yes, but he is only running a business.

Good luck whatever you end up doing.