Whats' a good time to trade in?

RoPOP

New member
Thinking about trading in my 03 SE...

Wait for a good deal on a 05 SE V8?
or
Wait for the new 06 SE to come out?


Any suggestions?
 
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definitly wait till sept. or oct. gas prices usually go down as refineries swith to the winter cheaper blend. the switch usually happens after labor day. People will start buying suv's again when gas prices go down a little(i hope they go down). My friend at carmax also told me that, the best time to trade in a suv is late fall/winter. this is when 4x4 demand goes up. People want suv's in the winter and cars in the summer.
 
Last edited:
loudog2 said:
definitly wait till sept. or oct. gas prices usually go down as refineries swith to the winter cheaper blend. the switch usually happens after labor day. People will start buying suv's again when gas prices go down a little(i hope they go down). My friend at carmax also told me that, the best time to trade in a suv is late fall/winter. this is when 4x4 demand goes up. People want suv's in the winter and cars in the summer.

That would only make sense if your just selling your old one and not buying new.
 
I always sell my cars to carmax now. They are always kelly blue book trade in price for good condition plus $500-1000 more than it says. I gave up on trade-ins at the stealership. last time I tried trading in my 02 maxima. they offered me $14,500. Went to carmax and got $17,500. The time befor that was almost a $3000 difference too. So if you wanted, you could sell your 4runner to carmax in Dec.(when demand is greater for suv's) and buy a year end model for cheaper.
 
loudog2 said:
I always sell my cars to carmax now. They are always kelly blue book trade in price for good condition plus $500-1000 more than it says. I gave up on trade-ins at the stealership. last time I tried trading in my 02 maxima. they offered me $14,500. Went to carmax and got $17,500. The time befor that was almost a $3000 difference too. So if you wanted, you could sell your 4runner to carmax in Dec.(when demand is greater for suv's) and buy a year end model for cheaper.

That sounds like a good idea. I have sold my trucks to used car lots twice after the dealer gave me a low ball number. In my mind it is better than selling privately because these used car places have the cash and can make a decision on the spot. No taking ads out or showing to mulitiple people who will then have to think about it and or arrange financing. Your idea sound one step better in that these big chain used car places will probably give me a little more than an independant would.
 
Thanks to all for the good advice....didn't know that carmax had the blue book values for trade ins! I'll wait around for a while and see the prices for the 06 when the come out...hopefully by then the prices for gas will go down....I heard that they will have 18's for the new SE....is this true??
why do that i will sell ya 05 v8 with 7k miles for 32. its got new bfg tires husky liners and k&n filter and brand new.
Where are you selling from??

Definitely wait another 8 to 10 weeks and find a great deal on a 2006 model.
Jeff- Any news on prices for the 06 SE yet?

Thanks again to ALL!
 
Toyota Prices


Try the Kelley Blue Book or the Edmunds web site for some approximate trade-in values and new car prices. CarMax won't give trade-in values, but they do post their selling prices for all vehicles in their inventory.

http://www.kbb.com

http://www.edmunds.com

http://www.carmax.com

Of course, CarMax is not doing business in every market....but they do fairly well here in VA and MD. I have sold two cars to them (and bought one from them ten years ago) and would have sold them a third if - the Nissan stealership had not matched their written offer. CarMax gives you a written offer that is valid for one week and they'll buy your car whether or not you wish to purchase one from them. (How many traditional dealers will consider doing that?)

CarMax owns a Toyota dealership in Laurel, Maryland (near DC & Baltimore) where they deal in both new and used vehicles. They give you the "up front" price on their web page and include all rebates, incentives and other charges without the typical stealership nonsense that has permeated the industry.

I would have gotten my '05 4Runner from them, but they don't yet (at least for now) do leasing. For an outright purchase, no Richmond dealer came within $1500 of CarMax's "bottom line" price.

 
They have a new car lot just north of me in wisconsin. I didn't notice their prices till after I already bought mine. I think I would of saved a couple hundred if I went to carmax. They will also ship any car you buy to you, for a small price. So you could buy a new or used car from anywhere and they will send it to the closest carmax to you.. I wonder if they will ever start selling lexus or infiniti's, since they sell new toyota's and nissan's. It would be nice to get those for almost invoice.
 

Because of franchising requirements and territorial agreements, CarMax can only 'transfer' used cars and not new ones. If you were able to work something out with a local stealership (which I doubt very much), the best you could do might be a dealer exchange (DX).

Saturn and CarMax, with their "no haggle" pricing, have started something which I believe will change the auto industry. Buying a car will eventually be like buying an appliance........as consumers become better armed with information about pricing, fair market value, etc., etc. Until the industry gets rid of the slimeball ways of doing business, however, I suppose there will always be the cutthroats.
:arrow:

Anyway, most dealerships make more profit on used cars, parts & service, financing and "extra goodies" (such as pinstriping, rustproofing, extended warranties, paint protection packages, etc., etc) than they do on new cars. Just walk into your local car store and try to pay cash or have your own financing & not have a trade-in. They hate that!
 
You may save on sales tax, by trading where you purchase. In Florida, you pay tax on the difference line. Your state may or may not give you credit for taxes previously paid. If the dealer shows you $20,000 for trade allowance & your new one is $30,000 you only pay taxes on $10,000!
 
realyfishy said:
You may save on sales tax, by trading where you purchase. In Florida, you pay tax on the difference line. Your state may or may not give you credit for taxes previously paid. If the dealer shows you $20,000 for trade allowance & your new one is $30,000 you only pay taxes on $10,000!

I agree, I traded in my 04 4Runner on an 05 and had to take into account the sales tax difference between trading in and buying the 05 outright and then selling the 04 on my own. If I elected to sell my trade-in privately I would have to get $2000 more privately just to break even. The dealer really makes a killing with this, probably made more reselling my trade than on the new 05 SE V8 I bought.
 

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