natedog321

I did a few searches and came up with a few answers, but I was wondering what other members' experiences were regarding trade ins that were not Acuras... I'm trading in a 2002 VW Passat Wagon with about 99,500 miles on it in a few weeks for an 06 TSX that I special ordered. My dealer has already mentioned that he wants to use KBB at "fair" (which I think is quite unfair). However I've noticed that there's quite a difference between KBB, Edmunds and say NADA. Trade in values range anywhere from $5980-$10,825. That's a hell of a spectrum.

How would one come to a "fair" consensus with such seemingly arbitrary numbers?

Beoshingus

Basically they give you the minimum that they can get away with. A dealer might use KBB on one tradein because they get it cheapest and then Nada on the next one for the same reason. When it all comes down to it, they will give you the bare minimum for your trade that they can get away with. Always remember that the price for your trade is negotiable. I've walked out of dealerships before because they undercut me on a trade, and they almost invariably chase me and offer me more, acting as though I'm causing them physical pain and kicking their children. But you're basically selling your car to them. Make sure it is clean, no trash, etc. Then decide how much you want to get for it and work from there.

amadeus303

iTrader: (2)

Dealer's will always try to maximize their profit, and it's always easier to undercut the trade-in, rather than keep the higher markup on the new car because then... they can always say they're giving you a great deal on the new car. To try to answer your original question Nate, from my understanding, the majority of dealerships actually use something called "black book" pricing (unless another pricing is lower), which is the price that a particular car will fetch at a wholesaler auction. Black book prices are some of the lowest on the market. That doesn't necessarily mean that they'll sell your car to a wholesaler, but they could make the case that they *could*. Ultimately, as Beo said... your trade is negotiable. It's "worth" whatever they're willing to pay for it in order to get your business...