I plan to get an xA when I can sell my car. The thing is, I want a lot of the options. Can they order my xA with the options on the condition that they have to wait until I sell my car first? I want to do that because I can't have a gap in time where I don't have a car. My step-dad said they can do that (he used to be a car salesman) but I would still like to hear what you guys (and girls!) have to say. Thanks.

My dealer was friendly enough to hand over my NEW car on condition of when I SOLD the old car. I know, it can be tough selling a car yourself, especially when you have a car on order and don't know exactly when it will get it.

But it can also work out in your favor, as it did for me. I SOLD my car WHILE I waited for my xB to arrive, and gave the people who bought my old car an approximate time of when my new car would be in, and that would be the point at which they got it. So perhaps you can try the same - put your car up for sale, and sell only on the condition that you transfer ownership when your new car arrives, some people will be willing to wait, some may not. I was lucky to get a very nice person who was willing to wait for my old car.

Wow, it really worked out for you. Hopefully my situation will end up the same.

I will be in the same situation when I’m ready to order my xA. I will need the cash from selling my old car before I can drive off in the new one, yet I will also need a car to drive at all times. So here’s what I’m thinking about doing:

My old car is worth between $7,500 and $8,000. I plan to ask $8,000. If someone wants it immediately, I’ll sell it for $8,000 and then rent a cheap car for a couple of weeks. But if someone is willing to wait, I’ll let the car go for $7,500.

So you offer a discount if the buyer is willing to wait. Either way, this could cost you a few hundred bucks, but it might be worth it just to minimize some of the uncertainty. Of course, you can always ask for top dollar AND ask the buyer to wait. Then, if the buyer balks, you can use the discount as your last bargaining chip. But if the buyer agrees to wait AND pay your asking price, then you win on both counts.

You could also price your car higher than you really want (like $8,500, in my case) and then knock off the extra and call it a “discount.” This might work with a less savvy buyer, but I don’t plan to try it.

Just an idea ...