Hello,

My time with a scion has been short lived, but its time to move on. I ordered my tC in early October and received it on October 29, 2011. I've only put 1200 miles on it since I've been out of the country or in school most of the time.

I now want to trade it in for something bigger. I'm a big fan of the 2012 Toyota Highlander which will most likely be my choice. How much should I be expecting to get for the trade in, considering the car is so new.

Also, if anyone needs parts I'm willing to entertain offers for the accessories. (floor mats, all weather mats, wheel locks, fog lights (too much of a pain to take off)).

Thoughts?

 

13k

 

Down for fog lights

 

Do you have any parts you are going to strip and sell?

 

Trade it into the same place you got the tc and I'm sure you can get at least $16000. Any thing less I'd tell them to go f themselves. And unless you added anything aftermarket I wouldn't part nothin out.

 

go to kbb.com and check it should be close to what you get

 

kbb has the 2011 tC at 17,585, so I'm expecting to get approximately that. I will go to the same place I got the tC, and try to negotiate with them. Either give me more for my trade in, or make my new car cheaper.

And the only aftermarket part I have is the ptuning relocation kit. I had the car ordered with no holes, so the dealer is probably going to drill them when I trade it in. I still have to figure out all the logistics to the trade in, but I'll let you guys know.

 

KBB, is just a guide, thier numbers are based on a national average, which is useless to you, your market might over or under evaluate a car... Dealerships base trade in evaluations off of recent local auctions as well as what the market value is, which is based on what other used tC's are going for... Are you an auto or manual tranny?
I can look up the auctions in your area and give you a much better idea than anything KBB can come up with...

 

I'd really appreciate if you can look it up for me. I have a manual transmission. My area is Washington, DC/ Baltimore

 

You can realistically look to get between $16,500 and $17,000 for it.

 

Thanks for the info. Also do you know if the College Grad discount can be applied to the new car.

 

Not on the Highlanders. Only on Corolla, Matrix, Rav4, Camry, Yaris, and the Tacoma.

 

My adivse is sell it yourself asking $19500 OBO. Even if the best offer is $18000, thats is still a minimum of $1000 more than you are going to get on trade in. The car is new enough that people can finance it through their personal banks with a good interest rate.

 

^^^ he wont get the tax break on the new car if he doesnt trade in, so the $1000 difference is a wash... So even though on the front of the deal it wont look good to him, the overall would make more sense to trade in, as he wont have to deal with all of the wait time to sell it, wait time for the title to come in, not to mention what person will want to fork over $18,000 and not be able to get the title immediately, register immediately, insure immediately... personally I would never buy a used car from a person, just cause I wouldnt be able to drive the car for like 2 weeks after paying for it...

 

Wait time to sell it I can agree with because I looked on Autotrader, with a DC zip code, and there is 50 used tCs in his area. Yicks! Even still, all the white cars are 10k+ miles, and white is probably the most desired color. His car is already beating everyone else in miles alone though. I do not know if there is tax savings in his state. If so, then trading it in as a bad idea. Now, if someone is buying it, but financing through a bank, they are never going to see the title anyway, his current bank will mail it straight to the new bank, plus the funds go through quick. My bank overnighted my check so i could leave with the car immediatly. Just do a bill of sale, and the new buyer could take the car very fast. And register/insure it quick. I would personally make them wait for the check to clear though...
Now, if his state does do tax savings, and we use $27000 for the new highlander (rough base V6) and 16500 as trade in, any $$ over $17531.25 that he sells the tC for is pure profit over tax saving. Judging by other cars for sale, I think he could easily get $19000.

 

Selling it privately over 18,000 would be a profit. But I doubt that will happen... why buy privately for the same money a dealership would charge? Especially when a dealer will go through the car and ensure its perfect to be sold...

 

There are none at dealers near him with his low miles and at $18000, or even 19000. The typical buyer is going to go for the lower starting price/miles. And only if the dealer is going to make it certified used will they go through it and make absolutly sure its good to sell. I worked at dealers too, and if it isent making ahorrible noise, they usually just give it a half a$$ed detail and slap a "as is no warranty," sticker on it. Granted most people don't know that, but let's be honested, who is the typical buyer of a used tC, either gen? A parent looking to get one cheap for their 16-20yr old, usually daughter. So, it is probably safe to assume they would know a thing or two and could tell themselfs if something is wrong. Not to mention, his car has a ton of factory warranty left.

If he puts it on Autotrader right now for $19000, he will have the lowest price to mile ratio within 200 miles.

 

Well, sure, I follow your training of thought. But your wrong about the mileage part of your statement. People look for the cheapest price and justify the higher mileage, as oppose to looking for the lower mileage and justifying the higher price...
And to further that statement, if a parent is looking to buy for a child, then they really dont care about mileage.

Lastly, most people dont realize that the warranty stays with the car and not the original owner... especially if they are buying privately... so that holds less value to them...

 

I think, and have seen that most people buying it for a kid want it to last through college with minimal problems and would pay an extra $1000 to insure that. At 19000, he is only higher priced than about 15 of 50 cars, and only by about $1000 and not to mention pretty much all the other cars under his price have 13k+, which still isent much, but still. You have to admit, all factors considered, and in the eyes of the right buyer, someone will jump all over his car at that price. Will it be sold tomorrow? No, but even if it takes 4 weeks, he is going to make close to $2000 more by selling it himself. I know I would wait a month for 2grand!!!

 

I'll be going to carmax to get it appraised sometime this week, just so I can get an idea of what I'll get for the car. I will probably trade in the car to the same dealer (same salesman) I bought it from in hopes of an incentive. I'm looking to get a 2012 Highlander SE with GPS and leather seats. (a mistake I made with the scion)

My uncle owns a used car dealership in the area, and there aren't that many people that would drop 18,000 on a used car, let alone a scion. At 18k, I would be breaking even but I highly doubt that someone would pay that much. I don't have lienholder, so I have the title on hand. Get the word out if theres any takers.

If the dealer can offer me a good combo of trade in/ new car price, I'll take it...maybe the car show this weekend will change my mind.