Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

andyj · 01-21-2014, 01:01 PM

Have you received a firm trade in value from a dealer who has a new car that you would buy? My experience and research tells me that KBB values aren't worth much when you are at the dealer in negotiation, so planning your strategy based on KBB is likely to disappoint and the trade value you quoted for your car may be optimistic. Dealers often counter the value you want for your trade by quoting what they can buy a car like yours for at the Manheim Auction. It's always less than what you think your car is worth, and the dealer knows that the public has no access to Manheim used car auction prices, and you have no way to verify what they say.

If you have the time and are willing to put in the effort, you almost always do better selling your current car yourself. Look on Autotrader and you'll get a better idea of the value of your car, keeping in mind that most cars are overpriced. When you watch a specific make and model on Autotrader for a long period of time, as I've been doing regarding the Z, you see the same cars advertised for months, some 6 months or more, some have price reductions, others don't. When you see several cars advertised with price reductions over time, that tells you that their prices are too high and/or demand isn't strong. Most buyers of the this car know what they're looking for and are particular. There's a dealer that has a '12, advertised as a Touring and it is not a Touring it's a base,, it has 10-15K miles or so, it's priced at $32k, and they'll never sell it to someone who knows anything about the market for Zs. It's been on Autotrader for months.

I looked at an 09 Touring with 20,000 miles last summer, they were asking $27k, the dealer still has the car last time I checked a month ago.

Do a search on Autotrader for 09 Zs with similar mileage, trans, coupe or conv, whichever yours is, and see what the prices are. Also search 500 miles from your location, since most buyers of the car are enthusiasts and are willing to travel for the right car. I'd even search nationwide just to see what's out there.

There probably is some seasonality to the demand and price of the Z, but an enthusiast is looking for the "right" car and if he can get a better deal in the off season, he'll probably be a buyer. Just my personal opinion, but I don't think the value of your car will go up when it has more miles on it and it's a few months older, just because the season is better for sports cars. The right guy will buy your car whenever.

My advice would be to put it up for sale yourself, on Autotrader or similar, within the next month or so. If you really want to sell it, your price will have to be competitive with what is out there. By competitive I mean one of the best prices for the mileage your car has. I really think you'll do better selling it yourself than trading it. Just my own particular preference, but I'd rather buy a used sports car from the owner, not a dealer.

Hope all goes well with your sale.

01-21-2014, 01:01 PM	#4 (permalink)
andyj Base Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: MO Posts: 30 Drives: no z yet Rep Power: 11	Have you received a firm trade in value from a dealer who has a new car that you would buy? My experience and research tells me that KBB values aren't worth much when you are at the dealer in negotiation, so planning your strategy based on KBB is likely to disappoint and the trade value you quoted for your car may be optimistic. Dealers often counter the value you want for your trade by quoting what they can buy a car like yours for at the Manheim Auction. It's always less than what you think your car is worth, and the dealer knows that the public has no access to Manheim used car auction prices, and you have no way to verify what they say. If you have the time and are willing to put in the effort, you almost always do better selling your current car yourself. Look on Autotrader and you'll get a better idea of the value of your car, keeping in mind that most cars are overpriced. When you watch a specific make and model on Autotrader for a long period of time, as I've been doing regarding the Z, you see the same cars advertised for months, some 6 months or more, some have price reductions, others don't. When you see several cars advertised with price reductions over time, that tells you that their prices are too high and/or demand isn't strong. Most buyers of the this car know what they're looking for and are particular. There's a dealer that has a '12, advertised as a Touring and it is not a Touring it's a base,, it has 10-15K miles or so, it's priced at $32k, and they'll never sell it to someone who knows anything about the market for Zs. It's been on Autotrader for months. I looked at an 09 Touring with 20,000 miles last summer, they were asking $27k, the dealer still has the car last time I checked a month ago. Do a search on Autotrader for 09 Zs with similar mileage, trans, coupe or conv, whichever yours is, and see what the prices are. Also search 500 miles from your location, since most buyers of the car are enthusiasts and are willing to travel for the right car. I'd even search nationwide just to see what's out there. There probably is some seasonality to the demand and price of the Z, but an enthusiast is looking for the "right" car and if he can get a better deal in the off season, he'll probably be a buyer. Just my personal opinion, but I don't think the value of your car will go up when it has more miles on it and it's a few months older, just because the season is better for sports cars. The right guy will buy your car whenever. My advice would be to put it up for sale yourself, on Autotrader or similar, within the next month or so. If you really want to sell it, your price will have to be competitive with what is out there. By competitive I mean one of the best prices for the mileage your car has. I really think you'll do better selling it yourself than trading it. Just my own particular preference, but I'd rather buy a used sports car from the owner, not a dealer. Hope all goes well with your sale.