I finally learned my lesson on my last car which I bought new. Never again. I bought a 2 year old Z and have been much happier with it than my previous brand new BMW which had nothing but problems. Plus, I lost a fortune when I sold it.

2012 Sport, Touring, Nav with 11,000 miles. KBB says $29,000 trade in. Comparing some models at CarMax, I'd say that estimate is high. $26,000 is more likely.

Very sad compared to my 2010 Raptor where I paid $46,000 in 2010 and sold it for $42,000 3 months ago.

Interestingly enough, a look on Cars.com within 50 miles of Orlando, FL shows only 1 370Z that is under $20k, a 10' base/sport with nearly 87k miles on it ($18k, for those who are interested). Every other Z on there is $24k or higher. So maybe the market hasn't hit down here yet. That, or some dealerships and a couple of private sellers are going to be sitting on their cars for awhile.

I may trade or sell my car off eventually, haven't really thought about it. Of course, by the time I do, it's value is going to be low enough to where the best I could hope for would be a basic down-payment, I'm sure.

Oh well, all is fair in love and war.

I've been following Z trends last few months as I plan to come over to this side of the valley.

I've noticed prices sharply dropping, and I'm going to continue to wait until they bottom out, which I'll make a purchase at that time.. I mean.. it's crazy.

For example: Here in the Bay Area, there's a 2013 Touring w/Sports Pkg in A/T for 29k with 7k miles... That's pretty much highway robbery.

:stirthepot:

It's not just Z's, it's all cars. Thank you Mr Obama.

shopping for a vacation?

The only values that hold any real water are the ones listed in the Black Book -- those are auction prices, and they are referenced by government agencies in determining the "real" value of things.

Likewise on insurance claims.

Also, note that trade-in values are always awful relative to private party sales. Unless there's no way to do the deal without a trade-in (e.g., not enough cash on hand for a down payment), you are always better off selling the car privately.

:confused:


:wtf2:

Also, another thing to consider heavily is mileage. Some banks won't even finance a vehicle thats more than 5 years old or has more than 60k on it. So your Z may be worth considerably less once you pass 60k because it'll be harder for the dealer to find a buyer.

For example: I recently bought a Titan for work using Capital One Blank Check and it specifically states that it cannot have more than 60k miles, must be 2007 or newer, and must be from a major dealer such as Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Nissan, Toyota, etc.... not the Uncle Sam's Buy Here Pay Here.

Soooo, luckily my Z has been a garage queen for the past year or so since I've gotten the truck and I'm at 52,7XX miles. Obviously, depreciation is inevitable but staying bellow 60k should help.

KBB fair trade-in is generally (more or less) black book price. It is pulled from the same data set.

Part of their bad rep comes from user error--everyone puts their car as "excellent," when it generally is not, nevermind it's hard to find someone that cares.




The other consideration with trade-in is tax benefits (which vary by state). I saved $4k or so trading my mustang instead of selling--otherwise I'd have never traded it in.

4k tax saving?? What kind of state tax you all have? Or must be 40- 50k mustang as a trade!!

county alone is 8.5% here

Weell, the 370 is getting long in the tooth you know?. Time for the Z35 to come out. I know know, that's another thread. I already looked through them. The next Z is still tentative. It may not even be. So hey, the Z34 will be a classic like the FD3S or MKIV...

Which BMW model did you have? What were the main problems you had with it? I've always held the impression that German cars aren't reliable. Some people disagree with me though. I can't say since I've never owned one.

You drink wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much tea.