its a 2000 vw jetta, im looking for a good cheap place that can do the entire car inside and out

recommendations?

4/22/2008 7:53:53 PM

trading in a dirty car will not get you any less money.

4/22/2008 7:59:30 PM

Back when I worked at Leith Honda, I preferred clean cars. It made it much easier to find the scratches, dings, & other flaws. You just get tired with dirty cars. Something you think is a scratch rubs off and dings are hidden better.

and like optimus said, I never noticed a difference in the price for clean or dirty. Only get it detailed if the car is truly perfect or you have a bunch dirt/stains inside.

4/22/2008 8:02:56 PM

yeah, don't bother with that shit if you're just gonna trade it in

4/22/2008 8:21:00 PM

What are you trading it in on? I can get you just about any car you want and I take trade in too.

4/22/2008 8:21:58 PM

ok thanks, wont get it cleaned

next question, other than KBB what can i print out and arm myself with when negotiating a trade in price?

of course ill let them value it first and then show them my evidence and hopefully the middle will make everyone happy

4/22/2008 8:25:27 PM

you're getting ass raped on the trade in price anyways

sure as fuck dont do them the favor of cleaning it up too--they wont give you anything else for it

but thats already been said

[Edited on April 22, 2008 at 8:33 PM. Reason : nada.com ]

4/22/2008 8:33:37 PM

KBB isn't going to do shit either. As soon as you pull it out, they'll go back in the office and print another one out that will show a value less than yours. It isn't going to scare them or anything and most dealers will print it out for you. If you are going to print it out, make sure you get both Fair & Good values. Do not bother with Excellent because your car is not in excellent condition (read the fine print). All that matters is what you're willing to take. If you pull out KBB, it means nothing if you're willing to take less. Actually, it means nothing period. Just research what you want for the car (make sure it's LESS than they sell for on the lot of private party or your shit out of luck) and keep that figure in mind. All that matters is what you're willing to pay and what you're willing to accept for your trade. A piece of paper isn't going to convince anyone that your car is worth more than what they're willing to pay.

*edit* Get the True Market Value from Edmunds on the car you're looking at as well. It's a good guide for what to expect price-wise.

Also, take your car by Carmax. They'll typically give you a shitty value for buying your car but there were several occasions where they offered my customers a good bit more than we were able to. For example, I had a customer with a 99 Vette that was trading it in on an Accord. They offered $10k more than us. We just had no market for cars like that whereas they can ship the car to one of their other dealerships where it would sell.

[Edited on April 22, 2008 at 8:44 PM. Reason : .]

4/22/2008 8:40:13 PM

^ car is being traded in AT carmax, do they just have some standard amount for your car before you get there like with their sales

[Edited on April 22, 2008 at 8:46 PM. Reason : f]

4/22/2008 8:45:02 PM

KBB is 3195 in Fair
Edmunds is 2915 in Fair

so i should stick to my guns with something like 2750 at the very minimum? the problem is im only in town on every 3rd weekend so selling the car myself is just gonna be a major pain

4/22/2008 8:54:41 PM

the worse thing that they can do is tell you no

shoot high and see what happens

4/22/2008 9:02:55 PM

thanks guys! A++ will wolfweb again!

4/22/2008 9:04:04 PM

I've always thought carmax was reasonable on trade in values. I could be wrong though but I know the few friends I've seen trade in something to them have always been offered very reasonable amounts

4/22/2008 9:05:07 PM

Carmax doesn't negotiate period. Whether you're buying, selling, or trading. The price they give you is the only price you're going to get.

And yes, they are usually fair on trades/buys. That said, they are HUGE so if they are flooded on a particular car (very possible) then they will offer you shit.

What KBB values are those btw? Actually, what's the car that you're trading & it's features? What's your zip?

4/22/2008 9:41:22 PM

What model is it? I need a 1.8t Jetta.

4/22/2008 9:44:59 PM

yeah, if you have the time you're obviously better off selling it yourself. for that low valued of a car though it's hard to say whether it's worth the time/hassle

4/22/2008 9:48:18 PM

its just a 4d GL sedan, auto, 92k, fair condition, mp3 cd

4/22/2008 9:59:02 PM

any idea what you're buying?

4/22/2008 10:07:48 PM

2005 buick lacrosse cx

4/22/2008 10:10:00 PM

^ so your going from a gay car... to an even gayer car? lol.. just messing

4/22/2008 10:17:08 PM

no im going from a girls car to an old mans car

lol, ive never been mistaken for someone with good taste

i used to DREAM of having a ford taurus when i was little, lol

4/22/2008 10:18:27 PM

^ yea get a taurus SHO. Can I ask y u decided on a lacrosse? I mean there are so many other cars..

4/22/2008 10:23:04 PM

im happy with my decision. i started with something like 46 different makes and models in my search and slowly knocked it down.

others i looked at were crown vics, impalas, the g6....

and unfortunately now i find tauruses hideous, if money wasnt a concern i would buy a 1997 landcruiser and fix it up

[Edited on April 22, 2008 at 10:27 PM. Reason : f]

4/22/2008 10:25:35 PM

c'mon, if you're getting a lacrosse, at least get the one with the V8. They shoehorned the 5.3 into the top-of-the-line models, similar to what they did for the grand prix...

4/22/2008 11:08:21 PM

ive had a civic and a jetta all my life...

im about to get my first car with power windows, power seats, cruise control, and a v6 with the combined HP of those previously mentioned

just let me enjoy my upgrade to my old mans car please

4/22/2008 11:11:06 PM

I went to sell CarMax my first Porsche, a 944... They offered me $450 because it was modified. I sold the car for $6k a few weeks later. Still remember that day, good times.
Ahmet

4/22/2008 11:33:10 PM

is it an mk2 or mk3 jetta

4/23/2008 2:30:05 AM

mk4

4/23/2008 8:13:52 AM

Carmax is a business, let me explain it to you. I love the idea, its set up to make money hand over fist and it works for the company and the quality of the cars they sell on the lot is top notch.

Nothing is negotiable at Carmax. Not what they offer you for your car, not the prices on the cars they sell.

They will buy ANY car. Doesnt matter if you buy from them.

Carmax does not sell cars on their lot with more than 100K on them OR cars that have previous collision damage, would cost too much money to recondition, etc.

They will appraise your car, which is an evaluation of its condition. If your car dosent meet the criteria of a car they would recon and sell on their lot, or even if it does, they will look carefully for major problems, prior paint work, or panels that currently need paint as well and subtract these factors from what they consider to be the current wholesale value of the vehicle. Contrary to popular belief, and even what they may tell you, this is not determined by KBB or NADA, or any black book. They look at auction market reports. So if your car is selling at wholesale auctions for $3500 thats the price they put on it. Is this the offer they make you? NO. They take $1000 off.

You are welcome.

4/23/2008 8:31:41 AM

^Hmm. So it's set up such that it is impossible for you to get a "fair" price for your trade-in, and yet they still might offer you more money than the other dealerships in the area? Wow. That is actually quite smart.

This is why, assuming you are willing to deal with a bit of hassle (and have a secondary mode of transportation available), you should always sell your car private-party.

4/23/2008 10:34:22 AM

Quote :

"ive had a civic and a jetta all my life... im about to get my first car with power windows, power seats, cruise control, and a v6 with the combined HP of those previously mentioned just let me enjoy my upgrade to my old mans car please"

Don't sweat it. I have owned several "old man" cars, and those not in the know have applied the same label to my current car (Mercury Marauder). My usual response is along the lines of asking them how many "old man" cars have over 300 HP.

4/23/2008 10:38:49 AM

duh

[Edited on April 23, 2008 at 10:46 AM. Reason : i needs to reads]

4/23/2008 10:45:47 AM

Quote :

"Hmm. So it's set up such that it is impossible for you to get a "fair" price for your trade-in, and yet they still might offer you more money than the other dealerships in the area? Wow. That is actually quite smart. "

You are slightly more likely to get a "fair" offer from them if you have a car with less than 100k that is more desireable than average (say honda accord ex or a toyota prerunner) and it needs very little reconditioning. Certian cars, like some audis, almost all Land Rovers, Cadillacs with Northstar engines, etc, they avoid due to high reconditioning costs.


Some dealers will offer you whatever you want for your trade, within reason. When another dealer makes you an offer on a trade in, their true value on the car usually isnt that far off from carmax. Meaning, around a thousand less than what it would go for at auction. If they are offering you a lot more than carmax, then you are paying more somewhere. Places to make up the profit they lose by offering you more for your trade are often extended warrantys, Protection Packages, and even through kickbacks from finance companies. I am no financial planner or anything, but here is my attempt to explain why a dealer might offer you more for your trade than you would expect...
If they give you a $1000 more for your trade, your financed amount goes down by $1000. OK, great! Except now your monthly payment will be smaller with the rate they wanted to finance you at originally- so they cook the rate such that the payment goes back to where you wanted, and in the long run you end up paying more interest on a loan amount that is only $1000 less than otherwise. But you dont care, you are so happy that you rush home and post on the wolfweb you got a great offer on your trade in!

Hope that makes sense.

4/23/2008 6:28:47 PM

^exactly. it's just a numbers game. they'll try to confuse you with combining everything together, subtracting your trade from the purchase price, throwing in "free" stuff, etc. all the better salesmen know exactly how to present the numbers to make it seem like you're getting a deal.

unless you're really good with doing all the math in your head quickly, keep your trade in and the sales price seperate. negotiate them one at the time. then, you negotiate any extras and your financing/lease terms. too many people get caught up in only worrying about the bottom line, or their monthly payment, etc. make sure you see the big picture, and have at least a loose plan of your future plans with the vehicle. selling it in two years, driving it until the wheels fall off, whatever.

like ^ said, if you get anywhere close to book or market value for your trade in they're making it up somewhere.

4/23/2008 10:19:02 PM

Quote :

"Carmax does not sell cars on their lot with more than 100K on them"

i've seen cars at carmax with more than 100k miles on them

there was an rx330 i with 130k the last time i was there

4/23/2008 11:55:00 PM

Quote :

"KBB is 3195 in Fair Edmunds is 2915 in Fair"

Who wants to take guesses at what they offer him at Carmax.

I'm guessing $1433.

4/24/2008 12:49:45 AM

^^it's very rare. they will keep something with over 100k under certain situations, but generally not. or, if they're promoting their little "bargain row" or whatever they do sometimes to get more people in.

personally, i think we're going to see places like carmax pull a walmart. take over the market, and start cutting out all the little independent used car dealers and auctions. they're going to start offering two levels of cars, possibly three and do everything in house. they're losing too much business to new car dealers that are heavily promoting their own pre owned/certified programs now. a lot of smaller independent dealers are cashing in on these "middle of the road" cars that might be just under carmax's or new dealer's requirements as well.

^hmmm, i'll go $2k. it could auction for $2.5-3k probably and then sell for around $4k. profits all around.

[Edited on April 24, 2008 at 1:21 AM. Reason : .]

4/24/2008 1:18:02 AM

there's a guy who works out of the old carwash behind the BP at the corner of New Bern Ave. and Corporation Pkwy. he does excellent work and his price is well below the going rate.

4/24/2008 9:02:49 AM