I believe the trick is to negotiate the best deal on a new car without even talking about a trade-in. Once you get the price in writing and have the salesman hooked, negotiate the trade-in just like the new car. If you try to do it all at once, the salesman is going to get you all excited about the good deal on the new, shiney car and stick it to you on the old tradein.

 

IMO there are many dealers that wont budge on a trade in value, i know from experience...I walked into a ford dealer and i was going to purchase a 05 mustang gt CASH and i had an 04 Mustang V6...the car was going to be a present for my GF, now i had showed them three written offers on my trade in that range from 14500 to 16500...i was asking for 17000 and it would have been a deal...all they wanted to give me was 14000, and four hours going back and forth...well i got to the point that i spoke to the general sales managers and told him to go F*** himself that he had lost a for sure deal...he would not go over the 14000 for the trade in...that didnt **** me off, is thewhole four hours wasted with that a**h***...

 

Thanks for the neet link.

 

anyone else try to trade in thier car?

 

problem w/ rwd G35's is that no one up in new york really wants them unless it's a 6mt. i never throw anyone's amount into their payment b/c i don't work like that --- some places might but i just can't do business that way

 

Use www.galves.com for trade-in values. Galves is what most dealers use. Kelly Blue Book is worthless to dealers. If a dealer won't give you at least galves trade-in then go somewhere else.

 

Unfortunately, they aren't "free", and I don't want to pay $9 just to satisfy my curiosity about what they would say my 3 year old, just paid off, 2004 is worth

 

da mayor: what do you mean by " never throw anyone's amount into their payment"

 

some places will throw any money you owe into your new payment. i disclose that if i do that for a client