Trade-in prices

I have bought and sold cars for a long time but still find myself amazed at what a dealer will offer you on a trade-in. I understand that they are in there for profit and I'm comfortable with everyone making money. However, I find on Porsche, a car that supposedly holds its value, the price offered for trade in is ridiculous. I find that my 997S has, according to the dealers, lost 50% of the value in less than 4 years. Now I understand that they have to put money into a car sometimes, but not every time. This car was serviced by them, is in excellent shape, just completed the 30K service and has almost new tires on it. What possible cost do they incur to put this car on their lot? I see that they sell similarly equipped cars in the mid-60K range so where does the 15K between that price and the price offered go? I'm not upset and do not really care because there is no issue with staying in the present car - just wanted to explore PDK. I would be interested, however, in hearing from a sponsor on what it takes for the dealer to sell the car as a CPO.

It mostly goes to their pockets, but they do need to pay to have it checked out and then pay 3800 for the CPO, assuming they do that. The rest is negotiating room, especially if you're buying another car. Don't let them rip you off. Get other quotes, and find comparable cars for sale on autotrader.

What I find amazing is that in most cases Carmax offers more money for a Porsche than does a Porsche dealer. In both cases they are offering the selller the wholesale value for the car, so it must come down to the profit margins that Porsche dealers need to make.

Looking at 2009's on Autotrader, there isn't a single car (include non-S models) under 61k in the Premium listings, and only 2 S's under 61k overall (though 1 of them is 69888). The average for an S seems to be more like the high 60's, so on a trade, I definitely wouldn't take anything less than the high 50's, and if I were buying a new car, I would insist on 60k or over.

I am an independent dealer in New York, in my store it's pretty simple. We can't give you any more for your trade than what we can buy them for at an auction. Dumping it auction is generally the last resort, hoping to sell it on the lot. However there are expenses incurred in that process. servicing the car, transportation to the auction, their fees. prepping it before it sells. Then there are double those expenses should it not sell that day. They are all costs no one ever sees, but they do add up. As a favor, I'd look up what a fair dollar amount should be if you give me all the details. year make model, guessing a 911 S, what are the miles and year? any added goodies are irrelevant.

Just sell it privately. Letting a dealer take the equity out of your vehicle makes no sense.

If you have money to burn and just want to get your new car as quickly as possible, then it makes sense. Sure, from a purely dollars and cents view, ignoring the utility of money completely, it doesn't make sense. But not everyone operates that way. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For an 09 911S, I don't think you should take anything less $56,000 - $57,000. What were they offering you for the car?

I wish that were true when dealer went to sell the cars, but it isn't. Also, selling at auction and buying at auction are two different things. If you're trading your car in to a place that needs to sell it at auction, then you're going to get screwed either way.

Any dealer will liquidate cars at an auction as units age. It's just the way the business goes. From a a Rolls Royce dealer to an independent. If I hypothetically wanted to trade my car in at the local porsche dealer, there is no way they would keep it in inventory for too long. They sell mostly new Porsches, or 3 - 4 year old cars only. A fabspeed exhaust, forgestar wheels, evoms flow air filter, wouldn't make the trade in value any more than stock would. We all know you'll never get your money back with after market mods.

I checked prices between 3 dealers. I was able to get about the same purchase price on my new car from all 3, but there was almost $10k difference in trade value between them. Shop around and get your best deal.

I was referring to options, not mods. Mods decrease the value for sure. Some dealers won't even take the car if it has too many.

51K. I was thinking about 62K on private sale and maybe 57K from dealer.

Some dealers factor in the sales tax benefit. So in my overtaxed state of IL, a $51k trade-in will save you ~$5k in sales tax. Meaning that you'll have to sell the car for better than $57k to get ahead. Factor in the value of not having to polish and show the car to tirekickers, no-shows, non-credit worthy, etc. and it starts to look like a fair deal. Post it in the PCA classifieds. If it's in great shape and well cared for, you'll come out ahead.

No tax benefit in Virginia, you pay tax on the full price of the purchase, no subtraction for trade. I do prefer a trade for all the reasons you mention, however, I told the SA that he would have to come up to 57K. I don't think that's very likely here.

I had a 2007 Targa 4S with about 60,000 miles on it. I had a transferable warranty on it for another 3 years or 32,000 more miles. It was worth about $2,400 to be if I traded my car. I went to 3 places: CarMax: $40,000, huge local internet dealer: $39,500 and Porsche dealer where I get my car serviced: $38,000. I ended up listing it on Craigslist for $48,999. Sold it via CL for $47,000 in about a 3 weeks. I would definitely sell it privately! Plus, I work in the car business and was about to take it to Carmax until that buyer came along. I ended up getting tax savings on my 997TT also.