Help trading in 01 C4 I think dealer is low balling me!

Hi, I went to a local dealer to inquire about a trading my 01 C4 for a C4S. He gave me a rough quote of 61K. My car has the following options: 01 C4 7300 miles Speed yellow 18" Turbo mags Litronic headlights Crests on wheels and seats Leather interior including roof liner (Black) Side Skirts Sports tail pipes Car is in excellent condition I am really disappointed sticker is 81K. Am I getting taken for a ride? or is this the true value. KBB prices it at 67-72 Thanx <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" />

IMHO a dealer is always going to offer you 5-8K less than it's worth... that's his profit. Heck, list it on eBay with a reserve price that meets your expectations. You'll know in a few days if your price meets the market.

Unfortunately, the Porsche used car market is pretty soft. At Edmunds, you're car actually comes out at 63K wholesale (what the dealer pays you for trade in) and 70K retail (what you pay the dealer to buy). Private sale or e-bay may be your best bet. There are tax advantges to a trade in, though.

I don't know what part of N.J. you are from, but in northern N.J.,there are C4's out there with low mileage. The overall Porsche market is very soft. My MY99 996 is mint with 13500 miles-it's only worth 46K on a trade. Unfortunately, it sounds like they told you the truth.If you don't mind the hassle of private sales,that's what you'll have to do. PS check out this months issue of Excellence magazine. There is a market report on the 996 series.

How about this approach. Keep your car, get 19" rims, fatter tires and trow on some stage 2 or 3 upgrades that will give you everything a C4S has (you already have AWD) except the wide fender look and a slightly different instrument cluster. Keep it for a couple of years until the glut of C4S's goes on the market.

[quote]Originally posted by Don Watson: <strong>Keep it for a couple of years until the glut of C4S's goes on the market. </strong><hr></blockquote> I have more bad news. There is NO C4S glut. It truly is limited. There were less C4S's shipped to the US than Turbos's.

I feel your pain - I also have a low milage '99 C4 Coupe in excellent condition - and loaded with options. When the C4S came out, I thought about the trade, but couldn't get a dealer to give me more than $50k for my car - which stickered from mid $80s in '99! I decided it wasn't worth the trade, considering the killing on resale and payment of luxury taxes (and list or near list) on the C4s. I do love my car though - but I'm dissappointed in the rapid depreciation. My hope (expectation) is that the worst is over and that the car will hold its value (or depreciate considerably less rapidly) in future years - it is an awesome driving machine.

keep in mind. There are still quite a few dealers left that can't move their remaining new 01's. My dealer offered me 12k off sticker on a new 01 Cab..

I just witnessed a trade value (my buddies car)....'00 C4 coupe, ocean blue, 5K miles, aerokit, chrome 18" sport classics, 5K in high end stereo......the drumroll please.....$60K.....this car had a sticker of $93+K just 2 years ago. So I think you could get 1-2K more from your dealer, but the market is pretty soft and the stockpiles of '99-01 cars are plentiful. So if someone wants a great deal on a '00 C4 coupe ..... Mike

Thank you for everyone's response. I am disappointed in the trade-in value but I guess I am not alone. It is an awesome car! Time to do some upgrades Thank you again

Paulting, I was suggesting that in a couple of years people will be selling their low mileage C4S's 'cause something else will be available, that's all. The whole deal is the net diff anyway and that might be a better deal. I, for one am pessimistic about this whole economy as it relates to high end autos amd I believe it's going to last for years. I've decided in my own mind to hang on to my 02Cab "faux turbo look" for a long time. Hey, with 320 hp and a nice look what should stay current the only incentive to change is wider fenders, more hp and the like. At some point in time you have to stop chasing hp, bigger fenders and wider tires, etc. just like the folks with older 911s...Just my .02 <img src="graemlins/a_smil17.gif" border="0" alt="[blabla]" /> <img src="graemlins/a_smil17.gif" border="0" alt="[blabla]" />