Dealer called, said my 2010 Barcelona Red IV is in....

Of course they will! Just sell it yourself and keep the money.

 

You can always sell it privately. It might be MSRP no matter what in your area in the next few months anyway so better to get it while you can and sell it later.

 

IV's are not easy to come by. If you don't want to wait longer, this is the Prius of your dreams, and the price of the trade is a deal breaker, I'd plan to sell the VW privately.

 

Out with the old, in with the new, and be happy.

 

Congratulations! I wish you the best with your trade. However, I do doubt that you will get anything other than "GOOD" condition prices for your used vehicle. And, I'm curious, do you have any french fries, hamburger remnants, and other items in your used vehicle? There are some people that take living in their car very seriously.

 

"One of my fog lights is broken, the homelink door opener is messed up. Assorted minor dings, scratches, needs a good cleaning I suppose, I was going to do that before the car came in this weekend...."

And with "only" 80,000 miles on it you wanted MORE for a trade?

Give me a break. 80K is a LOT of miles on a vehicle...you admitted your vehicle needs service, a fog light is broken, the homelink is messed up, you have assorted dings, scratches and needs to be cleaned badly.

Aside from that, it's also a piece of crap VW.

I would say you were lucky to get what they offered for your badly used vehicle.

 

If you want to get more for your used car, you're best off selling privately. That's been my experience both times I've had dealers look at my used vehicle.

 

For what you said is wrong, I would take the money and run. "Good" condition is at most what your car is. I have a 2003 Honda Pilot, no scratches, dings, dents and the interior is like new. (Never in any accident) Everything works and maintenance has been strictly adhered to. Car washed a least weekly and waxed 3 times a year. Showroom new? Hardly, high mileage. I would rate mine 'good'.
Also just recieved a 2010 Prius and that also will be protected and babied for it's useful life, which is 15 years for all my cars. (Traded in a 1995 Honda Accord with 260,000 miles on it, and no, it didn't qualify for Cash 4 Clunkers)

 

That might be the trade in price you will get from any dealer.
As you describe the car, it is in FAIR condition, not
EXCELLENT or GOOD, if you read the criteria. I just sold
a 2000 GLX 4Motion with 56,000 miles and it truly was a
cream puff with all the options/leather/moonroof etc.
I got $8,000 privately, while the dealers offered me $4300.
Sell it privately. And people will look up the CARFAX and reduce the price. Enjoy your new car!!
The Passat had A LOT of problems, didn't it? I hope to have NO REPAIRS
with my new Prius!

 

You don't need luck. Sorry but that is one of the most mercurial, hard to evaluate descriptions of a trade in I've ever read. You've been given an "excellent condition" blue book quote from another dealer? That's worthless. First of all, another dealer is going to just try to entice you to deal with them, they can quote you the moon, it means nothing until you actually drive on the lot and actually deal.

It only has 81,000 miles GOOD....Was in a fairly major accident BAD.....a few minor things wrong...BAD....in "pretty" good shape otherwise....GOOD?

Sometimes, (albeit rarely) I feel sorry for dealers. You are going to accuse them of trying to lowball you? All they have done is get you the car you wanted, sooner than expected. If the trade in could of been a deal breaker that should of been handled before and/or during the ordering process. I'm sure they would of been happy to evaluate your trade BEFORE obtaining and ordering your car. No big harm, Prius are selling well, the dealer shouldn't have a problem finding a buyer willing to purchase.

If you don't want to try and sell it private party (would you disclose the accident?) I'd be cautious about walking away from a deal because another dealer you "talked" to thought they could give you more. The other dealer is going to have to evaluate the trade in whole as well, once the history is revealed and the current state is evaluated the amount it becomes worth to the new dealer could suddenly plummet.

 

Very, very rarely do people get an "excellent" value on their trade-in. And in the rare instance they do, the dealership will usually make it up on the price of the new car. (but with the Prius at MSRP, price negotiation on the new car is irrelevant)

If this Prius is exactly what you want (colors and options-wise) I would not walk away from it. The Prius will still be hard to come by and be at MSRP for quite awhile. And when the time comes when you can talk them down in price, you'll be doing good if you save $500. Is waiting several months worth that to you? This is something that only you can answer.

As for the value of your used car, you want to look at it as a completely independent transaction that is not really tied to the purchase of the new car. This will help you remain non-emotional about the whole ordeal and enable you to make better financial decisions during the negotiating process.

There are only two things that you need to figure out: the fair-market trade-in value and the fair-market private sell value. By fair-market, I mean what it can really sell for. Online evaluations with places like Kelly Blue Book can be a good starting point, but there are several factors that come in to play. How clean is your car? How many things are really wrong with it? How is your car viewed in the area/region in which you live? (a Subaru Outback will be more sought after in Colorado vs. Florida) Are you willing to sit on the car for a better price or do you need to sale it quickly? There are more factors than this, but it's these things that will determine what your car is really worth.

Unless your used car is highly sought-after, or the dealer has to get rid of the new car on the lot, you will always get a few thousand less on your trade-in. Can't blame the dealer there. They are a business that must make money to survive and by trading the vehicle in, you are basically paying them to do the reconditioning, marketing, and selling of your car. Consider it a commission for taking the responsibility off your hands. But if you are willing to do the work yourself (and have a little bit of patience), then by all means, sell it yourself and put another $2,000-$3,000 in your pocket.

Getting back on topic, you need to establish what the fair-market value is for a private sale. Take your time and be realistic in your assessment! (this is where most people go wrong and overestimate the value of the car) Take $2,000-$3,000 off this price and accept that this is what you will need to get for the trade-in value during the negotiation process. If you can't get that price, don't even worry about it. Simply buy the Prius and return home with two cars. The key is not getting emotional about it. You already know that you want the Prius! So get excited about bringing that baby home!

Once you've returned home and have become acquainted with your new car, get down to the business of selling your used car. Once this is done, take the money and immediately apply it to the principle of the car loan (assuming you have one) and then celebrate the fact that you just paid yourself a couple thousand dollars for selling your car.

Determine what your car is really worth.
Determine if paying the dealer to sell it is worth your time.
Set your bottom line price.
Never allow yourself to get emotional.
Stick to your plan during negotiations.

Best of luck and do let us know how it turns out!
Bryan

 

The VW has a horrible reputation as a used car. If anyone else offers you $4200 for it, grab the money and run. Don't compare your car to those for sale locally; those are asking prices, not actual sale numbers, and yours has been in a major accident.

BTW, those cars with 80,000 miles on them are wholesaling at dealer auctions for $3700. Their sales manager may be a 'Joe Izusu' type, but their offer was fair.

 

I know what you mean on choosing between the III and the IV. There's a huge price difference between the two and I personally think it's too much. If you want factory leather, then the IV is probably right for you. If leather doesn't matter, or if you want to shop aftermarket, then I think the III is a better choice. Of course, this is just my personal opinion. Others may feel differently.

What bugs me the most is the fact that you have to get leather in the IV and the V. I find the cloth material to be much better and it's a shame that it has been relegated to the lower-end packages.

Bryan