[330iTiAg]

I am in the process of trading in my 2006 330i on an order for a 2008 335i coupe. My trade is well optioned:

• Titanium Silver Metallic
• Black Dakota leather with aluminum trim
• Active Steering
• Cold Weather Package
• Navigation System
• Premium Package
• Sports Package
• OEM Alarm
• 3M front-end film
• Accessories: OEM strut bar, blackline taillights, OEM pearlescent short shift knob and brake handle
• Less than 12K miles (it has not even had the first factory oil change yet)
• VERY clean inside and out

Now, I don't expect to get much out of the accessories, but the dealership is telling me my car is only worth $27,500 as a trade-in. This seems ridiculously low to me (especially since BMW likes to brag about how well their cars hold their value). This is like a 40% drop in value in a year's time. I've had Audi's that have held their value better.

Of course, the dealership is telling me the old "this is what we could buy your car for at an auction". This seems like a sack of horse sh!t. Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds, NADA, and The Black Book all say the trade-in value should be between $32K and $36K (which still seems low for a car that stickered at $46K). Does anyone know exactly how these auction estimates work? I don't think their "auctioneer" ever saw my vehicle, and I doubt he took into consideration the list of options, low mileage, etc. He had to be doing a sight-unseen, apples to oranges comparison at best.

What have been other people's trade-in values lately?

[88stlgrym3]

do what i did, sell it to Carmax. they give you exact kelly blue book trade-in value(well, in my case at least). whereas the dealer usually knock off 3k or so from that.

[shadytt]

Originally Posted by 330iTiAg

the dealership is telling me my car is only worth $27,500 as a trade-in.

all i have to say is F THAT!

[330iTiAg]

Originally Posted by 88stlgrym3

do what i did, sell it to Carmax. they give you exact kelly blue book trade-in value(well, in my case at least). whereas the dealer usually knock off 3k or so from that.

I did check CarMax. Those bastards told me they were beating the Kelly Blue Book value by offering to buy my car for $30,500 (which they said was wholesale price). When I got home and checked KBB, however, I realized that their dumbass appraiser had selected "Good" condition as their comparison value. If he had selected "Excellent", like he should have (because they were all gushing over the awesome condition of the vehicle), the price goes up by about $2,500. :mad:

I am wondering if I ought to go back to CarMax and ask them about their obvious mistake. At the time, I questioned their number and they seemed pretty firm about it. They maintained their hard ass attitude even after I had pointed out that they had a 2006 325i on their lot with hardly any options and double the mileage as my car for $29,895 (Retail price, I realize. But still...).

What I don't understand is this auction price crap that the dealer is trying to pull. I know all dealerships seem to want to ignore the validity of Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds, and NADA. They say it is "just a guide". They used to say that the unpublished "Black Book" is where they got their values. Now it seems you can get that information online too. I did, and the Black Book value falls right in line with all the other online guides. My BMW dealership even has the nerve to trash Kelly Blue Book, but yet they have a link to it on their web site and say "use this to pre-appraise your car's worth". Then when you get that number, they want dismiss it. What a load of BS!!!

I did a search on AutoTrader.com for used E90's in the area. They seem to be priced between $33K and $38K as certified pre-owned vehicles at various BMW dealerships, which would seem to imply about $5K to 11K in profit compared to this price they are offering me. I think what I am going to try is to point out that 1) this auction price is obviously bogus and 2) there is no way they should be making that kind of profit on my trade-in. I think $500 to $1000 is more reasonable. Opinions?

Keep those trade-in values coming... I want all the ammo I can get.

[Rewted]

Just keep in mind the amount you'll be saving on taxes if you do a trade in. eg: If you save $3000 in taxes, it's like getting $30k for the car. Though I agree you could get more in from the dealer or private sale.