EDIT: Looked, Got Insulted by Dealer, Really Pissed.

[freneticburn]

sounds typical of stealerships. no reason to get angry about it. Just don't deal with a dealership unless you are buying a brand new car. With things like Autotrader.com, vehix.com, carsoup.com, etc. I really see no good reason to buy used cars at a stealership. Buy from a private seller, it's a win/win situation because they get more for their car than the stealership would pay them and you get a car cheaper than what you would pay a stealership. Cut the greedy middle man out. Just make sure you know what to look for or have a mechanic friend come with to check it out.

Also put your Tahoe up on one of those websites I mentioned earlier, I think they are all free or claim a small %.

[willwren]

Guys, it's alot more far-reaching. I have a friend with an 07 Silverado extended cab 4x4.

Dealer told him last week his trade-in value would be about 5k.

Yes, that's $5000 trade-in for a 2007 Silverado.

It's the times, and it's like that all over. Trucks and SUV's are rotting on the lots. They don't want more because they can't sell what they have.

[tripscarcare95]

So with Willrens post ( 5k for a 2007 silverado). Im thinking oobeast you may be getting one heck of a deal for $1000 for a 11 year old suv? Sounds crappy but if you compare a 2007 price 1997 you got a deal. Just sell it privately.

[willwren]

Keep in mind, that's in the NW where 4x4's typically hold their value longer and go for higher prices due to the geography.

[myfirstbonnie]

I work with a guy who wanted to trade in a 2002 Tahoe for a 2007 malibu and the dealer actually refused to take it as a trade. It has actually happened several times around here and they have even been talking about it on the radio a lot.

[Paco.McGraw]

I can't say much about the whole trade in value deal because I have never traded in a car to get a "new" one. What I do know about is shady dealerships and crappy sales people. About two years ago when my mom was looking to get a new car she went to a local Ford stealership and found a really nice looking 2003 Kia Optima. Paint was perfect, low miles, new tires, immaculate interior, and it drove alright. When I checked under the hood, it was spotless; the bay was shiny but not oily. I checked the oil and there was some peanut butter crap in the cap which is somewhat normal here as we have 100% humidity most of the time but otherwise ok. The transmission fluid though was a totaly different story. It was burnt and there were specks of metal on the dipstick which is obviously a bad thing. When I pointed this out and said we couldn't get the car unless the transmission was taken to a certified mechanic of our choosing, the sales man closed the hood, took the keys, and said well if we dont want it they will try again tomorrow with someone else and walked off.

In my opinion that is the kind of service you complain about. But when there are several people involved in a deal and they don't have their story right, you should tell them the original guy is giving you a better deal or he was giving you more of a discount or whatever. Storming out on a possibly good deal because you don't get exactly what you want or what you were expecting seems kind of dumb to me.

Getting $500 for anything more than 10 years old is actually the quite normal even though it may be in immaculate condition. My boss wanted to trade in the company truck (2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 LS) for a newer one and the dealer told him they would give him $1200 because there were some scratches in the bedliner and on the paint, the interior needed a good cleaning as well as the two rear tires needing replacement. Yeah, seems pretty crappy to me but that's the way things are right now. The economy is down from what it was a couple of years ago and everyone is hurting. It sucks but we just have to wait it out until things get better.

My advice is to sell your car yourself and use that money as a down payment on whatever it is you really want whether it be that SSEi or a G8 or whatever floats your boat. I bet you if you listed your truck for $3500 and worked your way down, you could easily get half the money you would need to get that SSEi, that along with some constructive debating over price (**NOTE: no yelling or cussing**), you could get a hell of a deal and the car you want.

Sam

[00Beast]

To clarify, what I'm pissed about is that they went back on their original deal. If they offered us $500 on my Tahoe, we wouldn't have been insulted, but we wouldn't have traded it in, either. We are pissed that they went back on their deal, after it had been established.

[shortstuf212559]

i work at a car dealership, i am a salesmen. and if you expect to walk out with a great deal on the "first pencil" (which means the first price and offer brought to you by the sales manager/person) your out of your mind. lmao. its all a bargaining game. if you get mad and yell your not going to get ANYWHERE with them. the dealerships really dont care about one single sale nor do they care about who you tell or what that may come of it. my dealership usually makes more on selling one preowned car than they do selling 4 brand new cars. my sales manager will not even offer more than $500 on any suv no matter the year or mileage unless its a jeep. as i work at a Chrysler-jeep store. instead of getting angry and yellling you needed to have been like thats not what he originally said, i want to pay ___. and say around 1000 less than what his orignal price was. evenutally your will come to a middle ground and walk out with a fair price without your trade taken into the deal. sell your car outside of the dealership dont trade it in.

[grandprix104]

SUV trade prices suck right now. I thought I could trade mine in for around blue book ~$5500 but was only offered $2000 for it. They printed me out the local auction history for Jeeps and the best auction price was $3000. I was hoping to get $2000 towards a newer Jeep. It should have only cost me $165 a month with my financing.

I am totally bummed out :(

[RJGill84]

I agree with everyone else. The Blue Book Trade-In value doesn't mean squat to them, there is no law or rule that says a dealership has to offer that price. If they don't feel they can sell the car relatively quickly (which it is VERY unlikely that many people are looking for an old SUV currently) then they have to base their offer to you on what they would be able to get for it at auction. Why would they pay you $2,700 for a car that they can't sell and will only get $500-1000 out of at auction? Makes NO sense for them whatsoever.

I was offered $1,500 for my 2000 Buick Century Limited with 86k on it by a dealership. It was certainly worth more than that, but I didn't get mad - I understood that more than just the Blue Book value is considered when a dealership makes a purchase. I ended up selling it for a little over $4,000 private party on CraigsList.

[willwren]

To clarify, what I'm pissed about is that they went back on their original deal. If they offered us $500 on my Tahoe, we wouldn't have been insulted, but we wouldn't have traded it in, either. We are pissed that they went back on their deal, after it had been established.

But you stated you were dealing with a different salesperson.

[lglarum]

To clarify, what I'm pissed about is that they went back on their original deal. If they offered us $500 on my Tahoe, we wouldn't have been insulted, but we wouldn't have traded it in, either. We are pissed that they went back on their deal, after it had been established.

But you stated you were dealing with a different salesperson.

Yeah, did salesman #2 even know about the original deal? He wouldn't be able to go back on a deal that he was never involved with.

[JimmyFloyd]

It's too bad you aren't closer. I'm in the market for a 97+ tahoe/suburban in the $1000-2000 range...

[00Beast]

Well, they talked in the back, so we assumed that they discussed the deal. It was a bad scenario, overall, and we are not getting the car, period, which sucks, because it was a decent deal, and a nice car, and it deserved someone who gave a dam about the S2 L67 and the whole car, not some yahoo who takes it to the dealer for a friggen oil change.

[nicklikesmilk]

that sucks...i hate dealerships...period.

my stepdad tried to trade in his 2002 mustang convertible about a year ago; perfect shape, about 80k on original powertrain...they offered him 3k, and he paid 9k for it when he bought it.

so to echo what like 20 other ppl said..you're better off selling it privately, hopefully someone will want it.

[00Beast]

Yeah, lowered the price on the tahoe on Craigslist and carsoup to $3500, maybe that will bring some more interest.

[myfirstbonnie]

The problem you are going to have is there are so many for sale right now, nobody is wanting them and now OPEC is cutting production to keep oil above $100 a barrel.

It is like the housing market right now. There are so many for sale that noone wants to buy them because they know people will have to lower their prices.

I have my 95 suburban that I plan on driving til the wheels fall off because I know I will never be able to sell it. Yeah, I have too many cars until the kids start driving, but without a payment and full coverage, I can pay the extra for gas. Not that I want to, but I am actually spending less this way.

Back to the old saying: it is cheaper to maintain an older vehicle than to pay the insurance and payment on a new one.

[00Beast]

Well, that car is dead to me, and I'm looking at a different one. I know, new subject, but still.