Any tips on getting better trade in price (Seattle)?

[AdrianG]

I'm upgrading to a P100D and currently have a $55k trade in offer from Tesla for my old car:

Blue 2013 P85 w/ carbon fiber décor + spoiler; glass roof; black performance interior; tech package; rear seats; active suspension; paint armor and twin chargers and only 16,900 miles. At the time I think it was almost every upgrade except the stock wheels + upgraded audio.

KBB and other sites have the trade in value anywhere from ~62k to ~69k. But I've seen certified pre owned selling for in that range (especially Tesla) to not much higher so that seems a bit high.

Going with Tesla also gets me the trade in sales tax credit which be worth around ~$5500.

 

[akula]

I'm upgrading to a P100D and currently have a $55k trade in offer from Tesla for my old car:

Blue 2013 P85 w/ carbon fiber décor + spoiler; glass roof; black performance interior; tech package; rear seats; active suspension; paint armor and twin chargers and only 16,900 miles. At the time I think it was almost every upgrade except the stock wheels + upgraded audio.

KBB and other sites have the trade in value anywhere from ~62k to ~69k. But I've seen certified pre owned selling for in that range (especially Tesla) to not much higher so that seems a bit high.

Going with Tesla also gets me the trade in sales tax credit which be worth around ~$5500.

So what you're saying is their offer is worth about 60.5k to you which is basically market for the car if you're selling it yourself. Not sure what the debate is about...

 

[JPUConn]

They will be upfront with you and tell you the price they'll sell it for if you ask. This is typically $5k over trade to account for reconditioning and warranty. If the car is super clean and doesn't need anything they may tack on $500 or $1k if you can assure them that no reconditioning is needed.

You have low miles but you are about to time out on warranty so selling private may have its challenges and net you close to the same as Tesla trade in factoring in the tax savings and license plate transfer.

Maybe try putting it on eBay with a buy it now or best offer around $64,995 and see if anything happens - you pay no fees unless it sells then its $150 to eBay + the process of having to deal with a private sale. I did this with my prior car and Tesla trade factoring tax savings netted within $1k of private sale and was much less risk and hassle.

 

[wbhokie]

Trade in is always lower than a personal sale price. (They have to re-sell it after all) It is also a lot easier too. No advertising, no waiting. So it depends if you have the time to wait. I did a trade in when I picked up my S last week. Tesla's offer was low, but I also went to Carmax. Carmax had a really good offer. Tesla matched my offer from Carmax. So that is something you could try.

 

[willcasp]

Get the Black Book price for your car. This is a bit of a challenge, but this is what the dealers are using. It uses current auction prices. It is common for dealers to buy cars based on the price in Black Book, and then advertise them at "less than Kelly Blue Book", and the customer thinks they are getting a deal. Black book is usually significantly lower than KBB or NADA.

Edmunds TMV may also give you a better picture than KBB.

 

[AdrianG]

The Tesla loyalty advisor suggested CarMax to potentially get a higher offer but unfortunately the nearest is some 4 hours away. I've read a number of posts now where Tesla matched the CarMax offer.

I went to a different local dealer (specializing in 'exotic' cars). He showed me the current annheim auction listings and there was a similar spec / mileage car going for ~61.5k. They're interested but won't actually give me a bid until I'm ready to do the trade in.

 

[FullMetalTisla]

Don't you pay sales tax when you sell it yourself, so trade-in will save you around 9% of the sale price. I chose to sell my car myself, I got $4K more selling it myself than taking the trade-in offer.