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Trade-in experience (AutoNation, CarMax, Private Party, etc.)

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CarMax and damage

Got a near KBB appraisal from CarMax for my G37...they said don't pair the damage. I talked to the appraiser and he said the $600 I would spend on repairing dents and paint would only cost the a couple hundred bucks so they said it wouldn't change the appraisal at all if I fixed it. They were 10% better than AutoNation for my appraisal as well...

It depends on the approach of the company you're trying trade with. What would cost you a few hundred bucks to fix would cost a typical garage much less, but they could use it as an excuse to ding you on the valuation. We also have a lease car due back in a couple of months (my wife's Tiguan) which has road rash on 2 wheels, and a couple of door dings. I plan to get those fixed, otherwise I know I'll get screwed when I hand it back. I'd get your items fixed (aside from the windshield), I would have thought <$250 would cover it all, I'm no expert though.

My A5 was a 2009 3.2 S-line with $29k, but cosmetically and mechanically it really was as good as it gets for a car that old. Giving it back to the dealer saved me a bunch of hassle, and a bit of tax, since we technically traded it in for a Q5 for my wife (also got the loyalty discount). I assume they'll price it at around $34k, but will be interested to see.
 
I have a 2010 G37 coupe with 30k miles on it, mint condition. So far I have an Autonation quote of $22,850, Carmax quote of $23,000 and an appointment with Infiniti Scottsdale on Saturday. Bluebook trade in value for good condition is $26,000 and for private party it is around 28k. Brutal.
 
I just had a very positive experience at CarMax.

KBB listed my car (2010 Audi A5 2.0T) at somewhere between $26.5K and $27.5K (Good to Very Good condition), and after getting two dealers to lowball me at $24K I went to CarMax and they immediately quoted me $27K - right in the middle of the KBB range - so I accepted. Very smooth and quick transaction. I'd definitely recommend them (but do shop around since others had less luck with them).
 
Trade-In

I just completed my delivery questionnaire. One of the questions regarded whether or not I would be trading in a vehicle. There was indication that an appraisal would be made with a 2 week expiration date. I never thought trade-ins would be possible for a Model S. I was planning a private sale of my Corvette convertible. One advantage for trade-ins is the sales tax on the Model S would be reduced depending on the trade-in price.

Has anybody used the trade-in appraisal? Was the pricing close to Car Max? Was the process easy? Do they do this in Texas?
 
Just got my Tesla/Autonation offer of $28,000 for my 2009 Lexus LS. Last weekend, Carmax offered me $30,000. KBB is low $30s. Has anyone had any luck getting Autonation to increase their offer? According to the Tesla manager in White Plains, I would get the trade-in sales tax reduction (need to verify with my DS), which is worth ~$1800.
 
I didn't bother with the trade in because the Mercedes dealer I got my car from was Autonation. I got an appraisal from them for $50k, $4k below the bottom poor condition Kbb price for a car in excellent condition. I went to CarMax and they gave me $59k for it which was in the very good condition range. The people at carmax were all really friendly and the process was in and out in bout n hour with the bank draft in hand.
 
Just got my Tesla/Autonation offer of $28,000 for my 2009 Lexus LS. Last weekend, Carmax offered me $30,000. KBB is low $30s. Has anyone had any luck getting Autonation to increase their offer? According to the Tesla manager in White Plains, I would get the trade-in sales tax reduction (need to verify with my DS), which is worth ~$1800.

To answer my own question-- I spoke to an Autonation rep this morning to ask if there was any flexibility in their number given what Carmax offered and they said absolutely not-- it was the most they would pay. I also submitted my info to autotrader.com dealer marketplace and got a $31K offer from them. So even paying full sales tax, it appears better to sell away.
 
Just got my Tesla/Autonation offer of $28,000 for my 2009 Lexus LS. Last weekend, Carmax offered me $30,000. KBB is low $30s. Has anyone had any luck getting Autonation to increase their offer? According to the Tesla manager in White Plains, I would get the trade-in sales tax reduction (need to verify with my DS), which is worth ~$1800.

Similar to me -- although Tesla/AutoNation's offer was $3k lower than CarMax. AZ also has the sales tax benefit, so the CarMax offer netted ~$1100 more than AutoNation. I emailed to ask if AutoNation would match CarMax, and they called me back the next morning saying they couldn't match CarMax -- and told me that I wouldn't get the sales tax benefit if I went with CarMax. I then told them that CarMax was still worth more even after the tax benefit and asked if they could improve their offer at all. They raised their offer $1k, making the AutoNation and CarMax effectively equal (within ~$10).

So I sold the car to CarMax on Sat morning...

On a side note, CarMax's offer was slightly higher than the Edmunds trade-in value. It was also higher than any recent eBay sales for the same model I had (although only a handful of sales). Tells me that if I had wanted to get anything more, I would have had to be patient waiting for the right buyer...
 
Robbo,
Beware the "you'll get the sales tax credit" statement from Tesla. They were unable to run my trade through the invoice even after assuring me they would when I ordered. We got it sorted another way and Tesla made me whole. Just double check everything and get it in an email or other form of writing. They are a typical start up in this respect and are still getting their act together.
 
I'm in the same point in the process. I was calculating what I thought my payments would be so I applied through autonation direct for trading my Panamera. Mind you my estimated delivery isn't till 6/26-7/10. So at what point should I go to carmax? The autonation quote was lower than I expected at $51,500. This is around $3500 tax savings so carmax would have to come in at least $55000 to match the overall cost, but with added convenience of being able to drive my Panamera to pick up the model s and then leave it there for autonation.

My autonation bid will expire before delivery. When should I reapply and when should I check out car max? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
I gave my car to the Dania store two months before my car came in. I had a 2012 quote and did not want the depreciation of allowing the quote to roll over to 2013....... Again, make sure they are now providing Florida sales tax credit for your trade in. They WOULD NOT run my car through their books in February and provide me the credit on my final invoice even though the car was delivered through Tesla to the wholesaler. You would be wise to have Dania tell you directly that this policy has changed.
 
when should I check out car max?

The Carmax offer was good for only seven days. Pretty painless-- stop by, they give you a written offer in 30 minutes. They said if you come back after the offer has expired, they just need to do a refresh appraisal that should only take 15 minutes. If you have one locally, you may as well take your car in now, just so you get a sense of the value differential.

The Autonation/Tesla offer was good for 30 days.

The autotrader.com trade-in marketplace offer is good for 72 hours after which you must re-submit. You may as well check that out too-- you get an offer on-line and it only takes 5 minutes to fill out the forms.
 
I gave my car to the Dania store two months before my car came in. I had a 2012 quote and did not want the depreciation of allowing the quote to roll over to 2013....... Again, make sure they are now providing Florida sales tax credit for your trade in. They WOULD NOT run my car through their books in February and provide me the credit on my final invoice even though the car was delivered through Tesla to the wholesaler. You would be wise to have Dania tell you directly that this policy has changed.
Dania specifically told me that by using autonation link they provide that it will be run to save me on the tax
 
Sold my 2010 G37 on autotrader in two days for cash, 3k above Carmax and 4k above AN. Had to rent a car for a few weeks, so minus $200.

+1. Same here. Sold my Lexus on autotrader/KBB in three days. Went to Carmax but the quote was low and decided to list on autotrader and cars.com. I figure I'd give it a week and if there weren't any serious takers then I'd go with Carmax. Ended up completing the transaction at the buyer's credit union where the credit union took the title and handed me a check.

Once we get back from our summer vacation trip we'll get rid of our remaining ICE vehicle and live 100% electric. Sadly, I have to take the ICE to the airport since the vampire load will drain the S to empty.
 
My experience thus far with autonationdirect through tesla has been good. Taking the tax savings into account, I am getting $600 more from autonation for my Panamera. Autonation will handle all of the paperwork through Tesla. And despite the appraisal/inspection occurring up to 4 weeks before my tesla arrives, the price will not change and I can drive my Panamera until my tesla comes in. When it does, I drive my Panamera to tesla, leave it and drive home my tesla. So in actuality, they are giving me up to 1k more by allowing me to keep driving my Panamera. I don't have to stress over the timing.

Autonation will also pay off my lien on my Panamera this week after inspection. So I will save a $1200 car payment this month as well.