Private sale and Trade-In values have always been different numbers. I believe you will almost always get a lower trade-in price, hands down and for obvious reasons (risk, convenience, paperwork processing done by them, et al). I've heard some horror stories, but so far, they've been great for me. The only bad things I could say was that their offer was on the lower end even though it had extremely low miles for an '07 (33K) and was in good condition, but not absurdly low. After the first call back after using the online form, I told them I needed a few days due to work for the inspection. They said they'd call back on a specific date, but never actually called me back. The good things I could say are: They've always been super nice. As a Tesla customer, they said I didn't have to worry about the 250mi limit from offer certification to inspection, nor the certified offer expiration date...small things that are actually quite convenient. Then there's the bonus of keeping the car until I take my delivery and the tax benefit. I'd say overall that AutoNation is a good deal because they take a lot of the hassle out of the Tesla purchase if you don't have an extra vehicle (aka that's your only car or the wife always needs the other). The more expensive the car, the more likely I'd want to go with a private sale as the difference gets larger between the trade-in and private sale values, effectively mitigating the tax benefit and convenience aspects.
