trade in process

[mf913]

Appreciate if anyone can share their experience regarding trade in ... My assumption is that on the day of delivery, you will drive the car to be traded in to the dealer.

Do dealers go through "inspection" of the car ? What do they really check ?

The car has some transmission "shrudder" issue. Just wonder if dealers will "reject" the trade in.

 

[Breakthrough]

Nope, for both the expired one and the finalized/second one, they gave me a quote and stuck with it for the time, even after the photos and everything.

Maybe quotes were changed because the service agents felt the photos made the car seem worse than the initial description.

On one hand, people do tend to try and make things look better than they might be to get better trade values.

On the other hand, even accurate description might not be understood properly and even photos might make things seem bad. Or worse, if the owner “seemingly” tries to hide parts of the car, the service agent might take that negatively even if there’s nothing there.

I try to be as accurate as possible, to the point people think I’m anal about it. Maybe that worked to my benefit.

I see. My trade-in offer expires today and I still haven't received the delivery date yet. Hope my new trade-in value doesn't go down much.

 

[Goobers]

I see. My trade-in offer expires today and I still haven't received the delivery date yet. Hope my new trade-in value doesn't go down much.

Yeah, the service agent told me to just wait until I get the delivery date.

Actually, I started the process online, but then an agent contacted me to work through the process and told me that if I had started with an agent, they would’ve told me to wait before starting the trade-in process to avoid having it expire like it did.

My only beef was they contacted me to schedule the pick up within the next few days before they “give the car to the next person and put me back in line,“ so I did the trade-in and everything else in a panic.

It was messy… I had planned to getting a cashier’s check for the down payment the day of pick up, only to realize most things were close because of Washington’s Birthday when I got to a branch of my bank and wondered why it was so empty. Set up Plaid and only wanted to see the process only to mistakenly pay it before even seeing the car. Was expecting a “final” confirmation… but I was wrong.

I initially scheduled as late as I could to make sure I could finish everything. Then I contacted them later to reschedule… they sounded surprised when I asked for a sooner date and time. I guess there were a lot of people putting off/delaying their deliveries. Everything else finished quicker than I thought and I wanted the car ASAP.

 

[a.deodatus]

After reading all sorts of horror stories on FB about the Tesla trade ins, I finally decided to give the trade in process a try today. It went a lot smoother than I expected. Once I had my delivery date set, the app prompted me to enter mileage and a couple pictures of the car. They sent me a final offer the next day for $28,100 (for a 2023 Model 3 SR+). When I came in to pick up my car, they immediately took $28,100 off the price of the new Model Y I was picking up, super easy. They didn’t ding me for some scratches I had on the bumper or the car being covered in bugs and dirt, so it was way easier than attempting a private party sale. They didn’t even test drive my trade in or really inspect it. No reducing the quote day of by $8K like I’ve heard some people complain about. Now I’m curious what those people did to have their trade devalued by so much…

 

[Breakthrough]

After reading all sorts of horror stories on FB about the Tesla trade ins, I finally decided to give the trade in process a try today. It went a lot smoother than I expected. Once I had my delivery date set, the app prompted me to enter mileage and a couple pictures of the car. They sent me a final offer the next day for $28,100 (for a 2023 Model 3 SR+). When I came in to pick up my car, they immediately took $28,100 off the price of the new Model Y I was picking up, super easy. They didn’t ding me for some scratches I had on the bumper or the car being covered in bugs and dirt, so it was way easier than attempting a private party sale. They didn’t even test drive my trade in or really inspect it. No reducing the quote day of by $8K like I’ve heard some people complain about. Now I’m curious what those people did to have their trade devalued by so much…

So you are saying, you didn't start "Tesla Trade-in process" in the Tesla app while the app was just showing the delivery window? And after the deliver date is set and confirmed, you started the process for trade-in, entering information of your trade-in vehicle, correct?

 

[Breakthrough]

Yeah, the service agent told me to just wait until I get the delivery date.

Actually, I started the process online, but then an agent contacted me to work through the process and told me that if I had started with an agent, they would’ve told me to wait before starting the trade-in process to avoid having it expire like it did.

My only beef was they contacted me to schedule the pick up within the next few days before they “give the car to the next person and put me back in line,“ so I did the trade-in and everything else in a panic.

It was messy… I had planned to getting a cashier’s check for the down payment the day of pick up, only to realize most things were close because of Washington’s Birthday when I got to a branch of my bank and wondered why it was so empty. Set up Plaid and only wanted to see the process only to mistakenly pay it before even seeing the car. Was expecting a “final” confirmation… but I was wrong.

I initially scheduled as late as I could to make sure I could finish everything. Then I contacted them later to reschedule… they sounded surprised when I asked for a sooner date and time. I guess there were a lot of people putting off/delaying their deliveries. Everything else finished quicker than I thought and I wanted the car ASAP.

Here is an update.

10/6 Friday - My previous trade-in offer expired.
10/7 Saturday - Tesla app asked me to enter all the information again for me to receive trade-in offer. (tesla sales rep also texted me to do so as well) So there was no luxury that the app remembering the information that I previously provided. And my delivery date window got pushed back by a week.
10/8 Sunday - Trade-in offer pending on the Tesla app. and the app was saying "Complete your task to avoid delays in delivery" Texted the tesla rep and they replied with useless and meaningless response.
10/9 Monday - Trade-in offer still pending and app is still warning me "Complete your task to avoid delays in delivery". Texted the tesla rep and they replied the same as yesterday.
10/10 Tuesday - A new trade-in offer came in reduced by 19% from the original trade-in offer. The decrease was good enough to motivate me to start searching through carvana, vroom, kbb instant cash offer, edmunds and autonation. Among them, Carmax (which was the first offer that edmunds got it for me) offered me 3.7% higher than the Tesla's original trade-in offer (which is 23.5% higher than Tesla's current trade-in offer). Autonation's offer is still pending will check tomorrow again. Well, effort pays off....

 

[a.deodatus]

So you are saying, you didn't start "Tesla Trade-in process" in the Tesla app while the app was just showing the delivery window? And after the deliver date is set and confirmed, you started the process for trade-in, entering information of your trade-in vehicle, correct?

I purchased an inventory vehicle and had a set delivery date before I submitted the trade in quote. Requesting a trade in quote before having a delivery date is useless, IMO.

 

[flixden]

I purchased an inventory vehicle and had a set delivery date before I submitted the trade in quote. Requesting a trade in quote before having a delivery date is useless, IMO.

It took them almost 30 days to come back with a trade offer in my case. When I got a delivery date, it was less than a week out. That would not have worked ....

 

[a.deodatus]

It took them almost 30 days to come back with a trade offer in my case. When I got a delivery date, it was less than a week out. That would not have worked ....

No. They prioritize those who have closer order dates. So you have gotten a quote regardless of the timing of which you submitted it. That’s why it took them so long, I assume you had a custom build? Between order time and taking delivery for me was 2 days, and I still got my trade-in offer (which I took).

 

[flixden]

No. They prioritize those who have closer order dates. So you have gotten a quote regardless of the timing of which you submitted it. That’s why it took them so long, I assume you had a custom build? Between order time and taking delivery for me was 2 days, and I still got my trade-in offer (which I took).

You could be right.
Back then they were backlogged with the trade offers, so I am not sure. Wouldn't want to try it. Also, the value of my trade was dropping almost daily. I ended up getting $8 k more than what I had paid for my 2 year old trade. I was eager to get the price fixed.

 

[dndandrea]

If it helps, I traded in an old beater with check engine light and the trade in process was very smooth/simple. Because of the check engine light and condition of the vehicle, I had to upload photos and documentation in the app and email. They gave me a quote before even physically seeing the vehicle. I then went to the shop to pick up my vehicle, gave them my keys, inspected my new vehicle, made down payment, and I was gone. They didn’t really inspect it or ask any questions about it. Very straight forward. They also quoted me a lot more than CarMax, Carvana, and Vroom.

 

[a.deodatus]

If it helps, I traded in an old beater with check engine light and the trade in process was very smooth/simple. Because of the check engine light and condition of the vehicle, I had to upload photos and documentation in the app and email. They gave me a quote before even physically seeing the vehicle. I then went to the shop to pick up my vehicle, gave them my keys, inspected my new vehicle, made down payment, and I was gone. They didn’t really inspect it or ask any questions about it. Very straight forward. They also quoted me a lot more than CarMax, Carvana, and Vroom.

Do you mind me asking what car you traded in and how much they gave?

 

[dndandrea]

Do you mind me asking what car you traded in and how much they gave?

2008 Honda Accord. Cosmetically it had some expected scratches and rust. Mechanically ran great, but the catalytic converter needed replaced and that kept check engine light on. Tesla offered me $1400 without even seeing it while Carvana, Carmax, and Vroom would only offer $100-$400. I received the full $1400 at delivery when I traded it in.

 

[ionsphere]

I traded in a perfect 2022 Hyundai Tucson p h e v, no scratches no nothing -everything was perfect. I probably could have gotten more for it if I'd tried to sell it to a local dealership. Later one of the Tesla folks told me (when it was too late for me to do anything about it) that Tesla doesn't offer as much because they don't resell any of these trade-ins ( I assume unless they're actually Teslas). So I might have gotten more from a dealership that actually was going to resell it on their lot ( it was really perfect and basically only a year old) or I guess with a private sale. However I was totally stressed out with other life events just before this date that I was given for my pickup date (for my model y) and I opted to just take what they offered me, because I wasn't finding anything better in Carvana or Kelley Blue book offers.
Honestly a little part of me regretted not putting more effort into finding a buyer - I might have gotten a few thousand more for my car trade in, but I just didn't have the time and energy before, and like others have said it really appealed to me to drive the old car down to pick up the new car.
It was extremely easy to make that trade on the day of purchase. I also purchased my MY from inventory and had a fairly quick turnaround pick up date.
Btw, the pictures I had to submit didn't even include any of the backseat or the trunk area, which made me think they could have looked like crap and it wouldn't have changed my trade-in value(they were perfect too). In the long run I guess I sacrificed possibly some extra money for the ease and convenience... but also the reality is I might have gone through a lot of hassle trying to sell it privately or to a local dealership, only to then have them argue me down in price after all that, to offer me even less than Tesla gave me. So I'm happy I just did it that way. Buying a car from Tesla was definitely the least stressful car purchase I've ever made! and I really appreciate that.

 

[a.deodatus]

I traded in a perfect 2022 Hyundai Tucson p h e v, no scratches no nothing -everything was perfect. I probably could have gotten more for it if I'd tried to sell it to a local dealership. Later one of the Tesla folks told me (when it was too late for me to do anything about it) that Tesla doesn't offer as much because they don't resell any of these trade-ins ( I assume unless they're actually Teslas). So I might have gotten more from a dealership that actually was going to resell it on their lot ( it was really perfect and basically only a year old) or I guess with a private sale. However I was totally stressed out with other life events just before this date that I was given for my pickup date (for my model y) and I opted to just take what they offered me, because I wasn't finding anything better in Carvana or Kelley Blue book offers.
Honestly a little part of me regretted not putting more effort into finding a buyer - I might have gotten a few thousand more for my car trade in, but I just didn't have the time and energy before, and like others have said it really appealed to me to drive the old car down to pick up the new car.
It was extremely easy to make that trade on the day of purchase. I also purchased my MY from inventory and had a fairly quick turnaround pick up date.
Btw, the pictures I had to submit didn't even include any of the backseat or the trunk area, which made me think they could have looked like crap and it wouldn't have changed my trade-in value(they were perfect too). In the long run I guess I sacrificed possibly some extra money for the ease and convenience... but also the reality is I might have gone through a lot of hassle trying to sell it privately or to a local dealership, only to then have them argue me down in price after all that, to offer me even less than Tesla gave me. So I'm happy I just did it that way. Buying a car from Tesla was definitely the least stressful car purchase I've ever made! and I really appreciate that.

I totally agree. Time is money, and Tesla couldn't have made it easier for me too. I probably left a little bit on the table, but the convenience was too much to resist.

 

[Showtime19]

Appreciate if anyone can share their experience regarding trade in ... My assumption is that on the day of delivery, you will drive the car to be traded in to the dealer.

Do dealers go through "inspection" of the car ? What do they really check ?

The car has some transmission "shrudder" issue. Just wonder if dealers will "reject" the trade in.

I have owned a 2019 model three. Would love on another Tesla but I’ve tried since 2020 and the trade values offered are ridiculous. This is the most recent attempt I’ve had, which is $10,000 difference and it was sold on a wholesale auction site to another dealer. I think as they grow this is gonna be something they need to fix.

 

[PineNut]

Here was my "trade-in" experience.

On Sunday I requested a trade-in value for my previous Model Y. The offered price was OK compared to Carvana, but not great. I next ordered a new Model Y from inventory, applied that trade-in, and took photos of the car from the Tesla app (car is in excellent condition).

On the next day, Monday, the trade-in still showed as pending. But later I got an actual offer which was $2,900 less than what they quoted the day before. I scratched my head trying to understand how the amount changed so much but there is no one at Tesla you can talk to. I did have one minor accident (rear ended and had to replace the cracked plastic facia at the rear) which I reported when I requested the trade-in.

The sad part of this process is that if I refuse the trade-in and cancel my order then I am still out the non-refundable $250 deposit, even though Tesla changed the trade-in offer. I knew they were allowed to do this, but it just seems like a way to bilk customers out of that $250. I know I can sell the car elsewhere, but my reservation for the new car is only good for a few days (ends this Friday) and I won't have time to do that before I lose the $250. Also, my state only taxes the difference between the MSRP of the new car minus the trade-in, so I will lose that tax savings if I sell elsewhere.

Just a heads up on how this works, and it's set up by Tesla to be very much to their advantage. I still don't know of any way to find out why they lowered their trade-in offer by so much. Maybe I could have gotten a final approved trade-in offer before I ordered, but I'm not clear about that?

 

[BillRadio]

I traded a '22 Model 3 for a '23 Model Y last December. Found a perfect Y in inventory and got a trade-in offer. It was higher than CarMax or KBB. They asked me to add pictures, and the offer INCREASED.

With the Model 3, I spent weeks finding the best trade-in and financing. This time I spent minutes getting both through Tesla and paid with Plaid. The next day, I took in the 3, they converted the VIN in my app and I was on my way. Nobody made more than a sidewards glance at my trade. It happened faster than I could have imagined.

 

[cwerdna]

Since Vroom was mentioned...

Online Use Car Seller Vroom Collapses as Sales Fall, Losses Mount

Online used car sales platform Vroom has gone belly-up and will offload its inventory at wholesale prices.

www.thedrive.com

 

[mborkow]

My initial estimate for my trade-in was $2,500. Even though I indicated the car was not in great shape, after I bought the Tesla and uploaded pics of the trade in, the quote came back at $800 (which I rejected)

 

[Njbrandon]

Here was my "trade-in" experience.

On Sunday I requested a trade-in value for my previous Model Y. The offered price was OK compared to Carvana, but not great. I next ordered a new Model Y from inventory, applied that trade-in, and took photos of the car from the Tesla app (car is in excellent condition).

On the next day, Monday, the trade-in still showed as pending. But later I got an actual offer which was $2,900 less than what they quoted the day before. I scratched my head trying to understand how the amount changed so much but there is no one at Tesla you can talk to. I did have one minor accident (rear ended and had to replace the cracked plastic facia at the rear) which I reported when I requested the trade-in.

The sad part of this process is that if I refuse the trade-in and cancel my order then I am still out the non-refundable $250 deposit, even though Tesla changed the trade-in offer. I knew they were allowed to do this, but it just seems like a way to bilk customers out of that $250. I know I can sell the car elsewhere, but my reservation for the new car is only good for a few days (ends this Friday) and I won't have time to do that before I lose the $250. Also, my state only taxes the difference between the MSRP of the new car minus the trade-in, so I will lose that tax savings if I sell elsewhere.

Just a heads up on how this works, and it's set up by Tesla to be very much to their advantage. I still don't know of any way to find out why they lowered their trade-in offer by so much. Maybe I could have gotten a final approved trade-in offer before I ordered, but I'm not clear about that?

Exact same scenario. Day before delivery on 12/30 after I uploaded everything and was ready to go, they lowered the trade value $3000 because my stock Model Y wheels were professionally powder coated. You can buy all new wheels and tires for that much. Since it was the last day of the year I didn’t have time to move money around and couldn’t take delivery. Lost out on $250 plus $1000 cybertruck voucher, and $5000 inventory discount.