buster04

I got an ML 350 Bluetec on 12/31/13 for 68 the sticker was 74.5. I was now told trade in was 43k.. What the heck!

ntwillie1

Have you Kelly Blue Booked it to see if its in the same ball park as what you have been told?

Who gave you that number, an MB dealer, private party, or different brand? I ask because I had an MB in the past that did depreciate quite quickly and when i went to trade it in at a local acura dealer I didn't get as much for it as another MB dealer was giving.

fabbrisd1

Actually - "best" unbiased 3rd party value guide is edmunds.com

You can check value there ..

Whatever is "equitable" value today/October - going into New Year's all pre-owned cars become one year older and take a unavoidable hit..

Keep the beat !

gmen75

What makes it the "best?" Do dealers say that because it's widely known to quote lower values? Edmunds appraised my trade-in at $12,900 but the dealer offered me $15,000 so I don't think it's any more acturate. I thought the average of other appraisal sites (kbb, cars.com, nada) were more in the ballpark at $15,900 average.

fabbrisd1

"Best" meaning unbiased - KBB is always too "high" since it originated as a dealer tool - it not only assumes you are buying a brand new car - KBB assumes you are buying a new Ford/Chevy/Whatever that has $2K-$3K excess "funny money" built into the MSRP that can be pulled in to "show" you a "higher" trade-in value than what you have.... NADA is built as another dealer/bank tool - to show you higher value but "oop's" banks will only loan 75% on average against NADA value.

edmunds does not assume trade for new - value is for trade-in against pre-owned only.... if edmunds said $12.9/whatever - and you "got" $1%K on trade then bully for you - great mjob - unless what you were buying was over values and "dollars" taken from there...

schorert1

But these prices are so volatile, obviously the car is only worth what they can get at auction for it. if they keep it they add the cost of bringing it up to MB CPO level...so they could be factoring in a brake job/tires/reconditioning. Then you have to factor the number of CPO's in your area...as you come into the end of the year there are a ton of these coming off lease. They factor the cost of CPO cert. into your trade-in...then they turn around and charge the same premium to the buyer. It's almost like they just care about the money.
They go to an auction one week, see how many of these cars are there, and base the price on recent history.
No matter when you're trading in a car "there were a lot of these at the auction" until you're buying a CPO and suddenly "well, there sure aren't many of these at the auction".
I was shopping for an SQ5, most of those CPO's were going for 10% off MSRP (all 2014's). One was selling for MSRP (It's got a six year cpo warranty, it's better than new"). Two vehicles I made offers on went UP in price between Friday and Monday. That car isn't worth MSRP NEW ($63k)...it sure isn't worth MSRP -10% with 10kmi on it.

Quadcammer

honestly, the best way to find out trade in values is to try to find auction results for a similar car. Unless they are plowing you on the new car, you will likely not get more than the typical auction value for your car.

shortspark

KBB value for sale to individual figure is what you want. Determine condition (poor, good, excellent) and price accordingly based on KBB, understanding you may have to drop eventually up to 5%). Agree with buyer on condition, look up KBB for that day and sell it for that price. Advertise your car (with great photos) in Craigslist, Pennysaver, newspaper, whatever you have locally. Even ebay if necessary but never, never trade to a dealer. Trading with a dealer who does this every single day is like walking in the ring with Ali. You know you are going to get hurt badly either on the new car price or the trade in. All you can hope for is that you won't get killed on both.

DUTCH

Perhaps so, but in Georgia if you trade in your vehicle to the dealer where you're buying the new (to you) car, you save the Title Ad Valorem Tax (currently 6.75%) on the trade-in value. On a $40k trade-in, that means you would have to sell the trade-in vehicle at $42,700 or more to come out ahead.

Of course, the Georgia dealers are fully aware of this and calculate their trade-in offer with the TAVT in mind.

27T

Different dealers/people will give different prices. Why trade so fast?

schorert1

it's a disease. I haven't even received my ML550 yet and I'm already looking for my next vehicle. If my wife pirates the ML(she's had an ML before and misses it) I'll take her E350 and trade it for something else.

27T

You should know the trade-in game better than most here given your turnover rate.

stas2007

Sounds to me like you should look into leasing in future?

schorert1

Leasing simply obligates you to paying that first two years depreciation! the lease itself is calculated on the residual value of the vehicle.
Trading or selling, the only way to avoid that huge first year depr is not buy a car new.

I've bought three MB's in the past 12mos, plus a ford F250. All of them are used, and we traded in one vehicle, a prius. ( my wife doesn't see the logic of four cars for two drivers, go figure).
Once my wife decides the prius is no good in the snow, well you might as well throw the keys to the dealer and say "it's yours". She hates the car buying process so much, she's a salesman's dream. "just give me the car and tell me what I owe ya" is her negotiating style. I find the cars, negotiate a price and then she comes in and will basically take anything they're selling just to get the f out the door....."so you'll want the extended warranty?" "you'll want the wheel and tire protection?"

Cyber GS

How many miles do you have on it and is it in good condition??

DUTCH

Mine will be up for sale in 4-6 weeks. It currently has 17,000 miles on it, and is in excellent condition. The window sticker is attached below.

27T

Every dealer here, will deliver the car to you so you never have to step inside a dealership. Either way, it seems like your wife can just let you do all of the leg work and paper-signing.

DFW01E55

Nicely optioned.
Wish I found one like that when I was looking.

schorert1

I bought my CPO ML550 over the internet...independent inspection $200, $700 to ship it from TX to MA, arrived five days later. Absolutely cherry.
Southern cars, holy crap, no road rash, no sand on the roads, no salt. 12mos from now this ML will look like it's been sand blasted.

DUTCH

And we all know full well that I'll be taking a real bath on it when I sell or trade.

shortspark

After a couple test drives, my local dealer would not discount much as he was the only game in town - or anywhere close for that matter. I emailed the internet manager at the next closest dealer who was in the "big city" 140 miles away, told him what I wanted and if and when he found it to give me a call. I told him that my research showed I could get this car almost anywhere for a certain price so I was not going to haggle. The price had to be 9% off sticker with no surprises, no trade-in (I always sell to individuals) and no money down. Things I had to have included Diamond White paint and almond interior, upgraded stereo system and lighting package. I could be flexible on almost everything else. If I liked the car when I saw it I would by it, if not I would walk away and he could sell it to someone else.

A couple days later he called and said he found what I wanted just coming off the assembly line in the next few days. It was scheduled to go to a Boston dealer (it had one extra option - a heated steering wheel - which I love, even in Texas!). The internet manager traded invoices of one of his assembly line cars with the Boston dealer and when the ML came off line it was sent to Texas for me and the car my dealer ordered for his showroom was sent to Boston.

The first time I ever entered the dealership or met the internet manager was the day I went in to pick up the car a couple of weeks later. I gave him the check, received my vehicle orientation, said thank you and drove away and have not been back since. Everything was done sitting at my desk at home. I was pleased with the deal and I have been thrilled with this great, trouble free car for the past 2 1/2 years. When the warranty expires in a year and a half, I will email him and do it all over again.

Could I have done better than 9% off sticker dealing back and forth with the various dealerships in that city? Maybe, maybe not but I sure saved a lot of time and gas and frustration by doing it this way and that is a worth a whole lot to me. After your test drive and having done a complete research, the internet is the only way to buy a car, especially when you live out in the sticks.

schorert1

What's strange is the car business, my local dealer anyway, still seems to operate in a vacuum. the car my dealer has on his lot is apparently unique and doing silly things like sending him listings from competitors or pricing guides don't seem to have any influence.
I told him what I was looking for, told him what I would pay for cars he had...no response. He called me after two weeks of silence and I told him I was having a car shipped.
"why would you do that? I would have found you what you wanted".
brother, I told you the car I wanted, it was cheaper for me to have a car inspected and shipped here than buy one from you! and it's in better shape.

When I was cross shopping the SQ5, two CPO vehicles I was looking at went UP in price over one weekend. In both instances the dealers contacted me to say they would honor the friday price. Ah, if I wasn't willing to pay your asking price on friday, raising the price $1k doesn't make that car a better value. glad I didn't! The ML550 certainly isn't as nimble, but the fit/finish/comfort/power is miles beyond...and $10k less.

ChuckinTucson

When it comes to dealerships, there are basically two types: volume dealers and gross dealers. Depending on how big of a city you're in, how many MB dealers are in the city, and how far it is to the next dealer will determine what type of dealer it is. I live in a city of about a million and there is only one MB dealer, so he's a gross dealer. The next closest city is about 2 hours away and has 4-5 dealers. They're always cheaper as they're volume dealers and have a lot more competition close by.

theboogers

Dutch. I am interested in your ml! Pm me when you want to sell or sooner. Im looking now but never know if i will find something. Thanks