thanks for the input. I guess what I'm figuring is that if a dealer is getting a trade and also selling a new car they've got two opportunities for margin. To your point they're going to make money somewhere or they ain't doing business, but I wonder if the offset in NY tax, combined with them making a bit on the trade and new vehicles, might not make this a bad deal overall. Versus the hassle and uncertainty that comes with selling the car direct to consumer. After all, if you walk in with $$$ from an outside sale, they're still going to need to make their margin to keep the lights on. So you may end up paying regardless on the new vehicle. Make sense? I guess I'm trying to figure out how best to negotiate this exchange...

I wouldn't worry about the dealer. They make their money from dumbasses that pay sticker price on new cars and those that utilize them to help with financing rather than bring their own financing.
Yes folks, dealers make a percentage off helping you with the financing.

You need to talk to a dealer about trade in value on your car. I think you are going to be surprised at how little they offer you.
Also remember that tax is based on the out the door sale. More money you bring to the table the more you save.

can you tell me a little more about this? What sort of deals are to be had, versus going with MB financing? Are they making money on the interest rates, or on other additional charges? thx again

Interest rates. Whatever finance companies that dealers use, they usually get a cut of at least a .5% for bringing them the business.
90% of the time I finance a car, I have my own financing secured through my local bank. That way I can make a 'cash' deal and just bring them a check after negotiations.

I always end up with a better interest rate bringing my own financing

I'd get on craigslist and take a look at similar cars and price it a couple grand less.
You can always go talk to a dealer so you have an idea of trade in value before you waste your time, unless you don't mind taking the hit.

There are some cars that aren't worth trading into a dealer because the tax savings isn't going to yield a decent value. List your car locally to find a serious local buyer but you have to deal with tire kickers. When you find someone who is seriously interested discount it to a good price point (higher than trade and lower than retail) and ask the buyer to work with you and the buyer on an in and out. Ask your dealer for their fee to do the paperwork and negotiate that fee. The buyer buys your car through the dealer at a lower than retail price and you still get the tax savings.

It's a little bit more work but worth the extra effort IMO. I'm not a fan of giving the car away on trade.

Your idea is great in theory, but good luck finding that perfect buyer who would be willing to jump through so many hurdles to purchase your vehicle. The OP would have to forgo the vehicle that he's interested and find a buyer who meets the criteria's that you have listed.


1) Is interested in the OP's vehicle
2) Has the funds to purchase the OP's vehicle
3) The OP has to find a dealership that would be willing to do the In and Out for him.
4) The OP has to factor the cost of doing the In and Out at the dealership because the buyer sure isn't going to pay for that process.
5) Find a buyer that is willing to go through the process of doing an In and Out at the local dealership.
6) Now the price has to be higher than trade in + the tax savings + fees for in and out.


Good luck with finding that perfect buyer. Most likely, the OP will find many tire kickers before that ever happens... The price for the OP's vehicle isn't 20 or 30k. The 50k price point is different from the 10-30k used car market. Most buyers will seek the vehicle that has everything they want or will buy based on price.

Hoops? A person with good credit can call their bank and be approved over the phone without as much as showing pay check stubs. At least with BECU that is how it works, and I don't have any where near my car's value in assets or cash. Even if you owe on the vehicle it is still very easy to sell a car that the bank has the title too. 99 percent of the time they are electronic and transferred with no issue.

Getting a car loan is not very difficult as long as your not trying to buy a 20k car with 50k of the banks money. Its actually as straight forward as a loan procedure could be.

For a car like this you can make close to $10k more on a private sale than you would get on trade if you put together a polished internet ad on the big sites.

I found a way to have the best of all worlds by forming a relationship with a broker. I basically handle the sale and purchase of my cars with other private buyers/sellers, but run the transactions through the broker's dealership so that the sale looks like a trade on the new purchase. My broker charges $600 x 2 for the paperwork, etc, but also handles registration of the new car.

Last time I did this I made $9k more on the sale than a true trade in would have netted, saved close to $10k off what a dealer would have charged on the purchase side, saved $4k in ad valorem sales tax because of the "trade in" effect, all of which cost $1200 paid to the broker. PM me if you want the broker's info. He is awesome and works nationwide and has great relationships with shippers to boot.

There ya go!

Are you eyeing that sexy blue GT-S they have?

go checkout rates at credit unions, you can get 1.5-2% rates vs dealers 4%+

the catch is you may have to wait a few days to take possession of the car if the CU cant wire funds and you wait for a check

They have one in stock? Sweet. I haven't even been there yet... It looks like on their web site that they don't have 1 in stock at all? http://www.mercedesbenzgreenwich.com/amg-vehicles.aspx It's odd. Then if I search for vehicles through MBUSA, it shows 2 vehicles are "available on request". http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/invent...iorColor-2:040 What's up with that? Is there any way to tell what they actually have in stock besides calling? Does "available on request" mean that it's somewhere within 100 miles or something and they can truck it over or something?

Even that is unnecessary. Most banks/ Credit unions can handle the finance /title swaps themselves. All you have to is create a bill of sale.

I dunno about all that. I saw a blue one there 2 weeks ago and it was still there last Friday.

I usually just use Autotrader to find who has what. According to Autotrader there's a blue one in Greenwich... and a YELLOW one in Rockville Centre with more options.

If I go to the MB of Greenwich site directly, click NEW CARS, it shows one AMG GT. The Blue one.

It appears the MB dealers all use MBUSA software to back their web sites... I say this because they all seem to work exactly the same.

Both of those GTS are beautiful cars. I like the yellow, but can't see paying $9,900 just for that paint color option.

I'm also looking to trade/sell my 14 C63 coupe in on a new AMG wagon. Selling big ticket items is a pain the rear, but trade in offers feel like I'm getting rear-ended.

That red SL is boss as ****. The red on tan with carbon ceramics. Ill....

Thanks!

The interior is more white than tan. It's not the designo platinum white, good god that would be impossible to keep clean. It's more a cream white.

Adding to the tax savings issue, really need to watch out in private sales for fraudulent cashier's checks and related car-buy fraud. As a bank lawyer, I've seen a lot of these, and my neighbor got hit a year ago. The cashier's checks look legit. If you do the private sale and take a cashier's check, make sure you contact the issuing bank and try to confirm the authenticity of the instrument before parting with your car. Even that is not fail safe -- don't use the telephone information from the check, contact the issuing bank directly by its local contact info. And DO NOT take a cashier's check issued out of state or foreign.

Doesn't Hurt to try both avenues but in all honesty you will be surprised the number they give you in trade ins which will always be alot less then expected. Once you know that number is you will most likely make your choice based on that. I have also said sell private because you will always collect more than trade in even if you get tax savings. Most dealers will sell you the car and you pay local taxes where the car will be registered. If you know anyone close even consignment can be an option I have cosigned exotics and high end cars before (previous dealership). The amount loss on trade in is not equivalent to the time earned money for convenience.