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If I trade in my car I save 6% sales tax on the trade-in allowance. That could be around $3500 in tax savings so if I were to sell my car privately I'd have to net at least $3500 more for it than the amount the dealer offers to trade the car in. Because my car is a rare special edition, has brand new Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, is in showroom new condition and has roughly 7K miles on it, I should be able to get top dollar for it if I were to list it on Bring a Trailer. To even bother doing that I'd have to net at least $5K so it all comes down to how much the dealer will offer me and how much I can expect to get selling it privately. My car is a 2018 C63S Cabriolet "Ocean Blue" special edition of just 150 cars (only 63 in the USA) and it truly is in flawless condition. How much do you think I might get for it if I were to sell it on BAT using a reserve price? I'm ordering a 2021 AMG GT53 and the factory isn't even taking orders yet but I'm anticipating delivery in December so I'm just trying to get a handle on whether it pays to sell versus trade so any idea what the car is worth would be much appreciated. I am not offering the car for sale now so please don't contact me trying to buy it.
Of course the decision is your choice but I doubt the "rare special edition" and "ocean blue" and "only 63 in the USA" is gonna make a difference to the dealer or a new buyer. Good Luck.
To be perfectly honest, unless you find a buyer who is willing to pay a premium for a "special edition" that amounts to essentially color and interior, you'll unlikely get $3500 over KBB, especially in the current economy. I don't know BAT, but in my experience getting anything more than KBB private seller value is difficult. If you have time to wait, you can take your time finding the right buyer. I don't know how it works with the sales tax credit, since that doesn't apply here in CA, but I generally don't trade in at the time I take delivery of the new car, and instead get an appraisal and list the car on AutoTrader to see if anybody bites and if nobody bites I have the appraisal from the dealership to fall back on. That's what I did with my previous car. It was an Audi, so I got an appraisal from the Audi dealership I originally purchased it from. They made me a fair offer. The MB dealership was willing to match it and slightly up the offer, but I ultimately found a private buyer who paid close to my asking. Time is your friend and if you don't need to sell in order to buy the new car you don't have to rush and accept the first offer. In my case I did European Delivery, so I didn't really wanna sell until the new car got to the USA anyway, and the timing worked out quite well. I sold it the week the C63 arrived at the dealership.
Right now private party range is $66,676 to $72,103 and trade-in is $60,135 to $64,964 so there's about a $5K to $7K spread which would work in my favor since I'll lose $3900 in sales tax. The picture should change slightly in December so I'll list my car in Bring a Trailer and possibly eBay for a few weeks and see if I get the high number. Otherwise I'll just trade it in.
Right now private party range is $66,676 to $72,103 and trade-in is $60,135 to $64,964 so there's about a $5K to $7K spread which would work in my favor since I'll lose $3900 in sales tax. The picture should change slightly in December so I'll list my car in Bring a Trailer and possibly eBay for a few weeks and see if I get the high number. Otherwise I'll just trade it in.
Do your math with median KBB value. Unless the dealer tries to low ball you, they generally will offer median KBB trade-in value for good condition. Even if you think your car is in excellent condition, they'll rarely see it that way. Always assume the next lower condition category from what you think the condition is of your car. Private party sellers will want to negotiate you down as far as possible, so expect less than median, unless you can hold strong. Nobody will pay you the high end, unless they really really want your particular car.
I am not offering the car for sale now so please don't contact me trying to buy it.
bahaahahahaa u would only get an extra $500 on top of what a standard cab is worth if you are lucky........ that 'rare' color combo isn't worth much or sought after.......... probably why you're getting rid of it too lol
Limited Edition? So what. Having a limited edition will mean very little to the dealer at trade. Maybe you get lucky if you sell yourself, but LE Mercedes cars have no special value.
Limited Edition? So what. Having a limited edition will mean very little to the dealer at trade. Maybe you get lucky if you sell yourself, but LE Mercedes cars have no special value.
actualy it could get you $29.95. :-)
you can get custom badges made for about 30.00, so...... hehehe
I know this is going to come off as me being a d**k but I promise I’m not.. the truth is as people mentioned above, VERY few people, if ANYONE, is actually going to care about the special edition cabriolet you have. Definitely not very sought after. If this was a black series, that is a totally different story with a select market that will be looking at this vehicle and understands the value. What you have, not so much unfortunately. I haven’t even seen anyone talk about this special edition car you have let alone ask where they can find one
As far as trading in or selling privately, i personally always trade in. Yes the dealer will not give you as much as a private seller will but it eliminates the headache of having to have people constantly come see the car, negotiate, Delay the process etc etc. i just dont have the patience.
Good luck with your decision
Last edited by Stevestil; Jul 31, 2020 at 10:52 AM.
I recently realized all those aftermarket parts I put in my Jeep hold zero value when trying to sell or trade in. I feel the same holds true for special edition cars.
I know this is going to come off as me being a d**k but I promise I’m not.. the truth is as people mentioned above, VERY few people, if ANYONE, is actually going to care about the special edition cabriolet you have. Definitely not very sought after. If this was a black series, that is a totally different story with a select market that will be looking at this vehicle and understands the value. What you have, not so much unfortunately. I haven’t even seen anyone talk about this special edition car you have let alone ask where they can find one
As far as trading in or selling privately, i personally always trade in. Yes the dealer will not give you as much as a private seller will but it eliminates the headache of having to have people constantly come see the car, negotiate, Delay the process etc etc. i just dont have the patience.
Good luck with your decision
100%. Unless it's a black series or something it means nothing. I have a White Arrow SL and there is zero value in the edition. Just another car.
I'm with you on the trade. I've only sold one car in my life, everything is a trade. Not worth my time or aggravation. Roll in with old, roll out with new.
2017 Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 Cabriolet, 2014 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S
Personally, I think your car is gorgeous. Not sure it being a special edition is going to add a whole lot to the resale value but it is definitely unique. I’m also not sure why you would go from this car to that four door coupe looking thing.
I'd go through the stealer to get a tax break as well as making it seamless and easy......guess that's the trade off. But selling a used luxury car sounds LAME!
Personally, I think your car is gorgeous. Not sure it being a special edition is going to add a whole lot to the resale value but it is definitely unique. I’m also not sure why you would go from this car to that four door coupe looking thing.
I agree. Not a fan of that GT model. IMO I think it's ugly and will look dated and like crap in two years. OP's car is much better looking.
I just traded in an older c63 and the trade in was 29k to 34k and they offered 25k and I fought to get it to 28k and then only budged 800 on the car thsy were selling.
Get ready for like a 50k offer. way better to aell private. They will say yea i know its new but we need to spend 5k on it to cpo it.
Last edited by skratch77; Aug 2, 2020 at 08:44 AM.
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