Tameling

I've decided to sell my GLK250. I believe it's a rare one, with nearly all the packages, including Driver Assist (Distronic), Parktronic, Adaptive Lights, Multimedia, Hitch, Premium, new tires, brakes, etc. The MSRP was $56,200. I realize the car has depreciated significantly, but I was dismayed by a local dealer's trade in estimate of between $17000. The KBB retail is around $23400. It has 65k miles and still is under extended factory warranty till 12/19. I'm curious what other folks have been able to get for their GLKs. As a newbie to this forum, let me know if this is an inappropriate question and/or the wrong forum. Thanks

formerjeepguy

The dealer was likely being generous with the trade-in value. The KBB retail is also optimistic. Generally the dealer will offer you a trade-in value that comes from the recent prices of comparable vehicles at auction because if they buy your car they are more than likely going to run it through an auction. Auctions don't much care about rare cars and extra options and lump them together. KBB prices are also not very realistic because nearly every dealer goes by the market reports they get from the auction companies.

If you want to get more that the $17k you would need to sell it your self and deal with the average guys off the street coming around to kick the tires and waste your time with pointless test rides. You also set yourself up to deal with and filter out the scammers trying to rip you off. Or you might know someone that you can trust that is interested in buying the car and willing to give you a decent price, but know that they will want to talk to you every time they have the littlest problem with it.

The realities of selling cars is disappointing to say the least and even more so after realizing that you paid a premium for a vehicle that does not hold it's value. One reason relates to the saying that the only thing more expensive than a new luxury German car is a used luxury German car.

I intend to keep my GLK until about 100k miles after which the expensive problems are likely to occur. I know that the premium that I paid was for the experience of driving this car and I will get low-balled on the trade. To me this is the best way to get the most return on investment of this depreciating asset.

Good luck.

Tameling

Thank you formerjeepguy for the insider info on how trade in value is calculated - I had no idea. Your description of the aggravations of selling a vehicle were a good reality check. As a result, I've started to look into selling the car at a business that has a lot where used cars are shown for a 6 week period for a fee of course. And, I really lowered my expectations. I'll post an update if anything of general interest happens next.