What's the trade in value for my car?

[ProjectCorolla]

So I went with my dad to test drive a 2005 350z Track Edition. And let me say, it was (obviously) hella faster then the 4 banger I'm driving now. The sticker price was $30,655 with 15,300 miles on it. I've done my research and was able to talk them down to $24,000 (not including tax, etc.) so about $26,000 out the door, which I think is a hell of a deal. But I want to trade in my 1999 Corolla but don't know how much I should ask for. Here's what I've got:

16" 9 spoke chrome wheels
BF Goodrich all season tires with about 1000 miles on them
JVC Headunit
4 Sony xPlod 6.5s
2 Sony xPlod 12" subs w/ performance teknique 800 watt amp
Slant dual tip sports muffler
Have original wheels/tires and original muffler that I'm willing to throw in as well
TRD floor mats
Sport pedals
K&N drop in air filter
75% tint
Piaa H4 headlight bulbs
LED bulbs just about everywhere else

Oh and I have abour 98k miles on it and its an AT

So there is nothing major done to the car, just a few minor inexpsensive things.

How much should I ask for?

[AVANT]

Dealers will always rob you on trade ins. If you want to get the most for your dollar, it's better to sell it yourself via newspaper, etc.

[ProjectCorolla]

He told my he could do $4,000. And that's before he knew about any of the mods. Does this sound reasonable? Good? A rip?

[Driver]

Let me put it this way. 95 corollas with 150,000 miles on them go for 3-4 grands at auctions. Sell your car in the newspaper. You can get atleast 2-3 more grands than what the dealer offered.

[ProjectCorolla]

Dealer Trade-in: $3,406
Private Party: $4,344
Dealer Retail: $5,320

I originally bought it for $5,500 two years ago at 78k miles

[Ukrainian102]

Chances are they won't care about your mods. Part it out and/or sell it yourself.

[silkydraws]

and be sure to read EVERY LINE of the contract and UNDERSTAND EVERY FIGURE they put on there before you sign anything. They are pros at juggling numbers to make it sound ike you got the deal you wanted only to go home and figure out"Hey, they jacked up the price on the newer car to match, what THEY wanted." Thats why it's so much simpler and more foolproof to pay cash with no trade in, and also why the HATE for a person to walk in with CASH AND NO TRADE-IN. Interests rate mysteriously get higher, trade-ins look right but down-payments go down etc.etc. All that "talking to the manger" crap is just the finance dept. figgering out a way to screw ya. G/L.

[ProjectCorolla]

Well thanks for all the input but I have decided that despite the awesome price I was able to get this isn't the car for me. I mean, this is the year and model that I want but it's not equipped with everything I want. I mean, if I'm going to invest so much money in a car I might as well get one that will completely satisfy me, right? Thanks everyone!

[freakinbox]

dealers don't give a rats ass about mods unless it affects emissions...

[stubborn1]

If you do plan on trading it, put the stock wheels back on and take out all the aftermarket stereo equipment. This won't add any value to a dealer at trade time, so you may as well take it out and sell seperately. Most dealers try to avoid cars with mods because they know they will need to spend money getting things back to stock.

[dawg]

Originally Posted by freakinbox

dealers don't give a rats ass about mods unless it affects emissions...

Very True

[Cyorke]

THey dont care about the mods. If anything it decreases the value of the car as far as the dealer is concerned. That just means they need to get it back to stock to be able to sell it on their lot. OSmetimes the auctions they run them through if they dont keep them the people wont give top dollar for it because of the same reason or they think that it may have been beat on pretty good becuase of the mods.

I will tell you I traded my 97 COrolla with 175,000 miles on it and got around 3000 for it. I worked at the dealer and we gave auction numbers for trade ins. We had access to auction sites so we could see how much the cars were actually going for in the last 30 days so we knew if was a wholesale car we hopefully wouldnt loose money on it. IF they are offering you 4000 for it it may be a good deal. most of the time on your basic 4cyl Corollas, civics, camry, accords and that type of vehicle KBB.com is pretty close to the actual trade in value. If you want to get top dollar for it though you need to sell it on your own. However you do get some tax savings when you trade in because you have already paid taxes on the trade so that is deducted from the taxes you pay on the new vehicle.

so they may give you 4000 and you save a couple of hundred dollars in taxes or you sell it on your own and make more money but you have to pay for advertising, insurance while you are selling it and whatever other costs you may incur. ALso they may sell the car you are looking at before you sell yours and then you loose out on the Z.