Your experience selling a car to a dealer / CarMax / Carvana

ThankYouJack · Post by **ThankYouJack** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:05 pm

I'm selling a used car and may sell it to a dealer to save time. I can get offers online, but am wondering if those are accurate, if I'll be able to negotiate a higher price and if they'll try to lowball me when I get there.

What's your experience been selling cars to dealerships / CarMax / Carvana? Any tips?

Artsdoctor · Post by **Artsdoctor** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:08 pm

I've sold three cars to CarMax. Could not have been simpler. You know what they'll give you if you apply ahead of time. You'll have an appointment, and the transactions is complete, all within an hour (although I can't say that it would be same for every CarMax everywhere).

bob60014 · Post by **bob60014** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:24 pm

I've used Carvana. Easy process from quote, payment to pickup. Their quote was about $1k higher than others, no need trying to haggle for a few extra bucks.

anoop · Post by **anoop** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:33 pm

Carmax quote was 4K more than the 27k dealer offered and dealer matched it. I have sold two cars to Carmax. Both times they were better than the dealer.

mrb09 · Post by **mrb09** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:38 pm

Bought a car and sold a car from Carmax, and sold a car to Carvana. Very easy, and their pre-quote was accepted for both. We were slightly out of the area for Carvana, but we met them at the edge of their territory and did the paperwork in the parking lot.

NavyIC3 · Post by **NavyIC3** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:49 pm

Has anyone sold a car coming off a Toyota lease?

galving · Post by **galving** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:59 pm

Artsdoctor wrote: ↑Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:08 pm I've sold three cars to CarMax. Could not have been simpler. You know what they'll give you if you apply ahead of time. You'll have an appointment, and the transactions is complete, all within an hour (although I can't say that it would be same for every CarMax everywhere).

Agreed.
It's quite simple to sell cars to CarMax.
Get an appointment, and within an hour you're walking out with a check.

If you're buying another car sometimes there's a tax savings to trade your existing car in.
Dealer's generally try to pocket that 'savings' by reducing their trade in offer by the exact amount.

I've threatened to walk, and generally gotten them to revise their offer.
CarMax is pretty good and I've bought and sold multiple times with them.

Good luck,
galving

AllMostThere · Post by **AllMostThere** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 5:05 pm

bob60014 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:24 pm I've used Carvana. Easy process from quote, payment to pickup. Their quote was about $1k higher than others, no need trying to haggle for a few extra bucks.

How does the process work with Carvana? As they typically do not have brick & mortar, is the vehicle even inspected?

Agent 99 · Post by **Agent 99** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 5:22 pm

AllMostThere wrote: ↑Sun Sep 17, 2023 5:05 pm
bob60014 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:24 pm I've used Carvana. Easy process from quote, payment to pickup. Their quote was about $1k higher than others, no need trying to haggle for a few extra bucks.
How does the process work with Carvana? As they typically do not have brick & mortar, is the vehicle even inspected?

I sold 2 cars to Carvana last year. One car was old but in great condition and low mileage. The other was not so old and had numerous problems and some problems showed up just before Carvana came to pick the car up.

Unless it has changed my experience was quite simple and convenient. Enter all the info on their webpage. Be honest about issues. That’s what saved me on the 2nd car. The rep contacted me and said she was on her way over. I suggested she cancel because the check engine light suddenly came on, etc. She said let me call you back. She checked with her manager. She said that since I had listed problems they would still take the car at the same price.

Once you agree to sell to Carvana they will ask for an upload of the title.

They showed up. Looked at the mileage and paperwork. Didn’t open the hood or kick the tires. The car was loaded on their tow truck. I got my check in the driveway and deposited it ASAP! The same was done for the first car.

I was able to watch the first car on the site to see what they priced it at and how long it took to sell. It eventually sold but the price was lowered below what they paid me but not by much.

The second troubled car never showed up on their site. They probably auctioned it off immediately.

If you get an estimate and let the time lapse then try to get another estimate the price will be lower.

I got estimates from Carvana, Carmax, Vroom. Carvana was always higher.

ResearchMed · Post by **ResearchMed** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 5:59 pm

DH helped his very elderly mother sell her fairly new car when we moved her to Assisted Living near us in a larger metro area.
(She had still been driving all of her friends to *their* assorted medical appointments, etc. She was sharp as a tack, but she had no interest in driving in crazy metro area traffic... thank goodness.)

They went to CarMax, and then to a couple of dealers. CarMax was by far the best offer.
They took it back to CarMax, and in about an hour, took a taxi back to her house, check in hand.
Oh, they did stop at the bank and deposit that check!

We were all very surprised and pleased. It could not have been easier.

RM

random_walker_77 · Post by **random_walker_77** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 6:36 pm

I sold a late model low-mileage Hybrid Camry at the beginning of the year. Online offers from carmax and carvana were 20.5K and 21K. kbb or edmunds estimated 26.5K. I listed it on craigslist, nextdoor, cargurus.com, and facebook marketplace for 26K. Almost immediately, one dealer contacted me offering 24K, but they were 2 hours away, and on a short timeline. Apparently, they thought it'd be a good match for a potential customer, so they needed an immediate answer. I declined, since it had just hit the market. A few days later, a local dealer contacted me and offered a little over 25K. I accepted and stopped by the next morning with the title. I was there for about 20min total while they did a quick inspection of the car, and we took care of the paperwork. At that point, they kept the car, and told me to come back in 24 hours to pick up the check. Easy.

I did pay to list on cargurus, and had nibbles from multiple dealers. The final sale came through facebook marketplace. There was definitely work involved. I put in about an hour to vacuum and clean the interior, wiping everything down with a damp microfiber cloth, and using a few dozen wet Q-tips to remove dust around the dashboard and center console. Another hour washing the car's exterior, and wiping it down to avoid waterspots. When selling previous (10+ year old) used cars, I'd apply Nufinish to make it look nice and shiny, but this car was so new that it looked great after a simple wash. Once dried, I also spent maybe 15 min taking it to an empty cul-de-sac on a really sunny day, to take a couple dozen pictures around the entire exterior, dashboard, and interior areas.

Because it looked great and clean, it was basically dealer-ready. They could buy it from me and immediately flip it, and the extensive pictures made that clear up-front. (If you look at online car ads, especially from dealers, you know what a clean car looks like, and what camera angles look good)

I didn't intend to sell to a dealer, but I was on a deadline, and since they offered a pretty good offer, the convenience and reduced risk of selling to a dealer sealed the deal, so to speak. In the past, I've waited until my cars were 15 years old, and worth around $4-5K. At that price point, I was contacted by individuals, but at the 26K price point, all but one of the responses to my ads were from dealers.

BuddyJet · Post by **BuddyJet** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 6:45 pm

I sold a car at Carmax. They raised their offer about $1k after looking the car over. It was 19 years old but low miles and good condition.

Parkinglotracer · Post by **Parkinglotracer** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 7:13 pm

Sold Lexus ES 350 (2008 with 56K miles) for 13K on FB market place last spring. The best offer I could get in St Pete Fl area from carmax / carvana was less than 8K.

Obvious strong demand for well kept used cars out there. Don’t let anyone tell you there is not. It is easy to look on the Carmax site to see what they are going to sell it for when you sell it to them. I realize everyone is not comfortable selling their own car to an individual.

Exterous · Post by **Exterous** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 7:20 pm

Could be an anomaly given the other positive experiences but Carvana and CarMax were only willing to give me $250 and $500 for a higher mileage Audi. I got dealer options for $3,000 and $3,200

nanciT · Post by **nanciT** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 7:22 pm

I recently sold a car to Carmax. They make it very simple and were down the street from the Dealer I was purchasing a new car from.

I would sell to them again.

Stinky · Post by **Stinky** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 8:10 pm

I’ve sold to both Carmax and Carvana. Very positive experiences with both firms.

I’d suggesting getting quotes from both firms and taking the higher offer.

But before finally accepting, go back to the dealer and see if he’ll match, which may save you sales tax. When I bought my last car in 2022, the dealer came close enough to matching Carmax that I saved $500.

nyclon · Post by **nyclon** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 9:15 pm

NavyIC3 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:49 pm Has anyone sold a car coming off a Toyota lease?

I wanted to terminate my Toyota lease early and buy a Carmax vehicle. They bought the Toyota from me and dealt with everything with Toyota. And because i bought a Carmax vehicle as part of that transaction, I paid zero sales tax, since it was considered a trade. Very happy. The Carmax warranty has been solid.

fullham · Post by **fullham** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 9:21 pm

I got a quote from Carvana for (formerly) my 2014 Altima with 98k miles in July for about $4500. KBB private party value was about $7000-$8500 at the time. I wound up listing it on Craigslist and got several emails interested over $8k and wound up selling it for $9k after about 5 days on Craigslist.

beyou · Post by **beyou** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 9:59 pm

How does Carvana and Vroom do with older cars in less than great condition ?
Those of us Bogleheads who tend to keep a car a very long time eventually do sell !
I usually keep at least 10 years, but never send them to the junkyard, at least not yet.

I have no carmax near me unfortunately, but I believe Vroom and Carvana will work in my area.

snackdog · Post by **snackdog** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 11:20 pm

Everyone is going to tell you it was fast and easy. Most will not say they got a great price. You are paying for convenience.

jlawrence01 · Post by **jlawrence01** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 2:55 am

Before I retired, I was a fleet manager and I was responsible for acquiring and disposing of our companies auto, truck and SUV vehicles.

My preferred was of disposing of the vehicles was to sell to employees. When I had a vehicle, I would contact GE Leasing to get an estimate of what the car would bring at auction and I would post a sales flyer in the plant to assess any interest. If i did not get any interest at any price, I would send the car to Manheim or similar dealer's auction.

I did send a couple of cars to Carmax. They were generally more generic vehicles like Ford Taurus. I found that the offers given by Carmax were pretty similar to the estimated auction prices or in other words, a WHOLESALE price. You could do a lot better selling the vehicle to a private seller. The last car I sold was a 4 year old Ford Taurus with 60k miles. I received $6500 for the vehicle. The following week, they had it on the lot listed at $10,500.

The good part about Carmax is that they give you a firm price and usually seven days to accept their offer. You do get paid right away and the like. There is no hassle and no negotiations. If you bring in a legitimate title, you will generally be out of there in two hours.

However, you can do the same thing at a local NEW CAR dealership as they are also in the business of buying cars. I do not think that their buy prices are much different than the Carmax locations. However, they will ONLY buy a car that meets the profile of what they like to sell on the lot which also ties into what brands of new cars they sell. Also, they will only buy a car that they have limited stock in.

If you think that you are going to go in there and "wheel and deal" with these people, I think that you are deceiving yourself. Most of the people who purchase vehicles from the public are the ones that purchase at the auctions every week or two. They are not going to pay you any more than they could buy that model at the auction. Used cars are one of the top profit centers at any dealership and success in that area drives profitability.

I can't speak about Carvana as I have never dealt with them and there is just a certain aura about them that is sleazy. Maybe it is their inability to deliver titles to buyers on a timely basis.

hoofaman · Post by **hoofaman** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 5:30 am

I would get an offer from Carmax before trading to new car dealer, but you also need to consider the tax benefits of trading in the vehicle vs selling it to carmax. No harm to get carmax offer, you just show up and take home the offer to think about it, ime you have 7 days to decide after offer given

All the cars I've ever traded in and sold have been 10-20 years old. My understanding is that cars older than 10 years old are sent to auction. Despite that, for whatever reason Carmax has almost always had made me great offers, and I've never bought from them, only sell.

One time I had even started attempting to sell a car privately first, after having time wasted by tire kickers Carmax gave me 20% more than I had my car advertised for, which I had based off ebay and autotrader closed listings

andypanda · Post by **andypanda** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 7:21 am

Last month I sold my relatively low-mileage 2016 4Runner Trail Premium to my stepson when I bought a new '23 Off Road Premium.

He took his 2015 4Runner Trail to Carmax, but they were really busy. The pre-inspection estimate that day was $17,400.

The following week he had more time so he took it in and they inspected it, pulled a carfax report that showed a major rear end repair from 2017 collision. The truck had an unrepaired sideswiped right rear fender, holes worn in the floor mat and the carpet underneath, a small split seat seam or two, and the usual damages caused by our two grandsons - now 8 and 4 - along with lots of hard miles. Oh yeah, the mileage. 160,000 miles. And I think the ESC and ABS lights were constantly on after a recent rear brake job. It drove fine, just getting a little old. A little work and it would probably make 300k miles.

They gave him $15.400 after an hour or so of inspecting and talking. I got the money, so it was sorta like I sold them a car.

bberris · Post by **bberris** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:28 am

I sold an old car to carmax for about 50 % more than the trade in offer. The offer was exactly what was estimated online from their site. The catch to dealer trade in vs selling your car is that, in both states I've experienced, the sales tax is levied on the difference between the trade in and selling price. If you sell the car separately from a trade in, you owe sales tax on the entire car price.

firebirdparts · Post by **firebirdparts** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:55 am

We had a Lexus LS430 with 200,000 miles on it. I was going to list it various places for $4500 and Carmax offered me $4700 online. So I drove it over there and took my tag off and started walking down the street. I walked into Outback Steakhouse and had a nice dinner and eventually I called an Uber and got home. I live in rural Appalachia so real taxi is not a thing here.

It was a really nice car, but I was glad to be rid of it with them as a sort of "liability shield". It didn't really book for more money in my opinion (I collect and restore cars so it's very much in my wheelhouse). If you're all about "this is worth XXX" then obviously you have to take that on a case by case basis.

Carvana is in deep financial yogurt so I would assume their offers would be low. But again, case by case basis. I haven't contacted them ever.

firebirdparts · Post by **firebirdparts** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:59 am

andypanda wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 7:21 am ........2015 4Runner Trail to Carmax, but they were really busy. The pre-inspection estimate that day was $17,400.
.... 160,000 miles. ....

Can you imagine some customer paying $20,000 for a car like that? It's amazing. You can buy a new car for that.

New 4runners are about 40 so for half price you can have one with 160,000 miles on it. Or for the same half price you be the first guy that drove the first 160,000.

Jack FFR1846 · Post by **Jack FFR1846** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 9:48 am

I had started a new job who gave me a car allowance but I needed a 4 door car. I bought the 4 door car and put my 2 door Wrangler in Craigslist. After several weeks of no real interest, I tried Car Max and then drove right to the Jeep dealer. The Jeep dealer offered me more than Car Max and was $500 below my Craigslist asking price. I said yes and called DW to come pick me up. In the time DW took to drive the 5 miles to the dealer, I had signed the title and had a check in hand. DW picked me up, I deposited the check in my credit union and all was done.

London · Post by **London** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 9:52 am

I used Vroom with great success. They paid me more than I could get locally and basically didn’t care in any way about the condition of the car. I understand why this company is losing money.

Chv396 · Post by **Chv396** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:01 am

Sold our 3-4 year old Toyota Prius to Carvana (excellent condition, low mileage, accident free, dealer maintained according to maintenance schedule, garaged) and after they inspected the vehicle, gave us close to market asking price for it. A week later, saw it advertised on Carvana roughly for $2,000 more. It sold on Carvana roughly a week later.

wolf359 · Post by **wolf359** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:06 am

beyou wrote: ↑Sun Sep 17, 2023 9:59 pm How does Carvana and Vroom do with older cars in less than great condition ?
Those of us Bogleheads who tend to keep a car a very long time eventually do sell !
I usually keep at least 10 years, but never send them to the junkyard, at least not yet.

I have no carmax near me unfortunately, but I believe Vroom and Carvana will work in my area.

If your car is really old and ready for the junkyard, get a quote from a junkyard. All the dealers will be doing is auctioning it off.

I did not realize that, and got a quote from CarMax. The car died on the drive there, and they would no longer accept it. I had no choice but to call a junkyard and have them tow it. It turns out that the yard gave me a higher price than CarMax was offering, and that's when I figured out what was going on.

My version of really old is 15-20 years plus, and over 200,000 miles. Too old for the dealers, so they'll just act as middlemen to salvage. With the shortage of cars, this might have changed for the last few years.

CletusCaddy · Post by **CletusCaddy** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:07 am

firebirdparts wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:59 am
andypanda wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 7:21 am ........2015 4Runner Trail to Carmax, but they were really busy. The pre-inspection estimate that day was $17,400.
.... 160,000 miles. ....
Can you imagine some customer paying $20,000 for a car like that? It's amazing. You can buy a new car for that.

New 4runners are about 40 so for half price you can have one with 160,000 miles on it. Or for the same half price you be the first guy that drove the first 160,000.

What new car can you buy for $20k?

2013 called and wants its MSRPs back

uaeebs86 · Post by **uaeebs86** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:21 am

CletusCaddy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:07 am
firebirdparts wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:59 am
andypanda wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 7:21 am ........2015 4Runner Trail to Carmax, but they were really busy. The pre-inspection estimate that day was $17,400.
.... 160,000 miles. ....
Can you imagine some customer paying $20,000 for a car like that? It's amazing. You can buy a new car for that.

New 4runners are about 40 so for half price you can have one with 160,000 miles on it. Or for the same half price you be the first guy that drove the first 160,000.
What new car can you buy for $20k?

2013 called and wants its MSRPs back

I believe there's only one left, the Mitsubishi Mirage.

Between 20 - 25k there are about 5.

andypanda · Post by **andypanda** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:44 am

"New 4runners are about 40"

And high demand with low production, and even lower production this year. In their best year Toyota only sold about 130k 4Runners in the U.S.

The base model SR5 is $40,185. They haven't been making those in any real numbers, only the SR5 Premium.
My stepson's 2015 was a Trail the next step up, not even a Trail Premium like mine and my 2016 had the $1750 factory installed option, the KDSS suspension system.

The Trail was renamed the TRD Off Road in 2017. A 2023 TRD Off Road on the Toyota site starts at $44,000, and again they are mostly importing the TRD Off Road Premium from Japan.

2023 TRD Off Road Premium with KDSS runs in the $53k range with all of the MANDATORY port installed options like TRD wheels for $1700, bug shield for a couple hundred, floor mats, cheap aluminum running boards for $665, dark led fog lights, (this was in the mid-Atlantic region anyway - one of 12 in the U.S.) Should be more like $49k or so plus state tax, paperwork, paper shuffling, and extra delivery fees.

New 4Runners have been a take it or leave it market. It hasn't been changed since 2010 and there are rumors of a redesign with twin turbocharged small gas engine instead of the tried and true 4L V6. Put a refundable $1k down and pick a truck off the dealer's allotment list from the regional office. Wait a month or three to maybe get, sort of, what you want and make a decision. They have people waiting to buy.

I paid $38.5k for my 2016. The sticker was $42.
Carmax gave me an on line offer pending inspection of $29k. Less than 80k miles, although I do tow a 16' boat and do drive it on the beach.

If this new one lasts seven years like the last one, well, I'll be 80.

TheOscarGuy · Post by **TheOscarGuy** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 11:54 am

ThankYouJack wrote: ↑Sun Sep 17, 2023 4:05 pm I'm selling a used car and may sell it to a dealer to save time. I can get offers online, but am wondering if those are accurate, if I'll be able to negotiate a higher price and if they'll try to lowball me when I get there.

What's your experience been selling cars to dealerships / CarMax / Carvana? Any tips?

online price was matched for two cars I recently ended up selling. Both at carmax. experience was flawless.

knowledge · Post by **knowledge** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 12:08 pm

Sold one car to Carvana, another to Vroom. Both were quick and convenient, with quick payment. Carvana had the better operation, took actual pictures, confirmed odometer, that sort of thing.

In terms of tips, since it's very simple to get a quote from Vroom and Carvana, be armed with that when you're looking to trade-in or deal with the dealer. I sold to Carvana since the dealer wouldn't match and it wasn't much of a hassle.

beyou · Post by **beyou** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 2:40 pm

wolf359 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:06 am
beyou wrote: ↑Sun Sep 17, 2023 9:59 pm How does Carvana and Vroom do with older cars in less than great condition ?
Those of us Bogleheads who tend to keep a car a very long time eventually do sell !
I usually keep at least 10 years, but never send them to the junkyard, at least not yet.

I have no carmax near me unfortunately, but I believe Vroom and Carvana will work in my area.
If your car is really old and ready for the junkyard, get a quote from a junkyard. All the dealers will be doing is auctioning it off.

I did not realize that, and got a quote from CarMax. The car died on the drive there, and they would no longer accept it. I had no choice but to call a junkyard and have them tow it. It turns out that the yard gave me a higher price than CarMax was offering, and that's when I figured out what was going on.

My version of really old is 15-20 years plus, and over 200,000 miles. Too old for the dealers, so they'll just act as middlemen to salvage. With the shortage of cars, this might have changed for the last few years.

I don't keep them so long that they would break down on the way to a dealer for a trade-in.
Every car I have sold was still drivable, and in good working condition, and sold for transportation, not scrap metal.
But I did have dealers discourage me from trading in, saying the car was too old, best to sell privately (not junk yard).
I hate selling privately. Like the idea of using my older car as downpayment on a new car, decreasing sales tax and walking out swapping old
for new. Would sell to Carvana or the like of they come pick it up and I'm done with it.

UpperNwGuy · Post by **UpperNwGuy** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 2:52 pm

beyou wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 2:40 pm I hate selling privately.

I hate it too. I once was married to a car dealer's daughter, and she loved selling our old cars privately. I miss those days.

Lookingforanswers · Post by **Lookingforanswers** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 3:25 pm

I had one great experience selling a car to CarMax, and one not so great.

The great experience: I had a used premium sports car with *lots* of miles on it. The car was in great condition, but had more miles than buyers were used to seeing on that car. I did a lot of price research in advance. It was kind of hard to value, and a dealer was offering me a terrible price on a trade in. I took it to CarMax, they spent a day coming up with an offer, and then offered me a fair price. It equivalent to what I would have gotten if I'd worked really hard to do a private sale on my own. They weren't over-paying -- they just made it easy to get a good price.

The not-so-great experience: 3 years later I took in another sports car with very few miles and in great condition. The only problem is that the original clear paint protection film that was installed on the hood of the car when it was new had a minor flaw in it. The appraiser misread that flaw in the clear film on the car as meaning that the car could have have been wrecked and the front end had been repainted. They offered me a lower-than-wholesale-market price for the car that assumed that it had been damaged, repaired and repainted. I didn't take the offer.

My lesson learned -- that 2nd car was a great car, and clearly they didn't want to take a risk on it when they saw what they thought was a paint flaw but could have suggested something worse had happened. I should have had it professionally inspected first and fixed the problem with the film. (I had the car carefully inspected after I got the bid and the paint specialist I took it to said I could have fixed the bad film for $500 or so, which would have been worth it).

tennisplyr · Post by **tennisplyr** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 7:03 am

Great post, lots of good information, thanks!

smitcat · Post by **smitcat** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 7:20 am

CletusCaddy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:07 am
firebirdparts wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:59 am
andypanda wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 7:21 am ........2015 4Runner Trail to Carmax, but they were really busy. The pre-inspection estimate that day was $17,400.
.... 160,000 miles. ....
Can you imagine some customer paying $20,000 for a car like that? It's amazing. You can buy a new car for that.

New 4runners are about 40 so for half price you can have one with 160,000 miles on it. Or for the same half price you be the first guy that drove the first 160,000.
What new car can you buy for $20k?

2013 called and wants its MSRPs back

Here is one article on that subject...
"Finding a new car or SUV for under $20,000 isn't as easy as it once was, but there remain plenty of vehicles with good design and desirable features at this budget price point."
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/adv ... nder-20000

Chardo · Post by **Chardo** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 7:37 am

CarMax couldn't be easier. I got an online offer on my 10 year old BMW. Right afterward, wife put a dent in the bumper and scuffed the fender. I went back online for an updated offer listing the damage. Same offer. Drove to CarMax that week, they took a walk around the car, and a few minutes later I had a check for that amount.

andypanda · Post by **andypanda** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 8:17 am

I didn't know the cheapest of the cheap sub-$20k Mitsu Mirage has a 3-cylinder engine with 78 hp.

"All Mitsubishi Mirage hatchbacks come with a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that generates a minuscule 78 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque. That's significantly less urge than you'll get with rivals such as the Nissan Versa (122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet)."

I had a 1975 Datsun B210 with 70 hp iirc and it could barely get out of its own way. It was still running fine when I sold it with 100k miles on it. After googling I see it was slower than I remembered. A lot slower.

"The 1.3-liter engine reliably returned 40-50 mpg on the open road. The 1978 model can go from 0-60 mph in 13.2 seconds and gets 48 mpg on the interstate. "

scooter · Post by **scooter** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 3:58 pm

I sold both of my cars on Craig's after using Edmunds and Kelly blue book to get fair estimates.

I then bought 2 more cars online after determining the model, color and accessories and test driving the cars.

I sent requests to every dealer within 100 miles and asked for out the door price to include sales tax, plate transfers. etc and willing to buy in 2 weeks. Took the best offer and sent it to local dealer and gave them 2 hours to match it and they did. Cut out all the hassle of "I need to to talk to the manager etc.

robphoto · Post by **robphoto** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 4:09 pm

I got three quotes on a car I was selling: 2 local dealers and CarMax.

One dealer didn't really want it, very low offer.

CarMax reasonable offer, about what I expected.

Another dealer wanted the car, offered about 400. more. I sold it to them, but like many dealer experiences, lots of waiting and nonsense.

j9j · Post by **j9j** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 4:23 pm

I’ve sold two vehicles to Carmax. Each of sale was almost 15 apart. Both times the experience with Carmax was fair price, expedient and best of all no hassle. Carmax and Discount tire are two businesses that have consistently been well-run.

Bobby206 · Post by **Bobby206** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 4:23 pm

When I sell a car it depends on how much it's worth and how much time I have at that point in life. I have had good luck with several different options. Over the years have sold private party, AutoNation, CarMax, dealership, and trade in at dealership I was buying a car from. Recently I sold a car for around $25k. I didn't do Carmax as I didn't want to go in person as I have found Carmax to be slow. So I checked online with Carvana, AutoNation and two others (can't remember now). All were around $25k (+/-$1,000). Well, actually one was $5k less but I think they made a mistake or I made a mistake in input. I was hoping to get $28k'ish so threw it up online to see if I could get lucky. Within a day a potential buyer contacted me who turned out was a local dealer. I was honest with my highest and best. They beat it by $600. I went in the next day, they never re-negotiated or did anything at all shady, took 40 minutes, and I walked out with my check. I was pleased. With all the online resources it's pretty easy to know what a car is really worth. Then you just have to decide what your time is worth to decide what steps you want to take. I haven't truly sold a car fully private in 10 years and probably will never again. Always been more of a headache. Perhaps if it's a really cheap car being sold for cash I would do truly private party but anything else I'd go through a dealer or sell to a friend... maybe.

talzara · Post by **talzara** » Tue Sep 19, 2023 6:12 pm

andypanda wrote: ↑Tue Sep 19, 2023 8:17 am I didn't know the cheapest of the cheap sub-$20k Mitsu Mirage has a 3-cylinder engine with 78 hp.

"All Mitsubishi Mirage hatchbacks come with a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that generates a minuscule 78 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque. That's significantly less urge than you'll get with rivals such as the Nissan Versa (122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet)."

I had a 1975 Datsun B210 with 70 hp iirc and it could barely get out of its own way. It was still running fine when I sold it with 100k miles on it. After googling I see it was slower than I remembered. A lot slower.

"The 1.3-liter engine reliably returned 40-50 mpg on the open road. The 1978 model can go from 0-60 mph in 13.2 seconds and gets 48 mpg on the interstate. "

Your Datsun felt faster in 1975 because of the 55 mph national speed limit. You were much closer to highway speeds when you got to the end of the on-ramp.

The speed limits are higher now, and speed limits are not enforced as strictly. You have to be brave to drive a slow car like the Mitsubishi Mirage on the highway.

Snapper · Post by **Snapper** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 8:08 am

Sold to Carvana. Could not have been simpler. Truck showed up, driver handed me the check. They provided info before and after sale to make sure I handled my side of transaction and cancelled insurance. I shopped it and found I could get $100 more, but they would mail a check. I liked getting paid. Driver also explained what impacted my price. In my case my mileage was a little high and that affected price. I was very happy with process.

hudson · Post by **hudson** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 8:36 am

In 2018, I needed a ride to pick up a new Toyota.
No ride available, so I drove an excess 2000 Tacoma: I planned to park it at Toyota and get it another day.
At a gas station on the way, I had an offer for it, but decided that it would take too much work.
After the deal was made on the new Toyota, I asked what they would give me for the 18 year old Tacoma.
The answer was $1,500. Sold! It saved me a return trip and another trip to CarMax.
Could I have gotten more? Probably, but convenience is worth something. (Two birds; one stone)

hahabye · Post by **hahabye** » Wed Sep 20, 2023 12:51 pm

I just sold my vehicle online to givemethevin.com. They offered significantly more than Carvana, Vroom, Carmax, and Autonation and the process was easy and straightforward. Good luck!