multivan trade ins

[wandaria]

folks is anyone getting good money for the trade in of multivans and the like. When I look at the red book the prices are pretty low, but when I look at the dealers they want almost as much as a new one when they sell it retail as a second hand job, whats peoples experience with this sort of thing.

thanks

Tim

[BobD]

They always look expensive when looking at cars for sale but when you sell them it seems like no one wants them and the values are really low.

They wanted to give me $12000 for my 3.5 year old, 105000km, T4 Transporter TDI with 8 seats and when I looked at vans for sale there were beat up, older T4s for over $30000 at dealers. I was not impressed and ended up squeezing them to $19000. They then put it on the lot for $21990, little more than GST on top of what they gave me. It was there for at least 6 months, even at that price, but seems to have gone now.

I can't work out whether they are actually getting these high prices they are asking, or what, but the values are certainly up and down and difficult to understand.

[WEDEL.1]

Apart from the margins they have to make to run the Dealership at a profit for their investors, I expect they have wages, electricity, stationary, water, computers, council rates etc.

Also, because European cars are perceived as being expensive for parts & to service, a larger than normal profit must be made to cover warranty.

Maris

[wandaria]

Yeah they amaze me and they obviously think there are lots of poorer people out there who will buy it, lets face it most people who look at this sort of vehicle can salary sacrifice.

I give you an example, in Noosa on a dealer yard is a 2005 diesel comfortline 4 motion with just under 40000 ks, I look in the red book and the trade in price is about 32-35 grand, yet they want 52 grand, why would anyone buy there car, naturally of course it has been sitting there for many many months and shortly it will be 2008.

Now if we add on gst and assume they traded it for 33 grand we are looking at a cost of 3700 and then whatever the costs of the business are etc and then make a profit, well it seems to me that breakeven to cost is about 38-39grand, not to mention every month it sits in the yard it would owe them an extra few hundred in interest they pay out (disregarding write offs), at the end of they day they are going backwards

I personally think I am being generous in relation to the trade, these days with salary sacrifice and gst a trade in car is worth didly squat when you try and get rid of it.

[95vr6]

I have a trade in value for my T5 128kw man swb 117000 ks 05 model from a dealer at $20000 when pricing up a new one at $49500. New it cost me $46500 just under 3years ago

[Seano]

My low k's 6yr old T4 double cab is worth about as much as a packet of chips as a trade-in....which goes to show why I've not replaced it.

I had a joy of a dealer say recently that I should buy a new one but when I asked him how much I'd get for the old one and was told "about 15 grand", my response was....."That's why". ****head wasn't amused!!