trade-in? or sell it private?
 

i have a 03 350z touring with nav.
to negotiate, is it better to take a trade in ? or sell it as a private and use that money as a down payment??
some told, trade-in is always better because dealers can work the numbers, when they cant go under MSRP
they offers way more money so they can work the numbers.. is this true??

sell it private.

Trading it in is easier and quicker but you may get less for your car. If you sell it privately then it will take more time and you may have to deal with flakes.

I would Autotrader is first and see what kind of bite it gets. if there's no solid bite, then ebay it. Unless you are a busy individual and don't want to deal with "tire kickers". I sold many cars on autotrader and ebay. My last car I traded in because I'm busy and the dealer gave me a nice trade in.

There is no doubt selling private will yeild you more money. There is some work involved, and if you have the time then by all means try it. As AK mentioned, I also recommend Autotrader, and spotlighting your car as well. Be prepared to set up appointments and take off work and get a no show. Also write you own discription of your vehicle, don't let the vin explosion do it for you.

If you go the private sale route, I'd also recommend only giving test drives to people who are very very serious. Otherwise, tell them you'll drive them around until they are sure about the purchase. When I was selling a few other cars in the past, many people would ask a few questions and then ask to drive the car. Wait for the guy who is drooling and talking about getting a cashier's check before you let them sit behind the wheel. The ones who want the car are obvious...use your instincts.

If you don't end up going the private route (which is better), make sure you use kelly blue book to get the trade-in value for your car and exact equipment and print it. Before the dealer even has a chance to tell you what they offer, make sure that they have a copy of your print out. Do not accept any less if your car is in reasonable condition. I did a test on this just for fun and dealers were offering me from 1-4k bellow blue book trade in value. kelly blue book trade in value was already 2k bellow private seller value.

Just want to add...

Consider taxes when making your decision. If you sell the car privately, you will be liable for the taxes on the entire price of the car you buy. If you trade it in, you are only liable for the taxes on the difference (new car $) - (trade in $) = taxable amount. You may end up getting the same deal financially without having to mess with tire kickers, etc.

This is a very good point. It will have a lot to do with where you live, what's actually taxable and what's the rate.

I was going to say the same thing about the taxes, but that varies from state to state. California doesn't give you tax credit on the trade, Georgia does. Almost always, you will get more for a private sale, but if its a 25-35000 car you are disposing of, sometimes, with the tax advantage it can be better trading.

The dealer wanted to give $300 for my trade (2000 Maxima with a crap-loap of miles). I took it to Carmax and got $1700 for it. I think a private sale will get you more money if your car is in good condition. I would highly recommend getting the Carmax estimate to use as a negotiating tool at the dealership. It's free, guaranteed for a week, and it only takes about an hour.

I think Carmax is one of the biggest rip off schemes in auto industry, along with aftermarket warranty. Anybody else feels that way?

find out KBB , find out MSRP and invoice on the new Z... does the KBB Price minus the trade in added to the base cost of your Z a good price for a new Z? if so trade it... else private party it

Dealers need sales. They will go below MSRP if they are hungry enough...

Better to sell it yourself - you'll get more money from it...

The only reason to trade in, is that you don't want to deal with selling it yourself.

On first model-year vehicles, and when you have a long payment schedule, warranties aren't a bad idea.

Keeps the out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum...hopefully!