You'll usually get wholesale value or less.regardless.the only way to usually get "more" is trading it in for something else at the same dealer.but really they just work the numbers.the less they pay,the more they make on resale.

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Or if you wanna put up with people coming to your house, or not coming to your house when they said they would come to your house, and driving your car when you don't know them from a hole in the ground, not to mention the inevitable haggling, then you could always sell it privately.

 

Agree with Scotty if you can put up with the BS you could probably get close to book value if you trade in your going to get screwed because that is what dealers do for a living.:mellow:

 

CarMax seems to vary based on location. They offered me over a grand less when I took my Vette ('06) for an appraisal than I got a year later trading it in for the '13. On the other hand, in Houston I got a great price selling them my '97 Trans Am after buying a 2000 Ram Air. Close to full retail. The Dealer really wanted my Corvette so that helped a lot. Obviously, CarMax in Houston wanted the T/A. In general, on a popular car that holds resale value well, they are competitive, but not really better, than trading it in at the same make Dealer.

 

you will likely get a tad higher at Carmax but it all depends. If you considering to trade in I would at least bring it to Carmax just so you don't regret.

Keep in mind the local dealer is trying to make a profit, so they gave you the lowest number then can think of. That number is negotiable. Are you just trying to sell or trading in for something else?

 

I've had very good experiences with the Carmax locations near me in the north metro Atlanta area. I was offered considerably more for my 08' SI sedan and the 13' FR-S I got rid of to get my 13' SI sedan from Carmax than from Honda and/or Scion. In addition to getting a better offer from them, the locations near me have the buying process so squared away that it it only takes 20 minutes or so to complete the transaction.

 

Agreed. When I traded in my last car I went to Carmax first and when the dealership lowballed me on my trade I showed them my printed carmax offer. They met that same offer which was thousands more. It's worth a trip and it's free.

 

Agree. Worth a trip. It also depends on your area. I got my 2008 dodge caliber with 109k miles appraised at a carmax right outside of DC for $4,000. When I went an hour south to Fredericksburg to purchase my civic, they tried to offer me $2,000. When I showed them the carmax offer, they told me they couldn't match it because the area just wasn't as affluent. Straight up said they blew them out of the water. Thankfully there was another carmax down the road and the offer was good for 7 days. Got my 4K and went back for my EX

 

This is a good thread to find. I never considered CarMax appraisals before. There's one about 60 miles from me.

 

I've never heard of this CarMax. How long has it been around?

 

sometime in the 90s, maybe earlier? I bought my last car from them. They don't sell lemons by any means, but their whole tag line is they won't haggle with you. The price on the car is the price you pay before TTL, period. Works for people, but at the end of the day they're grossly overpriced. That's why they can buy a car for more. For instance, they have a 2013 Si on the website with 2K miles that is going for $22,599 - and that's before you tax it and all that extra. Pretty ridiculous.

 

Yeah, that is a little steep for a used car. I'd expect that from a Dealer, who allows you to negotiate.

I'm sure they give nice appraisals, though. Higher the better, right?

 

Any time I've shopped at Carmax, they've been very expensive. And the appraisals they've given me have been low. Also they have to test drive your car. Maybe all dealers do that.

 

It's always good to have other offers on your car, but I think Honda dealers are the best to trade/sell to. I've taken KBB valuation paperwork to my dealer for a trade and they gave me the KBB value without question. I paid my difference and drove away with a smile.

I am considering doing the same thing again this year.

 

Remember that a trade in will lower the tax you pay on the car so take that into consideration when comparing carmax/private seller to trade in amount.

 

Yeah, you only pay taxes on the difference. So, if my trade is $19500, and the new car is $21500 (negotiated price), I only pay the tax on that $2,000. That's always nice. So, I walk away paying about $2350 after fees. I did this last year with the 2012 to 2013.

EDIT: This may differ from State to State.

 

Sell it yourself, put "firm" after the price in your ad and stick to it. If they try to talk price on the phone tell them you only go up on the price not down. That will keep the idiots away from your house. If it's a solid clean car it will sell at retail book if you have the time. You have the time if the car is paid off. That's how I sell my cars.

 

That's similar to what I do when I get sick of idiot craigslist lowballers (not cars). Someone offers me half, I tell them no but I'll take [double the price]. People still lowball me when I put firm in the ad too. Some even say "I know your ad says firm, but...".

How do you deal with people that are out to test drive used cars, including yours, to figure out what kind of car they want? I'm sure some are just joyriders too. And I have people email me for craigslist items asking if I still have it, but their next reply after mine says they should be able to buy it when they get paid in x days/weeks. So I'm sure there are also some that want to test drive your car, without even having the finances yet to buy.

 

I got 21k for my 12' Si with 12k miles.

 

From Carmax?

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I work at CarMax. People usually think their car is worth a lot more than it really is. Once you purchase a new vehicle, you automatically lose about at least15% when you drive off the lot. KBB doesn't buy cars. And their numbers are inflated by traditional dealership numbers. If you go to a dealership and tell them to give you $5000 on a 88 civic with over 200k miles, they will do it to make you think you are getting a good deal. But they put what they're losing in another end. And those numbers get reported to all the estimates online and the outcome is people thinking their vehicle is worth a lot more than it really is. If you really believe your vehicle is worth what kbb says. Sell it to them. Oh wait...they don't buy cars. Btw, aftermarket parts are a big no no to dealerships. Drops the worth of the vehicle. Not being a dick but people that look at kbb and want what they say annoy me.

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You couldn't be anymore wrong.the kbb goes off of estimated and supply and demand.
You of all people should not be talking if you work for car max.
Every single car max purchaser that goes to auctions such as
Brashers,manheims,adesa, etc etc
Pays stupid ridiculous money for cars.

If the low book on the car is say 13200 car max guys will pay up to 14 or more

So if anyone is inflating cars it's the carmax people.
It's based of the local market for that particular area of that particular dealer.

But in case there is people that don't know CARMAX doesn't sell new cars because they don't make em.

So they purchase a crapload of cars at stupid prices causing the inflation.kbb goes off reported sale value and where you came up with this BS idea that a dealer reports to kbb that say an 88 civic sold for 5k.
First off not a single value in kbb or NADA will give you a 5k value not even the high book of suggested retail value.
That right away shows you must not be a desk guy.but merely a floor guy.
Your information is so bass ackwards that I think you should avoid defending carmax simply because you work for em.
I did recon for 7 years including a car max store and you guys pay shit money for repairs and sell for a lot.
All carmax sells is used cars so since there is a huge selection of used cars a customer pays a premium for going to purchase at carmax lots.

Anyone want to research please do.
Google how carmax manipulates the market.

You'll get the worst price at carmax because your getting the luxury of selling your car on the spot.
So carmax needs a profit.so they'll rape a consumer in buying off the street and they rape the market by paying stupid money at the auctions and they sell the street car if it's crappy and old to other dealers through their own version of an auction.

Sooooo.I have more info on carmax if anyone wants it.




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If anyone wants to research kbb price simply Google kbb tracking.
It uses values of when the car was new,and what the market demand is.
A value of a car can go up or down relating to fuel costs,market,and nationwide demand,as well as other variables.
However NONE of the reports they use are from what a dealer sells a used car for.since you can't directly report to kbb what do you do?enter carmax market manipulation.

The info and proof is out there.I just wanted to clear up some wrong information.


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Couldn't be more wrong. Lol. And the 88 civic was an example. Not real. Ever heard of an example?? Kbb does not get their numbers that way. And I've worked for a Toyota dealership as well so I'm pretty familiar on how all this works. No need to argue with someone who bases all of their argument on Google. I actually have experience in the auto industry. Not Google experience.

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Lol.
Over 20 years in the automotive industry sorry.
I don't base anything off Google.that was a reference for those that want to read up on it.

Your example,
It was terrible example,know what that is.?
carmax doesn't even pay a street customer acv.
That's part manipulation.
Paying over book?manipulation.
the list is extensive.
oh and btw kbb themselves have the info.
not just Google ans fyi Kelley started as a used car dealer and was the biggest in the country at one point.
They stopped buying and selling a long time ago.but if the book was so terrible no one would use it now would they.?

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Yea, 21k from Carmax for my 12' Si with 12k miles. When the 2013 Si came out I wanted to trade up. I took it to the dealership I was getting the 13' from and had them appraise it, the offered 17k. I was kinda bummed. Then the sales guy said I should give Carmax a try. I had a bad experience with Carmax in the past, but figured I had nothing to lose. So I took it over there. 15 minutes later they gave me the appraisal of 21k. I owed 19k on it... so I sold it on the spot haha.

 

Wth?must be a desperate market.

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sold a few cars at carmax. they were higher than other dealerships

 

I like the idea of getting the printed CARMAX appraisal as leverage for trading.

As for buying from CARMAX you are almost always going to pay top dollar if you get hooked on an item.

CARMAX is a good place to try different makes and models when shopping for a new ride.

But, if you want to buy one:

Get documented price history
Get a full CarFax report
Get documented owner history
Be skeptical
Get an independent mechanic's review during the return grace period
Validate mfg warranty periods and eligibility and repair history

Be prepared to walk away - there are plenty of options.
It's really a buyer's market for the buyer who isn't locked on specifics.

As for trading, my state helps to advantage the dealers with the sales tax.
If you trade at the dealer, the trade-in value is deducted from the sale price to calculate the sales tax.
If you sell it on the street, you don't get that discount which can easily be hundreds of dollars or more.

Of course, once you have to maintain your ride, it's usually a seller's market for the repair-shops.

 

I read this thread the other night, I took my 13 Si to a carmax in Garland Tx, They came back with $18,450 , The manager told me they want it, He said every Si he has had in his inventory since 2015 has sold within 5 days. He said they sell at full retail with higher than average miles, He said they sell for between 1K above retail to original sticker price for low mileage 2014 and 2015's , he said 2013 with low miles sell for retail to 3.5k over retail.

I wonder how all this will shake out once the 17 Si makes it's entrance to the market, Really no matter, I see a Si as a solid low depreciation value, Supply and demand + They are just damn special.

 

9thgen Si will still continue to hold its value after 10thgen Si comes out because alot of people prefer NA.

 

average used 14-15 si here in los angeles are $26,000 for white or orange sedan, black or silver is around $23,000

 

Incredible, but not surprising 3D, apparently people are seeking the Si out heavily vs supply. I know it took me many months to find mine, and i was looking very aggressively and was willing to drive 300 miles to get one.