3 years

 

You may be a little naive on this....Dealers will more often use Black Book values (which you'll find considerably lower) or actual auction values which are a better indicator of a car's wholesale value. As pointed out above, Figure the dealer has to sell the car at an attractive enough used price to make it desirable (That would be Much lower than Invoice which is now the default "retail" price). Subtract 20% from that selling price and you will be in the ballpark of what they will want to buy the car for. I think you're going to find this will cost you far more than you are anticipating...Good luck!

 

KBB is hogwash, especially when your buying X-plan (because trade price can't be altered.) if you want a little reality check on KBB click on suggested retail for that same car.. it's more then x-plan price for a new one less rebates. Once again I'm not trying to rain on your parade but am just conditioning you to the fact that your not going to trade for that sort of difference. If you can get through this deal and only lose 6-7k or so from your original purchase price I'd call that a win. most units will lose 25% of there original sticker price immediately upon leaving lot.

 

If that's truly how it's going to be then it's going to be "Hello Honda Fit" for me. So how did the Mustang GT ever win the "best resale value" award if it is going to hold to all of the old rules of thumb? Looks like I am screwed.

 

Remember...Value and trade value are two different things. When a dealer takes little profit on an X-Plan deal, where do you think they will try to make it up?? Remember too, that your car has an accident record which will further depress its worth to the dealer depending on disclosure rules in your state... If the dealer does not want a Carfax compromised car on his lot he'll wholesale it which locks in your value at a pretty low number.
Going to a Fit seems rather extreme. There are lots of interesting cars on the market these days which would not require that great a sacrifice and will cost less than $30K

 

Well all you can really do is sit down with the dealer and then work the numbers.
The mustang really does have good resale for a car. Most cars are under 50% in value on two years.

 

Yeah, my dealer is an enigma to me. The "internet sales" guys (form whom I bought my '11) simply sent me an e-mail with the MSRP and x-plan price of the car I want to buy. No other info, no follow-up phone call, no discussion about my trade. I replied to their e-mail with two questions, but got nothing.

If I am going to move forward, I need brass tacks, you know? What is it with these guys? I think it's time to go to another dealer or two. After all, my purchase price will be the same from any of them, but the trade-in will be the variable. Sure they won't make much, but to me it's E-Z from the standpoint of time spent on my deal. Why these guys don't want to just git-R-done is beyond me. So they really expect me to call THEM now for my answers? As soon as I have a hard number or two, I'll let you all know. Anything before that is pure conjecture on our part.

 

Why they don't want to Gir-R-Done is really quite simple. Someone wanting to trade an almost new vehicle is the toughest spot they can be in. You've already stated your initial expectations were a $2K difference. They don't want to be the guys who royally **** you off, which they will, when they give you the real number.

 

This is a great idea and what I did. I don't have a trade but I started dealing with one dealer and didn't like how they operated -- no email, had to fax things over, were rarely available by phone. While I understand they are working, I'd rather work with someone whom I can email back and forth with and that will respond when they have time so I took my business elsewhere and am happier for it. I am busy too and playing phone tag to get a simple question answered SUCKS.

 

Yeah except I've not told them anything about my expectations. All they know is that I want to order a car and have a trade, which they seem disinterested in. If they don't want to deal with me then they should just tell me outright. Inconsiderate bastards. Hardly anything ticks me off more than sales people wasting my time.

 

OK, the dealer got back to me with an offer of $30K for my car. After I shared the KBB info above, they reluctantly increased to a BAFO of $30,500, which I am thinking is about as good as I'll do with any dealer.

I am considering deleting the 401A and Electronics pkg from this "if I had to do it over again" car. Gotta compromise somewhere. If I do that, I'll save $2800 as compared to the car with those options. This would bring me to a net difference between my trade-in and the new car of: $2700.

Should I, guys? (I know, it's rhetorical, I don't depend on this forum to make such decisions for me, but the responses can be enlightening and you guys always come up with points I hadn't considered).

 

That's about what I figured. Ball (the one they left you) is in your court now!

 

Go for it. Electronics pkg is cool, but not why you want THIS car. You can get nav on just about anything. You can't get 412hp for this price out of anything. Buy a Garmin for $100 and plug in an iPod. You'll be fine. Get a Garmin that has Bluetooth and you'll be able to do just about everything the electronics pkg can do.

 

I tend to agree with you. The main reason I'd want EP is for the digital climate control (which my former Accord V6 had). The "live traffic" feature doesn't work for where I live and commute, which is thru the boonies. The EP was sort of a "consolation" for giving up the 'vert, but not really necessary.

Just gotta convince the wife now. That and my '11 GT is due for inspection soon. We usually take it to Meineke, so I'll put the stock mufflers in the trunk and when my wife drives it there for inspection, I'll get them to remove the GT500 mufflers and restore it to stock. Definitely want those for the new car!!

 

I agree completely. If 2700 is do-able then by all means it's the right thing. I think bigger consolation than the EP and 401A is actually being able to drive the thing.

 

LOL, quite. Altho it's nice being able to open the garage door and see that gorgeous shape in the garage, it's bittersweet knowing all I can do is look at it, at least for now.

Visited the local dealer (not the one I bought my '11 from) and looked at a 2011 they had on the lot with the 400A charcoal interior. Yes, I can definitely "live with" that interior - it's very nice! That guy can't quote me a trade-in unless I bring it up there, which means getting my wife to drive it up there, so that's a big TBD. He hadn't heard anything about the Sonic Blue late availability (of course).

The quote I mentioned above is from the dealer in the next city over, where I actually bought my '11 and took the car in for my warranty visits, so they "know me" & didn't need to see my car (again).

 

The 401A is only like $400, so monthly, your payment wouldn't be that much more...like $25 a month. Sonic Blue would be cool with Grabber Blue seat accents. I'm just saying.

 

$344 on x-plan. :-) But... sometimes there is a number that you need to stick to, no matter what the added cost is.

 

SO I found this 2011 Grabber Blue GT in dealer inventory about 90 minutes away. It's optioned much like the 2012 I discussed above except it also has HIDs and Security pkg. So there's $1000 more in options, ready to drive away, for about the same price as the 2012 ($1500 in rebates for the 2011 vice $500 for the 2012).

So it boils down to do I want a 2011 GB now with more options, or do I want to wait for the 2012 in the Sonic Blue color that's my 1st pref (I think, who knows for sure till we see them?)?

BTW, my local dealer claims there was a price increase yesterday, so 2012s went up abt $250 or so. 5.0 Brian, know anything about this?

 

Just read the last four pages of your journey. Love your "kid in a candy store" enthusiasm which we are all vicariously reading thru. My advise (your getting what your paying for...) is to keep your 11 6sp vert.

You will blink and the end of July will be here so your fracture will be a non issue. Unless you do not expect to walk with your DJD, you will be able to shift. In fact it will be therapeutic!

You are excited to get a new toy and the buying experience is like a blood stirring hunt clouding your judgement. I suspect your wife changed her mind seeing this as well.

I really hate to rain on your/our parade but your initial premise of needing an automatic and being able to trade for little or nothing just does not hold up.

You have your Toyota rat til august, your trade is worth less than hoped (like always for us all) and your leg impairment will not disable your use of the clutch on your current awesome ride.

My best in Any case.