98runner210

I have seen some threads about people tryin got buy or sell their 3rd gen. In my area they are going anywhere from $7000 - $11000. I have a '98 Limited 4x4. Extremely clean, always washed, waxed, carpet shampooed, Lexol the leather etc. Every service record and 82K miles. Brand new tires, brakes etc. Every fluid flushed and it has a remote start. I went to trade it in on something newer and the dealer offered me $4000. I wanted to slap him. I asked why they were offering me $4000 when they had a '97 SR5 2WD with 131K miles for $7950. He couldn't give e a clear answer. Anyone else do a recent trade?

jason191918

That's how they make money.

Nuthuts96

iTrader: (1)

you'll never get a good deal on a trade in with the dealer involved- best bet is to sell it privately. dealer is a good option if you just want to "offload" your vehicle. from my experience, anyway...

pattycakes77

iTrader: (2)

i saw a '99 4runner locally on craigslist, black with scooped hood, v6, 5 speed, 4x4, e-locker in pretty good shape from what i could see from the pics for $5500 OBO. i almost called, but then, i don't have money to drop on another vehicle or for that matter a place to put it! that would have been a nice cheap ride if things were different. a dealer will low-ball you on a trade, it's what they do.

98runner210

well the dealer then showed me ads of 3rd gen 4runners on his desk. said he has been looking for one for his wife. he was thrilled that mine had low mileage. he then explained how he only pays a little over what was paid on it for trade in if he wants to buy it. sounded like he was low balling me to get it himself. he said $4000 is what a wholesaler would pay. why would he offer me wholesale purchaser price? when I traded in my chevy i got a very fair deal above teade in value plus more since I kept it in great shape like all my vehicles.

4runnerguy

go to another dealer and see what they will give you

98runner210

well a toyota dealer offered me what i wanted as trade but their vehicles were marked up so high. they had a used '08 Corolla $19,995. '05 Tundra 2wd, steel wheels, base model, crew cab $26000. I'm not looking at a Corolla but just an example of their pricing. 20K for a used compact?! Every Toyota dealer I have dealt with, you have to haggle and haggle and argue. Jeez either you get raped on your trade or on the purchase.

98runner210

looks like i'll keep my truck

mt_goat

Yeah, keep it for another 2-3 years. There will be some very fuel efficient vehicles on the show rooms in a few years. It will be worth the wait I believe. Besides, why did you take such good care of it if you were going to trade it off at 82K miles?

98runner210

I always take good care of my vehicles. Why wouldn't I? I take pride in what I work hard for. I don't want to be making payments on something that is ugly or falling apart. I am not too concerned about fuel economy seeing that just about everything out there is the same if not better than what I have now. It sucks that the 3.4 is kinda slow and not economical at all. But here is the 4.0, bigger more powerful and much more economical.

Maybe i'll try to sell outright and then go buy a newer vehicle.

mt_goat

Yeah that's the only way you're going to get extra $$$ for stuff like new tires, brakes, and service records. Dealers could care less about service records, but a private party buyer will love that kind of thing.

pius222

What vehicles are you looking at?

sabre

at least use craigslist to see if someone bites on it. Its free.

98runner210

I was looking at 4th gens but they seem more "mini van-ish" plastic bumper covers and all. I like the previous gen Tundra but can't find an affordable crew cab. I was looking at a Chevy Crewcab Z71. Yeah yeah i know it's a domestic. Truth be told be get ford and chevy trucks in the shop all the time with 200k plus miles. Domestic cars......thats a different story

Ron Helmuth

I have yet to meet a 4th gen Runner owner bragging about better gas mileage than his old 3rd gen. More power-yep no doubt. Better mileage as well-maybe but I have not heard about it.

Doesn't matter to me-I can't get the 4.0 with a 5 speed unless I go in a 'Coma or up to a Tundra.

As folks have noted-you simply can not get a good price on your trade in and a good price on the new vehicle both. As stated-that is how dealerships make their money-avoid them for both ends of the transaction. You'll likely do better at a independent auto dealer-and most certainly with a private buyer or seller.

You want to talk slow... those 3.0 and 22R e (s) are stone age compared to the 3.4.

98runner210

my dad has a 4th gen 4.0 and undernormal highway crusing between dallas and san antonio avg 23-24 mpg at about 75mph

mt_goat

I wouldn't buy a new vehicle that didn't get at least 30 mpg.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

You DO understand how Capitolism and For-profit companies work....don't you?

If they give you private party list, they cannot resell it and make profit. And a business not making a profit is called a "Charity". Or Bankrupt.

98runner210

I wasn't asking private party. They were trying to tell me that 3rd gens arent going for more than $4000. They said they wanted to give me what a wholesaler would pay for it. So a smart a$$ comment isn't needed. The sales manager just called and asked me to come back. He was rather upset that they quoted me $4000 without appraising it. I asked why they offered me wholesale buyer price. He said that they let the guy I spoke to go because he was doing things like this to sound technical and convince buyers it was normal not to get near trade in value. He was upset that the guy was tarnishing the dealers reputation. My buddy's dad called the manager apparently. He somehow has some weight around there.

I told the manager all i want is for someone to actually look at my truck andcome up with a fair number. If i like i'll take it, if not then no hard feelings and i'll keep my rig.

trd_4runnin11

It all depends on what car you are looking at buying too. I sold cars for a while at a Toyota/Honda dealership and a lot of people look at these things the wrong way. You see the trade-in value that they are showing you and the price of the car you are looking at. That salesman only cares about money difference. He can give you a good price on the car, then try and make some of his commission back by offering you a low trade-in value. If for some reason the car that you are interested in is one that, for whatever reason, they don't have a lot of mark-up on then that salesman will use your trade in to try and get a little extra commission.

I don't know all the details obviously so maybe he was just being a dick, but there are a lot more to all these numbers than people think and you may be better off forgetting about the specific numbers and worrying about money difference as well. Like you said the other dealer was offering you more for your trade-in but not giving you as much of a deal on the other cars so whats the difference really?