Selling Advice...
 

I've owned my FR-S since 2014 and have had a great experience with it. I want to move on to a different vehicle sometime this year and I've got a question for you folks.

My FRS is in pristine condition, no issues, no mods, new tires, no repairs of any kind and it has less than 30k miles. I know the KBB estimates for trade-in and private sale. I typically just trade-in when I get a new car, but I may consider a private sale to maximize the return.

So, how is the market for this car at KBB's $17K price point? Is it likely I'll have takers at that price? If so, what is the best way to sell it (Craigslist, this forum, something else)?

If it'll be easy to find potential buyers local to me, that would be interested at that price point, I might go that way. Otherwise, I'll go with the convenience of a trade.

Let me know what you think.
Thanks!

sell on as many platforms as you have access to, craigslist, auto trader, post something on your fb about you selling it. Do as much as you can to let as many people as possible know your car is for sale

Oh, I've done it both ways ...... the older I get, the more inclined I am toward the convenience of the trade in.

Either way, start at top dollar ...... you can always come down ..... but you can't go up .....;)

(ain't ol humfrz smart today ..... :D)

if it's a manual, you may get a bit of a premium for it (at least at KBB price). March-Oct. is best time to sell usually. Winter is the worst time to sell, usually.

Thanks for the insightful info so far!

Not a new car, you need a car-riage counselor. Your feelings are not normal.

Find new car. Negotiate the price. Then bring up your trade. In Arizona .... you get a sales tax deduction from your trade in applied to your new purchase. Less hassle for me.

Selling it yourself retail will almsot certainly get you the best price. But...its a pain in the ass, you will probably waste time with unqualified tire-kickers, and you could even be the target of scammers.

If you choose the DIY route, I've had better luck with AutoTradet and Cars.Com than with CraigsList.

If you want a no-hassle easy sale for a fair price...CarMax! I've sold my last 2 used cars to CarMax, and both time actually got more than I expected.

If you do trade at a dealership, make the deal on the new car first, then talk about the trade. It's actually 2 seperate transactions, and should be negotiated as 2 seperate transactions.

"March-Oct. is best time to sell usually. Winter is the worst time to sell, usually."


I firmly agree...

Wait till you see others on the road driving convertibles with their tops down...even if their side windows are up, heaters on. Spring fever we call it. That's the time to begin thinking about selling for a good price.
Usually sometime in April.

If you just want to move on then trade in. Also if you have a loan on it you need to figure in carrying costs while you have the car up for sale and also insurance, which unless it's a super good deal may take some time. As mentioned previously you also have to deal with potential buyers and their antics. Since your car is pristine you'll most likely ask a fairly high price which may further delay the sale. Pricing for a quick sale may be close to what the dealer will give you.

I bought a new MDX and didn't like the trade in offer on my Grand Cherokee so I went the Autotrader route. 10 mo this and 2 calls on it and it was priced right. Put a for sale sign on it and parked it in front of my house. Sold in 2 days got slightly over what the dealer offered. Not worth it....

Thanks again folks!

Yes, I always keep buying and trading-in two separate transactions. I've used CarMax a bunch of times in the past 10 years with my cars and family cars. They are very fair and very convenient.

Good advice on the tire-kickers. I may just go the trade-in route.

Thanks again!!

The whole thing with trading in is how much do you value your time? I will never try to sell privet again after a couple of horror shows. Just not worth my time to mess around with it.

Another thought if going the trade direction to look for a dealership "group" that has both brands, the one you are buying and the one you are selling. If your car were "beat", older or more miles it would just be sold wholesale to a used car lot, your car is a different story. I think a dealership use to BRZ/FRS sales and service and has that clientele would be more excited about getting the car and might pay a slight premium.

I am kicking around getting a 2018 STI and sort of plan to start with the local dealer that sells both Subaru and Mazda. Even if they take the Miata in on the Subaru side, they will slide it over to the Mazda side to sell it. I do not have the time and patience for Craigslist and such and certainly do not want strangers at my house looking at my stuff.

Take good pictures and don't hide anything that will come back to bite you.