I'm in the market for a car and I'd like to get another Volvo. Looking through local Craigslist and what I'm comfortable with money to year/mileage/model, I looked at Edmund.com's True Market Value pricing. Typing in my own car (1999 C70 with ~210000 miles), it seems TMV says my car is worth half ($2700 dealer/$1600 private) of my "wish" selling price ($3500 being wishful knowing it's not 100% realistic), but still hundreds below what I thought I could get reasonably. I can't even buy a 1999 Focus for $1600 that's not hacked up by high school punk and rusted through. Craigslist cars also come up as worth thousands below asking price (not knowing exact options and condition). So is everybody out there getting great deals that I'm not finding and how the heck do I get in on the deals? Who's getting these great deals? I admit I don't have much success negotiating except for a few hundred dollars here and there, let alone thousands. If someone is asking $7k I don't see how I can get them down to $5k especially at dealers (which I avoid). I've literally been told to leave because I asked for blue book price. I think the exact words were "Where do you get these nubmers? Nobody pays blue book." I was thinking everybody pays below...except me.

Another example I just bought a 2003 XC70 with 135k in pristine condition for $5500 which I thought was a good deal considering it's local private seller with all maintenance records, but TMV shows I paid slightly above dealer retail. At the same time I see on CList older XC70 with higher miles asking for more than what I paid!

 

Wow I didn't know there were any '99 Focus' left on the road!

210 k will scare off most people and drive the price down but if it looks really nice and runs well it should be worth about 3000 in my neck of the woods (Dallas). You did OK on the Cross Country, that's about what I see them going for.

Edmunds is not the way I like to price a car. Big city newspapers are the best, IMO. Yahoo Auto reasonably close also.

 

Ha, that's what I get for exaggerating. Focus didn't come out until 2000. The point is that $1600 gets you POS, not a nice looking, well maintained, driveable European machine. Only thing is I just replaced a front bearing but still hear some humming so I think at least 1 more bearing needs to be changed, possibly all 3 but I don't want to spend $500 changing them just to sell it.

 

The only place I check value is www.NADAGuides.com.

 

At the end of the day it (be it a used car, house, what-ever...) will sell for what the traffic will bear. Law of supply and demand; if someone wants it bad enough, that will hike up the price.

Used Volvos get a premium in my area because they're popular here; same car would sell for much less in MidWest.

Whether you're selling or buying, look for comps (comparable products in comparable condition) in your area; that will be your best guide. All the other "guides" are wastes of time.

 

LOL, rough trade in on NADA on my car says I have to give the dealer $40. Volvos seem to get a premium in my area (home of the auto Big 3), at least sellers seems to think so...some ads are very old because of it, but they're not budging much on the price.

Thanks for the comments

 

NADA, KBB & Edmunds will all be different. What I do is look at all 3 and pick the best for my purposes (whether I'm buying or selling) and use that figure. What I have found recently is that most dealerships are not using book values but what they can sell it for at an auto auction, should it not sell on the lot. Basically they will run a search for auctions within a certain radius and average a value.

When I was looking at a 2007 C70 they told me that if I traded my 05 Altima that they would only keep it on the lot for 1 month. After that, off to the auction. Of course I told them there was no way that car would last an entire month on the lot. They wouldn't budge and now I'm driving a 2007 Mercedes C230.

 

Agreed, supply and demand, but I just thought guides are a way of tracking the selling price as opposed to the asking price since there is no way to know individually what the comps sold for unless you assume some margin, in which case the seller will build in the margin.

 

Yep; agreed. When setting your selling price (unless you just want to move it fast) you always build in a margin of 10-20% above what you think it's worth. You can always lower your price; kinda hard to raise it once the haggling starts.

When selling what's almost more important than price is exposure. CL works well but you have to refresh your ad or it gets buried quickly.