Is a Ford dealership the worst place to trade in a car?

I found a premium 16 GTPP for a great price ($34,967) a few hours from me.
I corresponded with the dealership via email and asked for a ballpark trade in amount for my premium 13 GT track pack with 54k miles on it. They asked for the VIN and other details like tires, overall condition, etc. Today I get a proposal, offering me $15,900 for my car. Mind you the NADA "good" trade-in is $24,000.
Is this standard low-balling with Ford dealerships on trade-ins?
Here's my 13....

Low balling for sure, thats how they run their business

Just about market value. KBB for your car say $18,500. Not too many places will give you KBB. 16k, isn't that bad, if you can get them to 17,500 or 18k, I would take that and run. Realize that there is no way that your car is worth 24k. That's a new base ecoboost OTD. Your car is now previous generation and although it might sentimental value to you, that's all it has. It is also nearing the end of it's warranty where the price drops significantly. We also don't know about the history of the car, has it ever been in an accident, etc. Either way, don't expect more than 18k trade from anyone. Go to a carmax near you if there is one and see what they offer.

Source: Sold Cars for a bit.
[MENTION=11499]Teezlr[/MENTION], yes they low balled. They always low ball their first offer, you high ball you first number and you meet in the middle. That's how negotiating works. If you want to cut the crap, go to carmax or a one price store.

It's standard low-balling for every dealership. That's how they make their money. You are paying for the convenience of not having to screw around with the hassle of selling the car yourself.

A few years ago I tried to trade-in my 2003 BMW 325Ci. The dealership offered me $3,000 for it and refused to even consider anything higher. I sold it privately for $9,500 in about two weeks.

I shopped my trade at CarMax, an independent used car dealer, and my Ford dealer. Got the best offer at the Ford dealer by about 10%, but sold it private for about 15% more than that. Always best if you can sell it yourself, but my experience is the market for used cars over $10k is pretty small. No one has that much cash, and people shopping used don't seem to be sophisticated enough to go arrange a car loan for themselves. They like dealer financing.. I am sure there are two dozen people on here who are exceptions to that statement, and that's good. But by and large, it's really hard to sell an expensive car privately. You just have to take your lumps on trade in.

That's how they make money. Not on new cars but on used cars and parts and service. They want it as cheap as can be had, just like you actually.

You should be able to get average trade in. My dealership, that's their default offer unless something warrants less (needs body work, glass, bald as hell tires etc)

Find out why they subtracted from it. Most will tell you. Tires is a common one. Brakes. Things like that. If they don't, move on down the road.

Whoever compared that to base EB need to remember, target markets. Someone who wants a gt, you couldn't give them an EB. If they want loaded, they won't take base. I would take a used gt over a new base EB any day of the week. I like the EB, think it's cool, but not for me. Different markets so you can't compare apples to oranges prices.

Just get an offer from Carmax and then go to any dealer after that. Of course privately selling will pretty much always get you a better offer than even Carmax, but it's much more of a hassle. Carmax usually gives a solid offer, and because it's a legitimate, on the table, offer dealerships will usually just match.

Of course they low ball doesn't mean you have to take it. Make them work for it if they want your business. I made them work for it so stick to your guns. So many walk in take what they offer. But buying summer type car in fall and winter they won't give you much may have to sit on it all winter. This is in my area we get snow. In your area guess you drive it year around. I'm also guessing they're far more summer type cars so market is full so prices could be lower.

I traded 2011 premium GT Brembo car in got 20k out of it with 42500 miles. Got 2015 premium GT PP car list for 41,500 got it for 36,500 which isn't bad. I know they sold my old car for 22,500 one week later

I understand them trying to turn a profit, but god damn?! Comparable cars are selling well into the mid 20s all over the place. I saw a 14 V6 with 30k miles on the Ford lot for $26.5k this week.
What sucks is that our local Ford dealer sent me a trade-in offer of $25K, 3 months ago, but I wasn't in the market yet. My wife's parents got a similar offer from the same local dealership, at the same time for their 2013 F-150. They honored that offer amount and they are now driving a new Escape.
I might pay them a visit this weekend.

If all else fails, I'll keep it and throw a blower on it
It does still have a 7year/100k mile Ford warranty.

Most dealers now days will tell you its " what the car averages at regional auctions" now rather that NADA and esp KBB.

My 2013 Charger R/T "Road and Track package" booked on NADA for $24,900. The Ford dealer offered me $19,500. I told them no way. Best they would do was $20,250. I ended up taking it to get the deal done.

Dodge dealer was going to give me $23,800, which was my pay off, against a 2016 Scat Pack Charger.

Ford DOES NOT have to deal on Mustangs. They made that clear to me while buying my 15' GT.

I just traded in my 2012 GT Premium with 51k miles. No PP. I got $20,000 for it. That was after we worked a deal on the new car.

Kevin, was that 24,900 the NADA trade-in price?

It sounds like the dealer I have been dealing with is trying to recoup the big discounts on the actual new car price. I have not taken the car to any other dealership yet, but $15,9k is not even close to being in the ballpark of a fair trade in price. http://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/2013/Ford/Mustang-V8/Coupe-2D-GT/Values
I usually find a car that I want, then make a deal, rather than go in and making a deal on what they have.

There is *never* a situation where dealing with the Stealership will result to your advantage. Never consider a trade in, they will just try to milk you for even more.

I only got 22k last FEBRUARY when I traded in my Mustang.

2013 GT Premium vert, 401A, Shaker Pro, Brembos, MT-82, every factory option, full suspension, gt/cs grilles, gt500 spoiler, boss 302 diffuser, FRPP exhaust, JLT intake, tuned, 20% tint, CDC lightbar, $2000 in stereo mods, and more.




traiding in at a Ford dealership is a bad idea.

$18,500-19,500 is KBB value for dealer trade with your options for good condition. Even "very good" only raises it $600. 54-55k is a lot of miles for 2 years old is your biggest issue with the value.

If you sell privately you can get probably around $21k but then you take all of the risk; trade-in alleviates you of the risk putting it on the dealership after you trade it in.

If you can get them up another $1,500 to $17,500 I would take it. $15,900 is their starting low offer. Counter with $19k expecting to settle in the $17k range.