Trading in - To fix or to ignore the issues when doing a trade-in?

[TheKandyman]

I have a 9yo, 95k miles E-class that I plan to trade in when I pick up a new vehicle. At this age, I don't expect any new car dealer will put it in their used car lot. It is likely just going to an auction. Car engine and body are in very good shape but there are issues with some peripherals. My question is whether it is worth fixing these issues to boost trade-in price, or whether to ignore them because I won't recuperate in trade-in value, any money I spend to fix them:

• Shredded drivers seat bottom. MB-Tex is not what they claimed it would be lol. I am using seat covers now
• Low thread on rear tires (cascaded setup). Thread is not at min spec, but it is low
• Clunking sound over bumps. I suspect this is a worn bushing but I haven't had it checked yet
• Brake pad wear warning light came on. There is plenty of pad left for several months of driving, but the light comes on - more than intermittently.

So, fix these to improve trade-in value or ignore them because I wouldn't get my money's worth? Thanks.

[Burrcold]

Diminishing returns. Trade in as is, you'll never recoup the investment.

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

Diminishing returns. Trade in as is, you'll never recoup the investment.

What he said ^ If it's trade in they're going to low ball you anyway no matter what you do. If you sell it yourself on Craigslist you'll get more for it.

[MaC-N54-E82]

Originally Posted by grannyknot

What he said ^ If it's trade in they're going to low ball you anyway no matter what you do. If you sell it yourself on Craigslist you'll get more for it.

Car is definitely not a house. Trade it in and move on.

[harry.h]

Originally Posted by MaC-N54-E82

Car is definitely not a house. Trade it in and move on.

Ditto.

[selbyp93]

Ignore and trade it in i think?

[Germanauto]

I don't think it will matter. My previous car was in mint condition mechanically but nobody cared. I had all the service records to a tee but there was no value to it. Dealers know what is important at auctions.

Just days before I was gonna trade in the car, somebody swerved into my lane and my wheels on the right side of the car hit the curb and got pretty messed up, but it was only visible if you were up close. Regardless, they didn't even notice when it came time to drop off the car.

[stein_325i]

Don't fix, dealer is just gonna end up sending your car to auction anyways.

[zx10guy]

And I would look see what one of the car buying services will offer. I bet they'll offer more than your dealer. I used We Buy Any Car. They offered over double what Carmax offered. Walked out same day with check in hand.

[TheWatchGuy]

trade it in as is.

youll maybe get a bump in your value if you fix all the issues, but its gonna be pennies on the dollar.

If you were going to private party sell it, id fix it. but thats more of me not wanting the guy i sell to to come drive it through my house when it keeps breaking down.

[TheWatchGuy]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

And I would look see what one of the car buying services will offer. I bet they'll offer more than your dealer. I used We Buy Any Car. They offered over double what Carmax offered. Walked out same day with check in hand.

this.

get quotes from vroom, carmax, carvana and givemethevin.com. Use that for your basis of value at the dealership. remember though, depending on your state you can get a discount on taxes if you trade in to the dealer you are buying from. My state for example, only taxes you on the difference between trade in and purchase price. so if i was to sell to carmax, then buy from a different dealer, that tax amount can be significant. Dealers know this and will try to get their offer + tax break to equal your offers.

using kbb or truecar or any of those type of sites can give you an idea, but unless you have an actual offer, the dealership wont care.