Trade Values at Lincoln Dealers

[Ufnavy06]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone recently traded in a vehicle for their Lincoln purchase?  If so, how did the value compare with KBB trade-in values?  

 

I know there are a ton of variables in this but with supply so low values of used cars have increased substantially.

[akirby]

It’s really an individual dealership thing - they’re all independently owned.  And it definitely depends on what is selling or not in the local market and what the dealer has in stock.  One Ford dealer always lowballed me.  The next dealer (Lincoln) was very fair on a 2012 Focus trade inwith no haggling.  The last one where I bought my F-150 at dealer invoice asked me what I wanted for my Fusion, I told them which was a good wholesale price and they said ok.

[RedHoncho01]

I have a 2019 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve that's fully loaded and has just under 30,000 miles and in very good to excellent condition. The dealer offered me at the very bottom end of KBB trade value. We didn't negotiate because they wouldn't give me the Z plan pricing from dealer inventory. I had to order to get that pricing. In Ohio, there are advantages to trading in as the sales taxes are based upon the difference between the purchase price and the trade in value. Once my new vehicle arrives I will be negotiating for a better trade value. 

[akirby]

4 hours ago, RedHoncho01 said:

I have a 2019 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve that's fully loaded and has just under 30,000 miles and in very good to excellent condition. The dealer offered me at the very bottom end of KBB trade value. We didn't negotiate because they wouldn't give me the Z plan pricing from dealer inventory. I had to order to get that pricing. In Ohio, there are advantages to trading in as the sales taxes are based upon the difference between the purchase price and the trade in value. Once my new vehicle arrives I will be negotiating for a better trade value. 

Just remember Z plan is basically wholesale so you shouldn’t expect top trade in pricing.

[ice-capades]

6 hours ago, akirby said:

Just remember Z plan is basically wholesale so you shouldn’t expect top trade in pricing.

 

Z Plan "Wholesale" pricing is going to mean "Wholesale" trade-in pricing for sure!

[Going_Going_Gone]

We traded a very clean, accident free 2011 MKX with 125K miles on a new Aviator (X-Plan).  Brought in a print offer to buy from Carmax,  and Lincoln dealer matched it--no hassle. Didn't bother going on KBB or Edmunds as they haven't been realistic for years.

[akirby]

2 hours ago, Going_Going_Gone said:

We traded a very clean, accident free 2011 MKX with 125K miles on a new Aviator (X-Plan).  Brought in a print offer to buy from Carmax,  and Lincoln dealer matched it--no hassle. Didn't bother going on KBB or Edmunds as they haven't been realistic for years.

The issue with kbb and administrative and nada is they don’t necessarily take local market conditions into account and they absolutely don’t take into account the individual dealer’s situation or your new vehicle purchase price which has a huge impact on trade in allowance.  If you’re paying MSRP then your trade could be $2k-$3k higher than an a/z plan sale.  
 

The only accurate source is the black book which is what dealers actually use.  For most vehicles they’re not going to give you more than they can buy a similar vehicle at auction.  Exceptions would be popular vehicles or rare vehicles in low supply

[bbf2530]

Hi gang. Here is another option, for those so inclined to get more money for your old vehicle. It works especially well for those factory ordering, since they will usually have a 8 week plus window before their new vehicle arrives. Short version: Sell our vehicles privately if we can.

 

Long version: Taking trade-in vehicles is a profit making business for Dealers. They do not do it to be nice, or as a courtesy to make our lives easier.

Generally speaking, if we get a good trade-in deal, it is because we did not get a great deal on our new car price. And if we get a "great" new car price, they will get us back with a lowball trade-in offer. And I do not mean that as a condemnation of Dealers. They are in business to make money and that is the way it is. Plus, they are the experts, they have the product we need (the new car) and all the resources, no matter how well educated we may be.

 

So...realizing the above information, I do this:

 

- Use the trade-in values from KBB.com, Edmunds.com, NADA.com etc. to calculate your used vehicles approximate Trade-in value (yes, they are not perfect, but they are better than online polls of Internet strangers).

- Using that pricing information, negotiate the best Trade-in offer from your Dealer.

- Figure in the sales tax hit for not trading in. That would be whatever your State/local Sales-tax rate would be on the "trade-in value of your used vehicle (if any).

Simplified example: Your State Sales-tax is 10%. Your Dealer offers you $10,000 for your used vehicle. Sales tax savings on your new car purchase by trading in would be $1,000 (10% of $10,000). So your Private-sale break even point is $11,000.

- Calculate a reasonable/comfortable amount above your break-even point, giving yourself negotiation room to "meet in the middle" with a prospective buyer. Again, use online resources such as KBB.com etc., to figure the approximate Private-party sale price.

- Put For-Sale signs on your used vehicle. Advertise on whatever free sites you can find.

 

From that point on...If you can find someone to purchase your vehicle for a higher profit than trading in, great. If not, trade it in.

 

I can simply tell you from personal experience, that I have always been able to sell my used cars privately for far more than the Dealer trade-in offer. Anywhere from ~$1,500 to over $3,500 more than the Dealer offer, including the sales tax hit. I consider that a nice profit for about 2 hours work during the ~8 weeks I waited for my new cars to be delivered.

 

All that being said, I also understand that not everyone will have the time or feel comfortable dealing with strangers to do this. So everyone needs to do what they feel is best for their own particular circumstances.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide  to do.

[HotRunrGuy]

After 30+ years of A/Z-plan purchases, some of the trade-in offers I've been given can best be described as brutal.  But, like others have mentioned, different dealers will offer different amounts, there are now Carmax/Carvana style operations to consider, as well as various states views on the Sales Tax reduction.  Like most any other transaction, it pays to shop around., as well as do your research BEFORE walking in.

 

HRG

[RedHoncho01]

On 7/10/2021 at 12:44 PM, Ufnavy06 said:

Just out of curiosity, has anyone recently traded in a vehicle for their Lincoln purchase?  If so, how did the value compare with KBB trade-in values?  

 

I know there are a ton of variables in this but with supply so low values of used cars have increased substantially.

I will say I purchased my current 2019 Nautilus Reserve as a CPO in March 2019.  I got an excellent deal on it.  The current KBB value is at or above what I paid for it 15 months and 11,000 miles later.

[mustang84isu]

I traded in my '07 MKZ for a Continental at a Ford-Lincoln dealership and they lowballed me and budged very little on trade-in value.  They offered $1500 originally, it took a lot of work to get them up to $1800, but I was hoping to get closer to $2500.  Of course they used the excuse that they can't get new inventory (this was mid-May) and that was the best they could do.

 

A week later, I check their website to see if it is listed.  Guess what they are selling it for?  $7900!  I about fell out of my chair.  In the condition it was in (fair overall, but heavily corroded & peeling wheels, a little rust, and a few other minor cosmetic issues) it was only worth about $3100 private party value.  It doesn't appear they did any reconditioning in the photos - it even has the old dealership sticker still on it.  Not sure what dealer retail value was, but I can't imagine it comes anywhere close to $7900.

 

I do think I got a great price on the Continental, and it was the cleanest one I found within 200 miles and very low miles, but in hindsight I should have shopped around more on the trade.  Lesson learned.  I've heard CarMax has been consistently paying over KBB trade-in value lately, and they were quoting me $2900.  Wish I would have gone that route.

[Gurgeh]

2 hours ago, mustang84isu said:

I traded in my '07 MKZ for a Continental at a Ford-Lincoln dealership and they lowballed me and budged very little on trade-in value.  They offered $1500 originally, it took a lot of work to get them up to $1800, but I was hoping to get closer to $2500.  Of course they used the excuse that they can't get new inventory (this was mid-May) and that was the best they could do.

 

A week later, I check their website to see if it is listed.  Guess what they are selling it for?  $7900!  I about fell out of my chair.  In the condition it was in (fair overall, but heavily corroded & peeling wheels, a little rust, and a few other minor cosmetic issues) it was only worth about $3100 private party value.  It doesn't appear they did any reconditioning in the photos - it even has the old dealership sticker still on it.  Not sure what dealer retail value was, but I can't imagine it comes anywhere close to $7900.

 

I do think I got a great price on the Continental, and it was the cleanest one I found within 200 miles and very low miles, but in hindsight I should have shopped around more on the trade.  Lesson learned.  I've heard CarMax has been consistently paying over KBB trade-in value lately, and they were quoting me $2900.  Wish I would have gone that route.

Used car prices have been soaring since the start of this year (and especially since March). I read about someone who changed his mind about a recent vehicle purchase and managed to sell his 3-month-old truck for more than he paid for it new. Anyone trading in should check with other dealers and places like Carmax and Carvana before doing the trade in. 

[MKX1960]

I traded a 19 Edge ST with 2,200 miles on it and got less than KBB, but about $3k more than I could have gotten beginning of the year. I bought an Aviator and think I did OK. There was a $1k rebate, $2k customer cash, X plan, a fairly low bank interest rate and a chunk left over after the Edge payoff plus cash down. I was able to get more on the Aviator then planned, such as the premium wheels and the package with HUD, wireless charging and phone as key.

[Rafale]

New user with car on order!

 

Did not trade since vehicle is on order but sold car to dealership (2018 VW Atlas SEL-P)

 

They matched my CarMax offer no questions asked!

[1984Poke]

1 hour ago, Rafale said:

New user with car on order!

 

Did not trade since vehicle is on order but sold car to dealership (2018 VW Atlas SEL-P)

 

They matched my CarMax offer no questions asked!

What car did you order?  (Congratulations, by the way.)

Edited August 13, 2021 by 1984Poke

[Rafale]

Thanks - it was actually a Dealer order that I "snatched" by putting a deposit on

 

It's a 2021 Corsair 2.0 AWD Reserve w/ Tech package, adaptive suspension, monochromatic package, and 360+ package.

 

Just waiting now like everybody else....