I have a small 4 inch area on my 2011 camry that needs repainted because someone hit me at the grocery store(no number given naturally) and was wondering if i should trade it in with the damage or fix it first? A reputable shop has quoted me $245 to repaint is that what i should do? Insurance will not be involved. I suspect a dealer will see that little spot and knock off $2000 for it right lol
fixing damage before trading vehicle?
- Thread starter swirlparanoid
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I wouldn't fix it.
I'd leave it. The dealer will fix it. There was a paint scrape on my last car when I traded it in and it wasn't a big deal -- didn't affect the price too much I don't think, since the rest of the car was in good shape.
Just doll it up with a colored wax and go at night.
Do the repair and have the body shop buff the whole car. You will get it back.
i bought my dakota with rust on the rear wheel well. cause i thought it might have been traded cause of the rust, and hopefully nothing else bad. and it is a very good truck. just my idea.
Originally Posted By: SilverC6
I always like to trade with damage on a car.
The dealer is going to give you wholesale anyway.
So why not keep a little back from the accident to make the deal better for yourself.
Wholesale on a 2011? Not likely.
I always like to trade with damage on a car.
The dealer is going to give you wholesale anyway.
So why not keep a little back from the accident to make the deal better for yourself.
Wholesale on a 2011? Not likely.
Originally Posted By: Doog
Do the repair and have the body shop buff the whole car. You will get it back.
That spot of damage is going to drop you down on your trade a LOT. The better shape the vehicle is in the fewer things the dealer has to lower the price and thus the more you will get.
It comes down to return vs investment. If spending $245 on the repair( and say another $100-$150 for a detail )returned you only $300-$400 extra on the trade it is not worth it( you could even lose money ). However if it returns $1000+ then you made money. You need to get an idea of what your vehicle is worth book value before going to the dealer with and without that damage. 99.9% of dealers will go with KBB or NADA on trade values. Any deviation is them doing funny money to make you think you got more for trade then you did. Know before hand what you should be getting.
IMO fix it for sure. Have that spot fixed and then clean the vehicle top to bottom and have it buffed out as Doog suggested. It will pay off.
Not knowing the exact particulars on your vehicle other than year and model I sort of guestimated at stuff and just went with the middle on options and such to get an idea. On 2011 Camry LE w/ 60K and basic options the trade values( KBB )are listed below...
Excellent
$11,829
Very Good
$11,529
Good
$10,929
Fair
$9,329
It all depends on mileage, options, and how well taken care of your vehicle is of course. These are just some rough numbers to show if it is worth it or not.
It is almost impossible to trade a vehicle and have the dealer agree the vehicle is Excellent. Can happen but rare. Usually Very Good is tops. Let's see some scenarios...
I. Let's assume your vehicle is Excellent. The damage would absolutely drop you at least one grade if not two. So if it only dropped you to Very Good you would only lose $300 in trade value and that is not worth your time and effort to try and get back and may even cost you more than that to do so. Don't fix it. However, if it dropped you down to Good you would lose $900 and that is worth you fixing as it would net you a gain of somewhere around $400-$600.
II. Let's now assume the vehicle is Very Good which is possible and even likely w/ a 2011 if you took care of it and it is in good shape other than the damage. If the damage drops you to Good you lose $600. If it drops you to Fair you lose a whopping $2200. Some dealers will clasify your vehicle as Fair with any kind of damage. It is worth fixing regardless of a one or two level drop. You make money doing it.
III. Let's now assume the vehicle is Good in the dealer's eyes for whatever reason not including the damage. The damage drops it to just Fair. That is a $1600 loss for you.
It may be extreme according to some others to suggest that a 4" area could have such an impact on the grade but I am not so sure of that. I do know for a fact that on a newer vehicle like that, the better the shape it is in, the more you will get for your trade. Dealers do go by KBB & NADA so it gives you some good insight before even going to talk trade as to what you can expect. To me on a 2011 making a $245-$400 repair to the exterior is worth it( as long as it runs good and is in really good shape otherwise )as it will pay off with a higher trade in.
Do the repair and have the body shop buff the whole car. You will get it back.
That spot of damage is going to drop you down on your trade a LOT. The better shape the vehicle is in the fewer things the dealer has to lower the price and thus the more you will get.
It comes down to return vs investment. If spending $245 on the repair( and say another $100-$150 for a detail )returned you only $300-$400 extra on the trade it is not worth it( you could even lose money ). However if it returns $1000+ then you made money. You need to get an idea of what your vehicle is worth book value before going to the dealer with and without that damage. 99.9% of dealers will go with KBB or NADA on trade values. Any deviation is them doing funny money to make you think you got more for trade then you did. Know before hand what you should be getting.
IMO fix it for sure. Have that spot fixed and then clean the vehicle top to bottom and have it buffed out as Doog suggested. It will pay off.
Not knowing the exact particulars on your vehicle other than year and model I sort of guestimated at stuff and just went with the middle on options and such to get an idea. On 2011 Camry LE w/ 60K and basic options the trade values( KBB )are listed below...
Excellent
$11,829
Very Good
$11,529
Good
$10,929
Fair
$9,329
It all depends on mileage, options, and how well taken care of your vehicle is of course. These are just some rough numbers to show if it is worth it or not.
It is almost impossible to trade a vehicle and have the dealer agree the vehicle is Excellent. Can happen but rare. Usually Very Good is tops. Let's see some scenarios...
I. Let's assume your vehicle is Excellent. The damage would absolutely drop you at least one grade if not two. So if it only dropped you to Very Good you would only lose $300 in trade value and that is not worth your time and effort to try and get back and may even cost you more than that to do so. Don't fix it. However, if it dropped you down to Good you would lose $900 and that is worth you fixing as it would net you a gain of somewhere around $400-$600.
II. Let's now assume the vehicle is Very Good which is possible and even likely w/ a 2011 if you took care of it and it is in good shape other than the damage. If the damage drops you to Good you lose $600. If it drops you to Fair you lose a whopping $2200. Some dealers will clasify your vehicle as Fair with any kind of damage. It is worth fixing regardless of a one or two level drop. You make money doing it.
III. Let's now assume the vehicle is Good in the dealer's eyes for whatever reason not including the damage. The damage drops it to just Fair. That is a $1600 loss for you.
It may be extreme according to some others to suggest that a 4" area could have such an impact on the grade but I am not so sure of that. I do know for a fact that on a newer vehicle like that, the better the shape it is in, the more you will get for your trade. Dealers do go by KBB & NADA so it gives you some good insight before even going to talk trade as to what you can expect. To me on a 2011 making a $245-$400 repair to the exterior is worth it( as long as it runs good and is in really good shape otherwise )as it will pay off with a higher trade in.
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All dealers have a mobile body guy that will come along and fix it for a fraction of what you'll pay to have it fixed at a body shop.
If it can be covered up by a credit card, it won't hurt the value. Any car they pick up at the auction for sale on their used lot will likely have just as much damage that they will have to repair, plus they have to pay to transport the vehicle to their lot.
Bottom line, you won't get a penny more if you fix the damage and buff the car than if you trade it in as it is.
I just traded in a car, I negotiated the value over the phone and they didn't even look at the car! The saleswoman grabbed the mileage for the paperwork, and the lot attendant drove off in the car to park it in the back.
If it can be covered up by a credit card, it won't hurt the value. Any car they pick up at the auction for sale on their used lot will likely have just as much damage that they will have to repair, plus they have to pay to transport the vehicle to their lot.
Bottom line, you won't get a penny more if you fix the damage and buff the car than if you trade it in as it is.
I just traded in a car, I negotiated the value over the phone and they didn't even look at the car! The saleswoman grabbed the mileage for the paperwork, and the lot attendant drove off in the car to park it in the back.
I asked the same question about my Mountaineer having a rust spot developing on the driver's side of the car. The consensus was that for a 2005, it would be money wasted because no matter how nice the car I would be only offered wholesale because it will be sent off to auction.
Will you be trading it in at a Toyota dealer? For a 2011, they may want to put it on the used car lot and sell it instead of sending it off to auction so it may be money well spent if you think you can get them to offer above trade-in value. If you're not trading at a Toyota dealer, don't fix it as it probably won't matter. A non-Toyota lot will still try to low-ball you, even if the car is in pristine condition.
Will you be trading it in at a Toyota dealer? For a 2011, they may want to put it on the used car lot and sell it instead of sending it off to auction so it may be money well spent if you think you can get them to offer above trade-in value. If you're not trading at a Toyota dealer, don't fix it as it probably won't matter. A non-Toyota lot will still try to low-ball you, even if the car is in pristine condition.
I traded a car, once... Think it was 1974, maybe '75... I've sold(or occasionally parted out) every one prior or since... I have taken trades on a couple I resold, yeah I made a profit on both...
In 99% of the cases you'll do better selling it outright vs trade... Basically the dealer has to get it ready for resale, or maybe wholesale, still they want to see a profit either way... Oh yeah they'll tell you they are giving you $2000 over book for your car, but the truth is you could have bought the new one for probably $2500 off with a little haggling, then sell your car for a figure closer to retail...
In 99% of the cases you'll do better selling it outright vs trade... Basically the dealer has to get it ready for resale, or maybe wholesale, still they want to see a profit either way... Oh yeah they'll tell you they are giving you $2000 over book for your car, but the truth is you could have bought the new one for probably $2500 off with a little haggling, then sell your car for a figure closer to retail...
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: Doog
Do the repair and have the body shop buff the whole car. You will get it back.
That spot of damage is going to drop you down on your trade a LOT. The better shape the vehicle is in the fewer things the dealer has to lower the price and thus the more you will get.
It comes down to return vs investment. If spending $245 on the repair( and say another $100-$150 for a detail )returned you only $300-$400 extra on the trade it is not worth it( you could even lose money ). However if it returns $1000+ then you made money. You need to get an idea of what your vehicle is worth book value before going to the dealer with and without that damage. 99.9% of dealers will go with KBB or NADA on trade values. Any deviation is them doing funny money to make you think you got more for trade then you did. Know before hand what you should be getting.
IMO fix it for sure. Have that spot fixed and then clean the vehicle top to bottom and have it buffed out as Doog suggested. It will pay off.
Not knowing the exact particulars on your vehicle other than year and model I sort of guestimated at stuff and just went with the middle on options and such to get an idea. On 2011 Camry LE w/ 60K and basic options the trade values( KBB )are listed below...
Excellent
$11,829
Very Good
$11,529
Good
$10,929
Fair
$9,329
It all depends on mileage, options, and how well taken care of your vehicle is of course. These are just some rough numbers to show if it is worth it or not.
It is almost impossible to trade a vehicle and have the dealer agree the vehicle is Excellent. Can happen but rare. Usually Very Good is tops. Let's see some scenarios...
I. Let's assume your vehicle is Excellent. The damage would absolutely drop you at least one grade if not two. So if it only dropped you to Very Good you would only lose $300 in trade value and that is not worth your time and effort to try and get back and may even cost you more than that to do so. Don't fix it. However, if it dropped you down to Good you would lose $900 and that is worth you fixing as it would net you a gain of somewhere around $400-$600.
II. Let's now assume the vehicle is Very Good which is possible and even likely w/ a 2011 if you took care of it and it is in good shape other than the damage. If the damage drops you to Good you lose $600. If it drops you to Fair you lose a whopping $2200. Some dealers will clasify your vehicle as Fair with any kind of damage. It is worth fixing regardless of a one or two level drop. You make money doing it.
III. Let's now assume the vehicle is Good in the dealer's eyes for whatever reason not including the damage. The damage drops it to just Fair. That is a $1600 loss for you.
It may be extreme according to some others to suggest that a 4" area could have such an impact on the grade but I am not so sure of that. I do know for a fact that on a newer vehicle like that, the better the shape it is in, the more you will get for your trade. Dealers do go by KBB & NADA so it gives you some good insight before even going to talk trade as to what you can expect. To me on a 2011 making a $245-$400 repair to the exterior is worth it( as long as it runs good and is in really good shape otherwise )as it will pay off with a higher trade in.
Most dealers go by KBB or NADA when it benefits them (on the sale end.)
Most dealers use Black Book when they take in a trade, which is basically wholesale.
Originally Posted By: Doog
Do the repair and have the body shop buff the whole car. You will get it back.
That spot of damage is going to drop you down on your trade a LOT. The better shape the vehicle is in the fewer things the dealer has to lower the price and thus the more you will get.
It comes down to return vs investment. If spending $245 on the repair( and say another $100-$150 for a detail )returned you only $300-$400 extra on the trade it is not worth it( you could even lose money ). However if it returns $1000+ then you made money. You need to get an idea of what your vehicle is worth book value before going to the dealer with and without that damage. 99.9% of dealers will go with KBB or NADA on trade values. Any deviation is them doing funny money to make you think you got more for trade then you did. Know before hand what you should be getting.
IMO fix it for sure. Have that spot fixed and then clean the vehicle top to bottom and have it buffed out as Doog suggested. It will pay off.
Not knowing the exact particulars on your vehicle other than year and model I sort of guestimated at stuff and just went with the middle on options and such to get an idea. On 2011 Camry LE w/ 60K and basic options the trade values( KBB )are listed below...
Excellent
$11,829
Very Good
$11,529
Good
$10,929
Fair
$9,329
It all depends on mileage, options, and how well taken care of your vehicle is of course. These are just some rough numbers to show if it is worth it or not.
It is almost impossible to trade a vehicle and have the dealer agree the vehicle is Excellent. Can happen but rare. Usually Very Good is tops. Let's see some scenarios...
I. Let's assume your vehicle is Excellent. The damage would absolutely drop you at least one grade if not two. So if it only dropped you to Very Good you would only lose $300 in trade value and that is not worth your time and effort to try and get back and may even cost you more than that to do so. Don't fix it. However, if it dropped you down to Good you would lose $900 and that is worth you fixing as it would net you a gain of somewhere around $400-$600.
II. Let's now assume the vehicle is Very Good which is possible and even likely w/ a 2011 if you took care of it and it is in good shape other than the damage. If the damage drops you to Good you lose $600. If it drops you to Fair you lose a whopping $2200. Some dealers will clasify your vehicle as Fair with any kind of damage. It is worth fixing regardless of a one or two level drop. You make money doing it.
III. Let's now assume the vehicle is Good in the dealer's eyes for whatever reason not including the damage. The damage drops it to just Fair. That is a $1600 loss for you.
It may be extreme according to some others to suggest that a 4" area could have such an impact on the grade but I am not so sure of that. I do know for a fact that on a newer vehicle like that, the better the shape it is in, the more you will get for your trade. Dealers do go by KBB & NADA so it gives you some good insight before even going to talk trade as to what you can expect. To me on a 2011 making a $245-$400 repair to the exterior is worth it( as long as it runs good and is in really good shape otherwise )as it will pay off with a higher trade in.
Most dealers go by KBB or NADA when it benefits them (on the sale end.)
Most dealers use Black Book when they take in a trade, which is basically wholesale.
Fix it, wash it, detail it. All of that costs very little, and it's very likely to be worth it.
For example:
I traded a Civic, got $2000 more after a detail. If it looks great, has a clean, non smoked in interior and is obviously well cared for, some dealers will give you more. Some won't. Guess who I do business with?
For example:
I traded a Civic, got $2000 more after a detail. If it looks great, has a clean, non smoked in interior and is obviously well cared for, some dealers will give you more. Some won't. Guess who I do business with?
Trading in a vehicle?
Why would anyone do that?
It's always a great way to get ripped off.
Sell it private party, and do yourself better financially.
Why would anyone do that?
It's always a great way to get ripped off.
Sell it private party, and do yourself better financially.
Originally Posted By: lovcom
Trading in a vehicle?
Why would anyone do that?
It's always a great way to get ripped off.
Sell it private party, and do yourself better financially.
On a late model car that has some value, it depends. In some states, you only pay sales tax on the difference between the new car, and trade. If you're in a high sales tax area, and have an aggressive dealer *sometimes* trading makes sense.
Trading in a vehicle?
Why would anyone do that?
It's always a great way to get ripped off.
Sell it private party, and do yourself better financially.
On a late model car that has some value, it depends. In some states, you only pay sales tax on the difference between the new car, and trade. If you're in a high sales tax area, and have an aggressive dealer *sometimes* trading makes sense.
Originally Posted By: lovcom
Trading in a vehicle?
Why would anyone do that?
It's always a great way to get ripped off.
Sell it private party, and do yourself better financially.
Why does anyone do anything that costs money (directly or indirectly) that isn't completely critical? Convenience...
There are lots of ways to spend both money and time.
Trading in a vehicle?
Why would anyone do that?
It's always a great way to get ripped off.
Sell it private party, and do yourself better financially.
Why does anyone do anything that costs money (directly or indirectly) that isn't completely critical? Convenience...
There are lots of ways to spend both money and time.
Depends on the circumstances. I have done it both ways, and while I agree that there may be a bit better price SOMETIMES by private party, there's no way one blanket statement can cover all situations!
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