Used car Prices? Any good guides?

[itguy08]

Continuation of my other thread here:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/3248453/

Found a really nice 2011 F150 Supercrew Lariat, Ecoboost, Max Tow, etc. with 45k that we drove last week and really liked. About the only thing wrong is the bed never had a bed liner and it was used as a truck (scratches, etc) The price the dealer is asking is very good (about $2-4k under others' online price) and it almost seems too good. Looks good underneath - no rust (no more than my SHO has on some suspension parts), new tires, etc.

Carfax has it 1 owner, and in the last year and half the mileage shot up at about 20k a year. Called my local Ford dealer I deal with and OASIS was clean - no warranty work in the past 12 months. Verified it's still under Ford's 5/60 power train warranty. It was a local truck.

It passes the sniff test but that little voice has me thinking "What's wrong with this one". Current advertised prices for XLT's and ones with more mileage are about $500-4k over what they are asking for this one. Various online guides (NADA, KBB, Edmunds) have "retail" prices all over the map and a lot higher. I checked the Galves value and trade was around $26k or so and I know they probably have about $800 in it for new tires (they are new with lots of tread, not 45k used).

What am I missing? Are there any good sites that show used car prices of what people actually paid? How do you gauge if it's a good deal or not?

 

[SatinSilver]

Have a link for it? Lets see what we have here. The guys can look for some other red flags that may have been missed.

 

[nitehawk55]

A spray type bed liner would likely cover and seal the scratches in the box .

My son has had his 2011 ecoboost crew cab for about 2 years and loves it .

And the price ...it just became one year older .

 

[supton]

To do a spray in bed liner they have to scuff up the paint really badly (like 60 grit sand paper). I wouldn't let that bother you, if you plan to have it sprayed in. Depending upon how you use it, it might not be necessary to have a liner: I'm not sure I'd pay for it, how I use my truck, as I don't plan to drop gravel and rock in the back anyhow.

As for price, maybe it sat for a while on the lot, and it's time to move it? Too many incentives out there, and the used market reflects that? In between seasons, and people aren't buying trucks (snowmobile season well under way, and too early for travel trailer season)? Or maybe the dealer just uses low upfront pricing, planning on not haggling and looking for quick sales with less effort on their part?

 

[itguy08]

Definitely wanting some sort of liner as we do plan on hauling mulch and such in it for landscaping projects around the house. The township gives free mulch, you just have to get it. The thinking with a spray in is that some of the scratches are down to metal/primer and with the PA winters I don't want the exposed metal to start rusting. Spray in seems like the best option - will seal the metal vs a plastic that will trap moisture.

I think they do use something like "market pricing" or whatever. But it always leads me to wonder why this one is so much cheaper....

And I'm still struggling with paying $30k for something that will not be a daily driver. Long term (after it's paid off in 2.75 years) we do plan on the RV though. As my wife says: my impractical side wants it (who doesn't love toys) but my cheap side says nope. And they are both fighting with the side that has expensive tastes.

 

[supton]

I think spray in costs like $500. It does (or can?) leave a nice textured surface, making it less slippery. I like mine, but it came with the truck.

I hear you on the costs. Mine wasn't that bad but it still was $$$. I can sorta justify mine on the premise that my DD is old, and I can make it last longer if I spread the miles around a bit... The truck does things the car can't, and the car does things the truck can't. The car can pass a gas station, and fit into a parking slot, and not induce long streams of cursing when a scratch is found. The truck will motor around a bit better in bad weather, and take nasty roads better. And of course move things.

Tough call. Me, I'm kinda impatient, and I'm not sure I could wait the three years before getting the RV.

 

[itguy08]

I've been reading on the spray ins and it seems the way to go since this bed has been scratched up a bit. I'd almost be tempted to let it go but fear rust as the plan would be to keep the truck "forever".

I love the utility of the truck and while my DD is not old (just turned 70k and running 100%), it also would be nice to spread the DD load around too. The money/payments are not an issue as I'd simply be paying the same I did for my car and have it done in 34-35 months.

I can see the RV coming next year as I'm impatient too and I can see us visiting an RV show and falling in love. I told her I'm not opposed to used too as I think they depreciate worse than a car.

It's a tough call and one I'm struggling with. The wife is of the opinion she doesn't care and is fine with whatever I decide (but she would have bought the truck Sat.)

 

[supton]

They do seem to depreciate, but I'd start looking now, only if to get an idea. Winter is a good time to buy, but it's offseason, so selection is hit or miss.

I think I just found my next popup, priced below NADA, and I think it was in good shape. I inspected it a few weeks ago, and it looked like a great deal. Lots of watching on CL, and I already had a decent idea as to what I wanted, gleamed from a couple of trips in our current popup, and from walking the dealer lots a couple of times with the wife, so as to have an idea of what is out there.

 

[D189379]

How much difference is there between the trade in value and their asking price?

Is there an online ad? Sometimes in the pictures you can see green grass and leaves on the trees, even though its the middle of January. Then you know its been sitting a while.

 

[itguy08]

Supposed trade in is about $26k or so and asking is $30,900. I know they put 4 new tires and an alignment + the usual detail and inspections so my guess is they paid at the low end of that #.

According to the Carfax it was traded there at the beginning of the month so it's been there 15 days now.

 

[D189379]

Originally Posted By: itguy08
Supposed trade in is about $26k or so and asking is $30,900. I know they put 4 new tires and an alignment + the usual detail and inspections so my guess is they paid at the low end of that #.

According to the Carfax it was traded there at the beginning of the month so it's been there 15 days now.


I usually add about $2-2500 to the trade value to get a fair price. You can also add a bit more for the tires.

Dealer markup varies around here. We have a few with prices $2000 above trade in which tout "no-haggle pricing", and others that list $9000 over trade in, and expect you to attempt to deal them down yourself.

I don't see any reason you couldn't split the difference between $26,000 and $31,000, but we're in different parts of the world, so my used car markets numbers may not compare to yours.

Getting a third party inspection may help ease your concerns.