How to trade-in/sell truck to dealership?

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Kap1

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Hi Everyone!

I will be selling my 2013 truck, 120k miles as it's quickly developing a whole bunch of issues... lifters/cam knocking sounds, brake system pulsating, transmission doesn't shift to D/R quick anymore.

I decided to trade it in, or sell it to a dealership because i can't look into eyes of private buyer and lie to them that it's a good truck. It will be very expensive to fix it all, and i'm also afraid they will try to get back at me. I bought a few cars at dealership and familiar with the negotiations game, but never sold/trade-in car to dealership before.

A few questions:

1. My truck developed knocking (cam/lifters) in the past month. No CEL yet. It's very light knocking so far, but if you listen to engine, or rev it, you can clearly hear it.

What does dealer do when you take your truck for sale or trade in? Do they have their mechanic evaluate the truck? How thoroughly do they inspect it before giving you an offer?

2. I also have "service brake system" light come on 1-2 times per week, then it goes away. I checked with my basic OBD bluetooth scanner, and didn't see any codes show up. Will dealer check with their advanced code reader for any codes/issues before giving me offer?

3. I have a few nice add-ons on my truck: Morimoto XB led headlights/tail lights, ARE contractor truck cap, yakima rack, PPE larger capacity transmission pan, heavy duty TufTruck rear coil springs to carry heavy loads - while these items would be very attractive to private buyers, especially at $3-4k contractor cap, does dealership consider any of these items in their offer?

4. Should i consider selling the ARE truck cap separately and trade-in without it, as dealership will not pay me anything extra for it?

4. My truck is very dirty... and has a few scratches around. Should i waste time washing it or it wont matter for what dealership will offer me for it?

5. I didn't decide if i want to trade-in for another Ram, or if i will buy another brand truck.

What are my better chances? If i take my truck for trade-in at e.g. Toyota dealership, is there a less chance they will know about the Lifter/knocking issue and will not try to give me lower price because of this issue?
OR - should i sell my truck to Ram dealership, and then go and just buy another brand truck after that?

My main concern is that dealership will want to REALLY low-ball me because they will know it's a Cam/Lifter issue. Or how does this work when you trade in truck with potential issues???

Any help is greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!
 

mikeru

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Hi Everyone!

I will be selling my 2013 truck, 120k miles as it's quickly developing a whole bunch of issues... lifters/cam knocking sounds, brake system pulsating, transmission doesn't shift to D/R quick anymore.

I decided to trade it in, or sell it to a dealership because i can't look into eyes of private buyer and lie to them that it's a good truck. It will be very expensive to fix it all, and i'm also afraid they will try to get back at me. I bought a few cars at dealership and familiar with the negotiations game, but never sold/trade-in car to dealership before.

A few questions:
There's a lot to unpack here. Here's my take on it.
1. My truck developed knocking (cam/lifters) in the past month. No CEL yet. It's very light knocking so far, but if you listen to engine, or rev it, you can clearly hear it.

What does dealer do when you take your truck for sale or trade in? Do they have their mechanic evaluate the truck? How thoroughly do they inspect it before giving you an offer?
It varies from dealership to dealership how much they look at your trade-in. And dealerships were less likely to look closely when things were shut down for covid. Things are starting to get back to more normal-like conditions. I find it's best not to try to hide things, but I won't volunteer issues that might not be obvious to a cursory examination.

2. I also have "service brake system" light come on 1-2 times per week, then it goes away. I checked with my basic OBD bluetooth scanner, and didn't see any codes show up. Will dealer check with their advanced code reader for any codes/issues before giving me offer?
They'll likely check codes if the light comes on while they are looking at it. If the light isn't on, they may or may not check codes. Again, it depends on the dealership.

3. I have a few nice add-ons on my truck: Morimoto XB led headlights/tail lights, ARE contractor truck cap, yakima rack, PPE larger capacity transmission pan, heavy duty TufTruck rear coil springs to carry heavy loads - while these items would be very attractive to private buyers, especially at $3-4k contractor cap, does dealership consider any of these items in their offer?
Add-ons only have value if it's something the buyer wants. So you might get a return on them in a private sale. Dealerships tend to deduct for them. Then they jack up the price when they sell it because of them. I've come to accept the fact that anything I add to a vehicle will not give me a return. If I think it might detract from the value then I'll usually remove it and put the vehicle back to stock. As a buyer, I'd rather have a bone stock vehicle than one that's been modified. For your contractor cap, you'd probably be better off removing it and selling it. Most people have no use for one.

4. Should i consider selling the ARE truck cap separately and trade-in without it, as dealership will not pay me anything extra for it?
Yes.
4. My truck is very dirty... and has a few scratches around. Should i waste time washing it or it wont matter for what dealership will offer me for it?
Again, it varies from dealership to dealership. I'd clean it up as much as possible if it were me. Even a beat up truck looks better when it's cleaned up.
5. I didn't decide if i want to trade-in for another Ram, or if i will buy another brand truck.

What are my better chances? If i take my truck for trade-in at e.g. Toyota dealership, is there a less chance they will know about the Lifter/knocking issue and will not try to give me lower price because of this issue?
OR - should i sell my truck to Ram dealership, and then go and just buy another brand truck after that?
It's a crap shoot IMHO. It wouldn't be a consideration if I was shopping for a new rig. I'd research different brands and go with the one I liked best.

My main concern is that dealership will want to REALLY low-ball me because they will know it's a Cam/Lifter issue. Or how does this work when you trade in truck with potential issues???


Any help is greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!
Dealerships are always looking at making as much money as they can off a transaction. They also know that they might not be in business long if they get a reputation for ripping customers off. I can't say whether or not a particular dealership will know about cam/lifter issues. The only way to know for sure is to go to dealerships and see what they will offer. It's not like you can't just leave if they low-ball you.
 
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GTyankee

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During more normal times, a dealer won't sell a 10 year old vehicle on their sales Lot.
They would send it to an Auction.

These are not normal times, they need vehicles to make the sales lot look like they have a lot of stock.

a Private buyer will give you more for your add ons
 

Stavinksi

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Sell whatever you can accessory wise before trade. You will get zero from any dealer. Yea wash it. Buy the next car you want. Even as much as a few thousand difference in trade won’t make up for suffering with something you didn’t actually want. Especially a new truck that’s probably 60 grand at this point. Agree with others, don’t try to hide anything, if they don’t ask, don’t tell. Do not assume you have to sell to the dealer you are buying from either. Get multiple offers and sell to the highway one. Then go buy what you want. It may happen to be the same place, or it may not. Any of them are happy to buy a car at wholesale whether they are selling you a new one or not. It’s their business and how they make money.
 

tron67j

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Odds are they are going to wholesale that at an auction. You can take things off to sell, but will it be worth it. Try selling to someone as if you are upfront with it is going ad-is with lights on, etc. you will have clean conscious and the buyer knows it is a project vehicle. Or try CarMax, KBB and see what offers you get. Good luck
 

pacofortacos

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Mikeru summed it up pretty nicely.

If the interior is dirty but would clean up nicely, I'd even consider paying $100-200 and have someone detail it inside and out - depending on how rough it is.
Clean and shiny will often times overshadow some mechanical stuff as they don't tend to look as closely. Not only that but it gives the impression that you take care of the vehicle so depending on the dealer, they might not spend a lot of time looking it over.
 

shrubs

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The dealership will buy/trade low sell high-probably at an auction. Common business sense.

Fixing your issues cheaper than the huge new vehicle price tag?

My 28 yr. old daughter sold what many lookers pooh poohed for exactly what she asked. With flaws. Just took patience.

Me? I would fix it, run it awhile and sell it myself.
 

Docwagon1776

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Absolutely clean it. First impressions matter and conciously or subconciously a dirty car is assumed to be uncared for and worth less.

Yes, sell the accessories seperately. The dealer won't give you much for them as a generic truck is more marketable to a wider audience vs waiting for "the right guy" who would set it up like yours.

Hiding problems is a **** move. You wouldn't want them passed on to you without knowing. Fix it or disclose it or be a ****. You're call.

Just get multiple bids, go with the highest one that's honest.
 

Atcer2018

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Agree with most of the other replies here. I get it that we all want the most we can get for our vehicles as it’s our money and vehicles aren’t cheap. Absolutely clean it up! Anyone buying a ten year old vehicle knows it’s not going to be perfect. Make it look as good as you possibly can. Have you done the maintenance on it? Maintenance counts when I buy a used vehicle. If you disclose what you believe to be problems many private buyers would still be interested. There are those buyers that are talented mechanics and replacing the lifters and cam doesn’t faze them a bit. The slow shifting transmission doesn’t mean it’s failing. If it’s not slipping or shifting hard it’s probably electrical. My daughter’s Honda Civic was being sold at less than half the blue book value. The seller was up front and disclosed that the transmission was failing because it shifted from park to drive very harshly and in park the car vibrated badly. That didn’t make sense to me and when I went to look at the car it shifted perfectly once in drive. Open the hood, put it in park and hit the accelerator the engine lifts and turns. Broken motor mounts not a bad transmission, $400 fix not $4,000. Unless you know what is wrong with the truck you can’t get an accurate estimate of its value. If you aren’t interested in knowing what is wrong with it just trade it in on the vehicle you want. It will be the dealers problem but expect it to be valued accordingly.
 

mb33458

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First be honest with your self about your vehicle, research its value before you go into the dealer. As others have said, clean it up make it shine like a new nickel. Also research what you want to buy. Find out what your new vehicle is selling for in your area. When you go in to negotiate your purchase work it as a cash deal, no trade in. Once the purchase price is established, then introduce the trade. If they change the deal, or add on some odd charges, dont be afraid to walk. Keep the deal unemotional. Remember, you already have wheels they need to sell you a vehicle more than you want to buy one.
 

pacofortacos

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First be honest with your self about your vehicle, research its value before you go into the dealer. As others have said, clean it up make it shine like a new nickel. Also research what you want to buy. Find out what your new vehicle is selling for in your area. When you go in to negotiate your purchase work it as a cash deal, no trade in. Once the purchase price is established, then introduce the trade. If they change the deal, or add on some odd charges, dont be afraid to walk. Keep the deal unemotional. Remember, you already have wheels they need to sell you a vehicle more than you want to buy one.
While I agree whole heartedly with this, unfortunately, that isn't the case today.
The market is so screwed up and the dealers and auto makers love it like this. This might be "the new normal" that certain people have said that we must get used to.

Currently, the dealers don't keep floor stock (at least in this part of the country) so they don't pay for a floor plan, sell the vehicles above MSRP if one is on the lot. If you order one then you can deal a little bit, but even most of those are close to MSRP.

Why wouldn't you keep it like this, as everyone but the consumer benefits??
 

Docwagon1776

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While I agree whole heartedly with this, unfortunately, that isn't the case today.
The market is so screwed up and the dealers and auto makers love it like this. This might be "the new normal" that certain people have said that we must get used to.

Currently, the dealers don't keep floor stock (at least in this part of the country) so they don't pay for a floor plan, sell the vehicles above MSRP if one is on the lot. If you order one then you can deal a little bit, but even most of those are close to MSRP.

Why wouldn't you keep it like this, as everyone but the consumer benefits??

Because competition still exists, supply/demand curve is still a thing, and if customers truly value the well stocked dealership experience it will be a competitive advantage. If they don't value it, the Tesla model is likely to gain steam regardless of price. No different than any other brick/mortar vs online vendor decision.

That said, I'm ordering my truck. 3% under invoice for Ford, 6% under invoice for CJDR is not terribly difficult to find if you're willing to travel a bit.
 

KoboldTaco

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4 words: Lipstick on a pig

Clean her up, slap a dress on her, pat her on the ass and send it on the way to the dealer. Not your problem anymore. I know what you mean about the concern with the private party so disclose it. Likely you’ll still end up ahead Cash wise but it might take a while to sell, or not….today’s market is a crapshoot.

If it were me, I’d take it to a Carmax. They don’t check as detailed as one might think And look for obvious signs. We’ve sold two cars to them in the last two years and it’s amazing the money we got.
 

pacofortacos

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Because competition still exists, supply/demand curve is still a thing, and if customers truly value the well stocked dealership experience it will be a competitive advantage. If they don't value it, the Tesla model is likely to gain steam regardless of price. No different than any other brick/mortar vs online vendor decision.

That said, I'm ordering my truck. 3% under invoice for Ford, 6% under invoice for CJDR is not terribly difficult to find if you're willing to travel a bit.
I agree.
Sucks for people that need a car now - like my wife's cousin who totalled her 2012 accord hitting a deer.
Sure she got almost $13k for it, but you can't buy a used car of similar vintage with under 100k miles for that amount and you can't get a new car (unless really loaded) because they just aren't on the lots. Though in all fairness she is picky on what she wants, and her budget and wants are arguing with each other lol.
Many dealers here are charging $2k over msrp for a car on the lot.

I said to travel to get one :)
 

KoboldTaco

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Many dealers here are charging $2k over msrp for a car on the lot.

I said to travel to get one :)
THIS.

I went out of state and saved thousands. Even with the hassle of a smog check on a new truck, VIN check and scaled weight, minor issues there for me to save so much money. AND, the local truck I had Looked at did not have everything I wanted. So, I got the truck I wanted and saved a ton, yup.
 

mb33458

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THIS.

I went out of state and saved thousands. Even with the hassle of a smog check on a new truck, VIN check and scaled weight, minor issues there for me to save so much money. AND, the local truck I had Looked at did not have everything I wanted. So, I got the truck I wanted and saved a ton, yup.
I have a friend who did this. I think he saved some cash but more importantly he got the truck he wanted. Flew out to the Dallas Tx, and then drove his new truck (GMC) home.
 

Docwagon1776

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I have a friend who did this. I think he saved some cash but more importantly he got the truck he wanted. Flew out to the Dallas Tx, and then drove his new truck (GMC) home.

I'm lucky enough to live in easy driving distance of three airports, one a major domestic/international hub. If I'm not picky on the day/time/seat I fly in I can get about anywhere there's a car deal for $150-ish one way or less. If I'm real sweet and show a little leg, I may even get a free upgrade and get to sit inside the plane instead of on the wing, but I get there regardless.

And, hell, it's fun. When I was a kid I would never have imagined I could fly somewhere basically whenever I got the notion to. I get it's no big deal for many people (and you can tell, since they dress like they are going to Wal-mart at 3am because they are out of laundry soap) but I still dress up a little for the "special occasion" of having a big metal tube take me somewhere through the sky.
 

Hydrasport23

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If you want another truck then try to sell the camper shell first. Have the truck detailed and trade it in. In my state, you don't pay sales tax on the amount of the trade-in. No need to put much money in a truck if you just want to get rid of it and get another truck.
Are you sure it's a cam/lifter issue? If you rev it over 3000 rpm and no cel, it's sounds more like an exhaust bolt issue. If you have slack in the valvetrain, it's gonna set a code for misfire.
I also have a 2013 and like the truck but had the same issues you are seeing with yours. For less than $2000, I replaced the cam and lifters, oil pump, deleted the MDS, replaced all rotors and pads with Powerstop components and replaced the front wheel bearings and ball joints. Added shorty headers but that was not really an improvement. That's been over two years ago and I'm still happy with the truck and the tag/taxes are only $25 a year now. A newer truck would be close to $1000 just to put a tag on it.
 

Ratman6161

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4 words: Lipstick on a pig

Clean her up, slap a dress on her, pat her on the ass and send it on the way to the dealer. Not your problem anymore. I know what you mean about the concern with the private party so disclose it. Likely you’ll still end up ahead Cash wise but it might take a while to sell, or not….today’s market is a crapshoot.

If it were me, I’d take it to a Carmax. They don’t check as detailed as one might think And look for obvious signs. We’ve sold two cars to them in the last two years and it’s amazing the money we got.
I think this is great advice. You have a duty (probably a legal obligation depending on where you live) to disclose known defects. But a dealer is supposed to know better. Last time I traded in an older truck, I cleaned it up the best I could then took it to the dealership. I just told them "there's my trade in, tell me what you will give me for it" without making any representations about it. They came back with a number and it was close to what I had predicted so I accepted it. All without making any statements about the old truck other than "there it is".

Later I saw it for sale on their web site. This was a 7 year old Nissan Frontier with 115,000 miles on it. When I traded it, there were a few things I knew it needed...but that was their problem once they accepted it. If I didn't like the number they offered I could have just declined, then had it fixed and sold it myself. Never hurts to take it in and get the numbers. "Low ball offer"? Well, weather they sell it or auction it off to someone else who sells it, someone is going to need to fix it and that cost is going to get factored into any deal.
 

Mister Luck

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Check the laws in your State the DMV is a good place to start
If you do not make documentation on the bill of sale as to the condition of the vehicle being “AS IS” you may be liable for the repairs.

If you are buying a new vehicle then it is possible to make money at the dealership if you have removed all “add ons” and have your truck detailed inside and out before you offer it up for sale. Even to go as far as painting the windshield wiper arms and visit or have a mobile “color match” touch up the paint on the exterior as well as the interior..

Trucks are still a valuable commodity especially in other countries another route to consider is a vehicle is actually worth more in parts than whole.

One last thing to consider is where did you have your truck serviced?
Do you leave it anywhere questionable ?
If you are a loyal patron of a service center or repair shop, you may want a second opinion on the condition and any mechanical repairs or service you have paid for in the recent past.

Don’t be embarrassed if you believe you have been duped because it is not part of human nature to be distrustful.

Repairs to a used truck that you know the history of can be less expensive than one you never seen before , sometimes even in time lost with a new vehicle and the hassle of waiting for a recall or TSB that should have been done correctly the first time.
 
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