sell used car now or wait 5-6 weeks?
55

Asked by zyx321 Jan 09, 2012 at 11:24 AM about the 2009 Ford Focus SE

Question type: Shopping & Pricing

I'm looking to sell my car to a dealer or try and sell it on my own.
I was wondering, is it ever better to hold onto a car for a few weeks and be able to get a better deal. I just need to sell my car, not trade it in for another used or new. Do the kbb and trade-in values on cars ever go up? According to the price trends on this site and http://www.cargurus.com/press/20111128.html it seems as though if just hold onto the car for 5-6 weeks, it will likely be worth $500-$1000 more.

My car is a 2009 ford focus se sedan in mint condition with less than 14,000 miles on it. Suggested listing price on this site is $12,259 and instant value is $14,158.  Considering  the 3 dealers I have had apprise it have not offered more than $10,000  it seems like it might be worth it to  just wait and try privately.

It seems a bit risky and backwards logical to think the car trade-in value or private value will go up instead of down.

4 Answers
95

Braddley answered 12 years ago

The older a car gets, the less it is usually worth, until it becomes somewhat of an antique. However, if the car is primarily that used in a warmer season, it is best to hold onto it until that season comes. In your case, I would look on the Kelly Blue Book site to see the true value of your car, and a private sale will almost always be higher than that of a trade in to a dealer. So what you should do is to find the price, and post it accordingly in a newspaper, online site, ect... before considering the trade in!

Mark helpful
565

1st_Mitsubishi answered 12 years ago

Agreed. A dealer will always offer less money because they need make money on it. They usually have to invest some additional money on top of the purchase price which is why they tend to "low ball".

1 people found this helpful.
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