Straight swap??

rdb666

Hi all, just wondering would a garage do a straight swap?
I have an 05 BMW 116, low mileage, great condition etc etc, that Im looking to trade in, I've checked CBG and the likes and they are ranging from €13,000 up to €17,000 (good uniformity there).
I'm looking to trade up for something with a bigger engine and some of the cars Im looking at are in or around the €12,000 mark, just wondering what is the likelyhood of getting a trade in for nothing or next to nothing?

Thanks for any help and sorry its a bit of a silly question!

Owen

Probably won't happen. Garages are there to make profit. So say for example your car is worth 12k, why would a garage give you 12k for it and sell it for 12k? More likely, they'll give you 8k for it, service it, put a warranty on it, have some profit, advertise it at 12k, and have the ability to drop it to 10.5k on a straight sale if possible.

Voodoomelon

Well based on what the OP was saying, it isn't €12k for €12k, its a car that he/she would be looking to buy for €12k, maybe take a grand off that, in return for his/her car that is worth €13k-€17k.

A general rule of thumb though is that your car is worth less than you think and even less to a dealer.

rdb666

yep voodoomelon thats what I meant, my car is selling from between €13,000 and €17,000, now I know Im gonna get less for it as they have to make a few quid. but if the car Im looking at is only €12k surely they couldnt offer only 8k for it. Im thinking that if I got the 12k car off them and they still sell my own at say maybe €13.5/€14k they are still making a profit on it?

EPM

rdb666 wrote: »

yep voodoomelon thats what I meant, my car is selling from between €13,000 and €17,000, now I know Im gonna get less for it as they have to make a few quid. but if the car Im looking at is only €12k surely they couldnt offer only 8k for it. Im thinking that if I got the 12k car off them and they still sell my own at say maybe €13.5/€14k they are still making a profit on it?

If they are on carzone between 13 and 17k that doesnt mean that they are selling at those prices. I reckon closer to 10 or 11k would be the actual selling prices.

Eoin

rdb666 - what cars are you looking at? I don't know how desirable the 116 is in general, but if you were trading in against a car that would be harder to sell for the garage, it might help reduce what you will pay. I think you can forget a straight swap though.

unkel

eoin wrote: »

rdb666 - what cars are you looking at? I don't know how desirable the 116 is in general, but if you were trading in against a car that would be harder to sell for the garage

That's what I was thinking. I'd say a straight swap is even possible, especially for a car with a bigger engine, but you'd get a car with a lower valuation than your own