Hey everyone. I have a 2005 touring roadster with 9500 miles on it. I love the car to death but it's not practical for a retired woman who loves to shop anymore. Plus it's way too hot down here in Florida during the summer to have the top down. I decided that I wanted to trade my Z in for the 2006 Infiniti M35 sports sedan, which perfect for what I need. I bought my Z back in december brand new for $39,000 out the door. My Z has 9,500 miles on it and its in EXCELLENT condition, the Infiniti dealer said that the most that they can offer me for my car is 28,500. I can't afford to take a loss that big and if this is the fair market value i'm very dissapointed how much the Z depreciated in value for me. I need your input to see if i'm getting ripped off or not. I went on kelly blue book but they wont even calculate the used value of a 05' Z yet. Thanks guys for all of your input!

 

Do you have Nav? Typical low ball offers, tell them to stick it!~ They offer you 28.5 then really give you a good deal on the G, but turn around and sell your Z for $34K.

 

Your dealer is probably offering you low wholesale for your Z and trying to make a TON on the front end of this deal. It's called the cost of doing business and it's what they do. You didn't mention what options you have on the car, but you'd undoubtedly make thousands more by selling it yourself. If you're uncomfortable with that, you might try retaining an automotive agent in your area and pay him/her a fee to sell your car and negotiate the purchase of your G.

Keep in mind that all cars depreciate, but the Z has had a pretty good record and 350Z roadsters are quite desirable. It's a good time of year to try to sell if you really need to. Speaking of 'needing to sell'- how about just putting the top down to let the heat out of the interior and then putting it back up and cranking the a/c? Think of the Z as a "self-limiting" shopping device: if you can't carry your purchases in the trunk and front passenger seat YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY THAT MUCH! LOL

Bottom line: you'll miss your Z and be forced to dance to the dealer's tune if you give in to this deal after such a short time!

 

[QUOTE=dkmura......Bottom line: you'll miss your Z and be forced to dance to the dealer's tune if you give in to this deal after such a short time![/QUOTE]

If you absolutely have to.....take your time and sell the Z roadster on your own to someone who appreciates it(there are plenty who do!!!!). The dealer trade in offer seems much too low.....

 

+1^. You will miss the ZR. Meaning no disrespect, but have you considered alternatives to shopping trips that yield so much that it won't fit in the ZR? Or, maybe you could consider buying a used station wagon/small suv for shopping and keeping the ZR for the pleasure driving? I'ts just so hard for me to imagine giving up a car that gives me so much pleasure and which I really look forward to driving.

 

Dealers are always going to pay you less than a private buyer because they have to leave room for a profit. How much is always the issue.

You will get more for the car by seling directly. Try finding an agent/broker as dkmura above suggests.

 

I have a kenwood ddx7015 and aftermarket navigation with the kenwood music keg. I also have the 18 inch wheels. Not sure if they took that stuff into consideration. I figured the dealer would give me a horrible trade. Do you guys know if it would be worth a shot taking it to carmax? I've heard people who've had lots of luck with carmax and some who have not. Oh and a few of you replied comparing the G to the Z. I'm actually looking at the M series, not the G.

 

I would take my time and seek a private sale or a broker/agent......Carmax will not haggle with you but they will give you the Kelly Blue Book wholesale price......which would probably put you in the same predicament....

 

Like everyone else has said already, your always going to take a big hit with a dealer always.

 

05 prices are too new to show up on Kelly Blue Book, but an 04 Touring Roadster (assuming non-Nav and automatic) has a trade in value of $29.5, so I think that dealer is not being very nice. You should take it to Carmax if just to see what they offer you. I have traded several vehicles at Carmax and have always been happy with their offer, plus the no-hassle of selling them the car. You do have to realize that you will take a loss, but it shouldnt be THAT big.

 

Your car is 2005, the dealer is not going to give you what you like to hear. When a new car leaves the lot, it will take a substantial loss in value. I saw someone was trying to sell his 35th Z with only 1K miles, he was asking for $33K, that is at least $5K+ loss including tax/shipping. The best way is to sell it through private party, but it takes time to sell. If you don't want to take the loss, sell it through the newspaper or autotrader, and eBay as a last resort. Someone will want your car. Speaking of CarMax, I read someone paid $25K for a 2001 S2000 with only 11K miles, he'll end up paying $30K with interest. What a deal!?!?!?!? CarMax is not as good as it seems.

 

never sell to a dealer, always to private buyer. its the only way you'll get what your car is worth.

 

The way that I would go about it is this....

I would tell them that since they are going to sell my car for 34-35K (because you have researched it) then they should give you not a penny less than 33k for it. Tell them they are making plenty of overhead from invoice to MSRP on your new M35, so there is no reason for them not to give you a fair price on your Z.

After that, you must close the deal (and hard) so just say. "This way everybody makes money and I buy a new car from you....do we have a deal yes or no?"

IMO car dealers are the scum of society. Nothing but a bunch of crooks so you have to play hard with them and never be afraid to just walk out at any time. Good luck!!

 

Its always been my experience that people (At least in my area) really won't buy a car from a private seller. I would look at E-bay as an option if you do want to sell it outright.

Remember, As soon as you drive a car off the lot it depreciates by 20%!

 

Another unfortunate truth in the car business is that many aftermarket items are only "throw-ins" to the deal. You'd be better off taking that stuff out and keeping or selling it. It's always worth trying other franchise dealers like Carmax, but (as you've read here) you will always lose $$$ on a trade-in. There's very little "good luck" in negotiating with dealers- you either know your stuff (and usually more than them) and negotiate from a position of knowledge or get raked over the coals. Keep in mind that they're in the business to make money- period. Your best hope to combat this to do some hard research and absolutely, positively practice some patience in the selling of your ZR. Immediate gratification will usually cost you a significant amount of money!

With that in mind, best of luck in your pursuit of a M35!