# Selling car back to BMW or to a Dealership?



## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

HappyG said:


> Carmax lowballed me at 29k. They said the manual would be hard to sell...oh please.


And they are right. Don't forget that Carmax is in this to make money. The take rate for a manual is quite low. No leather, no auto and you've cut your market size way way down. Only way we'd get a new BMW without leather is to lease it.

I'm sure there are buyers for your car, just not that many. People that want the manual / sport package / 'ette combination will also want a 335i.

My advice is to keep the car. Sell it if you must, but lower your expectations.


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## adgrant (Aug 13, 2003)

MP3_E46 said:


> Sure some buyers will rule out cars that don't have certain options (e.g. auto + leather most often), but every time I sell a car, it is the cheapest by far on the market. Some buyers grumble about missing an option or two, but as I said they all sell quickly.


Most buyers will rule out a car that does not have auto because most buyers can't drive a car with a manual transmission (or their wife can't). Vinyl seats will also put quite a few people off though probably not those just buying on price. A car with leather and auto is going to hold its value much better than one with the sports package and Xenon headlights.

I agree with the poster who suggested leasing when ordering a BMW with vinyl seats or a manual transmission. Another option that would indicate leasing might be a good idea would be the NAV system.


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

HappyG said:


> Carmax lowballed me at 29k. They said the manual would be hard to sell...oh please.





HappyG said:


> I purchased the vehicle at $500 over invoice. No matter what, I'll take a loss, but I'm trying to not eat the entire down payment amount. Thanks for the input...maybe carmax will be in her future. ugh.


here is what I don't understand... If CarMax is willing to give you $29k and you think CarMax might be in the cards. Why wouldn't you just unloand the freaking car for $30K.

At that price, the car will probably be gone tomorrow and you get a bit more than CarMax gives you. What's the proble??!!


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## dihedral (Jun 27, 2007)

Owners of stick shift 5 series in certain areas of country really take a hit of about 33% of book value. On the 3 series, many cannot afford the auto. On the 5 series, many do not know how to drive a stick.

Probably not true in Calif or NY, but in rural areas of the country, if you have a 5 year old 530 or 540 with a stick, you can take a substantial loss. Dealers have the same problem in those same geographic areas.


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## MP3_E46 (Oct 30, 2003)

adgrant said:


> Most buyers will rule out a car that does not have auto because most buyers can't drive a car with a manual transmission (or their wife can't). Vinyl seats will also put quite a few people off though probably not those just buying on price. A car with leather and auto is going to hold its value much better than one with the sports package and Xenon headlights.
> 
> I agree with the poster who suggested leasing when ordering a BMW with vinyl seats or a manual transmission. Another option that would indicate leasing might be a good idea would be the NAV system.


Remember this is a three series BMW we are talking about, not a Merc, Lexus, Five series etc. A lot of used buyers want the manual - probably a much bigger percentage than new, as buyers of new cars are a higher percentage of poseurs. Most people who look at my used cars know quite a lot about cars.

If manuals are so hard to sell why did I have one person willing to travel from Miami to buy my last car - that is a 1,400 mile round trip. It sold locally before he could arrange to travel here. As for depreciation on that car I lost *~$180/month* including tax over 4 years, 4 months. Compare that to leasing! BMW NA current 'special offer' is effectively *$428 + tax ($454) per month* :rofl:

On the '07 328i that I sold in April the only options buyers wanted were the sports package and Xenon lights. Two serious inquiries were from repeat BMW buyers who said they actually preferred -ette seats. I lost $200 on that car.

Our other '07 328i (Wagon) has paint, auto and heated seats so cost a lot more (~35K v's $31K). Are people willing to pay us any more for the options? Nope - everyone is offering about what I sold the stripper 328i sedan for.

The only reason the OP is having a hard time selling is price, as Beewang says he could unload it for $30K in flash, but it sounds like he does not want to loose much money on an outdated 2006 model when 2008s are just around the corner :dunno:

The moral is to do homework before you buy. I wrote a post about that a couple of years ago: Click here for the spreadsheet.


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