We have a '01 Nissan Frontier that runs well and has 146K miles, that is out of inspection. After letting the local car shop run it’s tests, looks like repairs to pass will be about $1,500 or more. Don’t have that at the moment, and have been wanting a new truck anyway. Would a dealership accept a car, that their mechanics finds sound, that does not have current inspection? My thoughts are if they did, use the trade in value towards a down payment on another truck. Just curious if this is a wise option.
If it runs they will find a way to create a trade-in allowance. You don’t have to tell them anything about the car; their mechanics will figure it out.
When you trade in a car, two transactions take place: 1) you buy a car from the dealer; 2) he buys a car from you. In most cases, you want the car the dealer is selling more than the dealer wants your vehicle. The dealership has several departments, with each department having its own manager. These departments include a department for new car sales and a department for used car sales. In the case of a 2001 Frontier pickup truck, it may be the case the used car manager knows he can resell your truck. The game is to make it look as though you are getting a lot for your truck, when in fact, the dealership is jacking up the price of the new truck.
My wife “volunteered” my services to help a family friend, a single woman in her late 60s go car shopping a week ago. Our friend had a 1990 Honda Civic. We negotiated a deal on a new Civic and then asked if the dealership would like to buy the old one. The dealership did buy her car. I think the old car has a salvage title and shows some rust around the rear wheels, but the dealer bought it for $500.
Your “don’t have that” comment caught my eye. My brutally honest opinion (which I’m sure you won’t like) is that someone who doesn’t have $1,500 to fix their current car is making a mistake and digging a bigger financial hole by moving to a newer car. Do you realize you’ll probably be upside-down for much of the new loan, which is a bad place to be? My suggestion is to find a way to fix this car, which is usually the lower-cost option over time.
Our son spent time last summer looking for a not-too-expensive compact pickup truck. He finally found a 2001 S-10 that was in good shape with about 80,000 miles. It ran well, but even so he spent $800 on new brakes, a replacement starter and having necessary maintenance done. If your truck runs well, putting $1500 into the vehicle really isn’t out of line and you should get at least 30,000 more miles from the vehicle.
I had a 98 f-150. The money I paid in repairs could have bought me a new truck so I did a 2012 Frontier. Cut your losses dump the truck
Sounds like you should do without driving for a while. Call every relative you have and ask if they will help you with the money. Call the ones who aren’t currently mad at you first. You never know; they might come through for you. If you call my family, don’t even admit that you’ve ever heard of me.