I’ll be buying a new car soon and am trying to decide which of my current vehicles I should use as a trade in. I currently drive a 2002 Tahoe and a 2002 Saab 9-3. The trade in value on either one will be small so I am more concerned with which one will serve me best as a second car for commuting, I.e., which one will keep puttering along without expensive trips to the repair shop. The Tahoe has 213k miles and burns oil at a small rate. The Saab has 109K miles and has had several repairs since it hit 100K. Wich one do you think will likely last the next year without major expensive problems?
Could be both. Could be neither. It is a roll of the dice as to which might need repairs. What vehicle are you thinking of purchasing?
You could also make more money selling one of them privately on Craigslist or in a newspaper classified. Trade-in on either would be like giving it to the dealership, who likely do not even want it and will send it to auction.
Put both vehicles up for sale. Whichever sells first at a decent price, then you keep the other. This gives you more money than a trade-in to a dealer and you can use that money for repairs or increase your down payment on the new car.
Trading in a vehicle is almost always a losing proposition for the buyer. Sell the vehicle and use it for the down payment on the new vehicle.
You might get a break on taxes, if done correctly.
Also, getting the value from the dealership with how much they think your car is worth allows you to have a minimum value that you can try and sell the car for on Craig’s List, cars.com, or where ever you sell it privately.
BC.
The one that had proper maintenance as described in the owner’s manual. The difference between the two cars otherwise is not that important.