I am in the process of trading or selling my Xterra. It is a 2003 SE V6, auto, rockford fosgate, gunmetal rims/steps/roof rack, AND 64K miles(all commuting). I know wholesale is less than retail,, but having a dealer quote me for trade in a 9K?? Just looking for some inputs.

He's not making what he wants on the new sale so he's reaming you on the trade.

You will almost allways get more from your vehicle if you sell it on your own.

Check out an auto trader and see what your vehicle sells for in your area.

A lot depends on what it is that you are trying to buy. The X has a good resale value. I think it is on the top ten list..you can google that. You must think of the price of your new vehicle and your trade in price as 2 separate transations. The "best" you can expect from a dealer is wholesale blue book. Try to buy when the dealeer is getting a factory incentive on the new one. That is cash in his pocket and he will deal on the trade if you hold your ground. If they will not deal get up, thank them for their time and start walking off of the sales lot. They will ether chase you down to deal or you get to go to the next dealer until you find a hungry one. P.S. this will not work if you are trying to buy something that is in low supply and high demand like a Honda Odyssey, or Toyota Prius.

Take the time and sell it yourself.

Like everyone else has mentioned, you will never get as much as it's worth from the dealer. That being said, sometimes you can make it work for you, but you need to approach it as two different transactions, not all part of one.

Thanks for the info,, this is what I wanted to do:
2005 Saab 92X Aero, the car price is 25,000 msrp, with a 7000 dollar GMAC rebate. I was gonna try to hide as much of the negative equity as possible in the Saab,, but I think they are trying to get me with the 9K quote. Wholesale for my truck is 11,500, retail is 16000 and private party is 13,675. If they would give me 12000,, the deal would be good, but for some reason, Xterra's must not be popular down here, plus they have the same model with the same option and 5k less miles on their lot and they want 17000 for it?? Drives me nuts.

I'll buy it for 10

I just did what you want to do, but with a 92-X Linear. Treat the three phases of the transaction separately: Vehicle Purchase Price, Trade-In, Loan Interest Rate.

I looked at what other dealerships were charging for used Xterra's. I used kbb online to find the wholesale price.

I knocked an extra $200 off the vehicle purchase price after the rebate. I ended up getting $1,650 more than what I owed on the X for the trade in. I also negotiated the interest rate down an extra 0.5%.

This is a good place to go to prepare for the games and tricks the dealership tries:

http://www.carbuyingtips.com

Stick to your guns. Be ready to walk out at any phase of the deal. I was at the dealership for almost 5 hours. Make sure you have a good meal before going in. They'll try to tire you out, get you impatient.

Also, the dealership was always trying to get me to sign papers all throughout the negotiation. Don't sign a thing until the end when you're with the finance guy, and have checked all the numbers he put in the contract.