Life History of Car + 2nd Hand Trade In Value

[Leper]

1. I enquired at a Ford Main Dealer recently about upgrading our car. I hadn’t bought the car there and the car services etc were conducted by an independent operator. The salesman (on the telephone) asked me for the car registration number as he said he wanted to look up the online history of the car. How much online information about the car is available to the sales person?

2. Price of used cars has dramatically increased over the past two years, but that is not reflected in trading in the car.

 

[ClubMan]

How much online information about the car is available to the sales person?

This is one online vehicle history checking service (there are several others) and this page shows the type of information that might be available during such a check.

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[jpd]

Unless the independent operator updated the Ford system, then the car salesman will not have any data about the service history

Why not ask the independent operator ? Did you get the service manual updated and logged when you had the car serviced?

If you do not like the trade-in value offered, you have two choices - haggle for a higher value or sell it yourself privately

 

[Slim]

@Leper. If you could manage without the car for a while, advertise it and sell yourself. I found the price offered by main dealer to purchase the car, not trade in, was about 60% of what I sold it for via Adverts.ie. Usual caution re using online sales platforms and scammers.

 

[DublinHead54]

Is there a ballpark discount figure dealers will offer you for trade ins vs what they sell it for?

Online valuer says my car is worth 33k, and other similar models seem to be selling by dealers for that amount. Would a dealer offer me 10%, 20%, 50% less etc?

From my very limited experience I understand they will offer more if you are trading in to upgrade via them, but If I trade my car in it will likely be with a different brand i.e. peugeot to hyundai.

 

[thedaddyman]

Is there a ballpark discount figure dealers will offer you for trade ins vs what they sell it for?

Online valuer says my car is worth 33k, and other similar models seem to be selling by dealers for that amount. Would a dealer offer me 10%, 20%, 50% less etc?

From my very limited experience I understand they will offer more if you are trading in to upgrade via them, but If I trade my car in it will likely be with a different brand i.e. peugeot to hyundai.

Changing brand is not necessarily an issue if the dealer deals in multiple brands as opposed to just one.