The thing is some states you can still get the tax credit if you sell privately. I remember doing it when I lived in NY.
I recently traded in a cammed C5 towards my 17 GT simply because the tire kickers, stupidity, and lowballers were driving me nuts. Towards the end of my patience (few months of reposting on CL & FB groups) I ended up taking about 2k from the dealer less than what I was asking for the car private party. Living in FL the taxed price was reduced by my trade's value as well. Ultimately it was just easier to give them the keys and make that money pit their problem and avoid dealing with further flakes and idiots. With the car being a total PITA I also don't have to worry about some dude getting pissed at it later on and wanting to make it my problem. Long story short, sometimes it's worth it. My net loss versus private party was about 1500 bucks.
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Trade in was not 38k if they sold for 37k.A friend worked at carmax and saw it all the time. I think the worst he told me about, and this was several years ago was a guy in his 50s, who just picked up a loaded C6. He drove it all of 3K miles in like 6 months and determined he hated it. He walked in saying he just wanted a check for the car. I have zero knowledge of C6 prices new/used but lets say it was 45K fully loaded, trade in was 38K, they offered him 32K and he gladly took it. They sold it the next day for 37. I remember my friend saying dude lost close to 15K, and then made like 5K on the car.
This. I trade cars in to the dealer knowing they are going to make some money when they sell it. I'm always buying another car, so I get the tax credit, I don't have to deal with scammers or tire kickers, and I use my trade to leverage a little off the new car. I have zero time to take off work for selling a car. And when I mean zero time, I mean less than zero, actually. One day off work to deal with asshole on Craigslist who flakes, far outweighs the cost difference to trade in. Not to be a dick about it, that's just how it is at this point in my life.What's the old saying? Time is money, and perspective is everything. To the OP, that guy that lost $18K on trading the Viper, may be a surgeon or some other high paying job where the time spent showing a vehicle/dealing with tire kickers may have cost them that much.