Trade in value??

[Grunt0311]

Hello all,

I realize there are some variables here, but I am trying to figure out what a dealer would have paid on a trade in, in an attempt for me to figure out what I am going to offer for purchasing it. It is a 98 LX188 with a 48" deck. I would guess from looking at it that it was in good condition when traded in.

Thanks!

 

[jenkinsph]

What the dealer paid for the mower doesn't matter. Make an offer and see if they take it. Negotiate as best you can but recognize that dealers are in this to make a profit to pay their bills. From your other posts about this machine you mentioned the dealer has already spent about two hours with you, please understand that their time does cost money too.

 

[Grunt0311]

What the dealer paid for the mower doesn't matter. Make an offer and see if they take it. Negotiate as best you can but recognize that dealers are in this to make a profit to pay their bills. From your other posts about this machine you mentioned the dealer has already spent about two hours with you, please understand that their time does cost money too.

Thanks for posting. With all due respect, I completely disagree. I would never buy a used vehicle from a dealer without knowing what they paid for it. You are correct that everyone needs to get paid. And absolutely is the dealers time that he spent answering my questions worth money. Which is why when I need parts or service done I will go thru him. But it is all kind of relative. If he paid say $100 to someone, and is asking $1200, minus the time/money he spent getting it ready for the sales floor, there is definately more wiggle room for him than say if he paid someone $900. It does not do anybody any justice to throw out an offer that is unrealistic, uninformed, or offensive. I'm not trying to rob anyone of the $ they deserve to make a living. I am just trying to keep a little bit that I have earned in my pocket.

 

[byronlj]

[QUOTEThanks for posting. With all due respect, I completely disagree. I would never buy a used vehicle from a dealer without knowing what they paid for it. You are correct that everyone needs to get paid. And absolutely is the dealers time that he spent answering my questions worth money. Which is why when I need parts or service done I will go thru him. But it is all kind of relative. If he paid say $100 to someone, and is asking $1200, minus the time/money he spent getting it ready for the sales floor, there is definately more wiggle room for him than say if he paid someone $900. It does not do anybody any justice to throw out an offer that is unrealistic, uninformed, or offensive. I'm not trying to rob anyone of the $ they deserve to make a living. I am just trying to keep a little bit that I have earned in my pocket. ][/QUOTE]

Let us know how that works for you.
Dave

 

[Grunt0311]

Well I went to look at the mower and to test drive it today. I wanted to report what I found out. As it turns out the mower was traded in. It was a very clean mower. After trade it, and them doing their inspection, the replaced the PTO clutch. Upon them test driving it, the transmission went out. Sooo, no LX188 for me. However I did learn something I wanted to share. The dealer was able to pull up exactly what they had spent after trade in, including parts and labor, and had no reservations with showing me. This is important to me, because like I said everyone deserves to make a buck. Obviously, the more money they had into a mower, the less wiggle room. On the other side, the better it shows me what has been done, for peace of mind, and in therory at least how well the previous owner maintained it based on this info. I still believe that knowing what they paid for trade in is important, but so is understanding the benefits of buying from the dealer and what they put into something to maintain their reputation.