What work do on truck before selling or trading in?

[jd2320]

Thanks for the replies.

I guess to clear. When I say good shape. I mean if I repair everything I'll still have a great vehicle both mechnicaly and in appearence. Only rust is surface only, on the underside. Engine, trany, frame, electrical all good too. It does have 130,000+ miles.

I need more towing capacity than my Tahoe offers. And when loaded at or near capacity. My largest trailer is a 10k enclosed compared to 8k capacity of my Tahoe. I feel need to slow down to protect my Tahoe and to be safe. If it wasn't a towing issue. I'd happily keep it many more years.

And before someone suggests a pickup. A SUV meets my needs much better than a pickup ever could.

My situation is very different from most of you. My job has me traveling year round. I literally live on the road. Vacation to me is going home. I have my tractor and many trailers because I often have a day or two do what I used to spend half a summer on. I live IN a city. I also have some equipment from my old business I rent out while I'm traveling. Having tractor and trailers helps greatly with storage, loading, and transportation of said equipment. Normally I would not even need a tractor. To me it is all about time.

Sometimes when I'll be in the Midwest. I'm usually in the location about a month. I bring down 10k enclosed and use it a shop. Tahoe doesn't like the long haul so much. Its mostly a drag issue on the highway, not a weight issue, those cases.

I'll admit I've let some of maintance go. That is not my normal way of doing things. When I'm home usually don't have time to be without wheels. The dealer which usually does my work has offered me loaner CARS, but I usually need a tow vechicle. Also that dealer 150 miles away. I'm yet to find a shop near me with a good enough rep.

Thank you every for your replies.
Please keep them coming.

Thanks

Towing what you do and travleing all the miles I would be in a crew cab 3/4 ton diesel with a canopy you wouldn't even notice a difference from the SUV and it would pull no problem!!!

 

[BruceWard]

I traded in my 2004 Dodge Dakota in December. I emailed pictures and negotiated the trade in price over the phone then arrived at the dealer about an hour before closing. This was not intentional just a reality of my travels. The dealer never checked anything on my Dakota other than the odometer. I received full book trade in value.

 

[timswi]

I just sold a 2001 tahoe, it was mint. The neighbor wanted it since he first saw it.
That was a great truck!!

i agree with most everyone here..put it up for sale as-is. there are more people roaming around with mechanical/autobody skills than you can imagine. They'll be happy with the discount, and you don't have the headache...i used to buy trucks that sound like yours all the time.

 

[joes_427_vette]

I agree, price sells. With the great economy many people tend to do work themselves without the 100 dollar an hour garage fees. If you got two grand for it not investing the three it would be a five grand sale. ( maybe 3k would be a better starting point. Hard to say without seeing it ) Good Luck.

 

[2manyrocks]

Lots of guys drive beater trucks and appear to be perfectly happy. Less cash outlay for them means an easier sale for you. I would avoid selling through the dealer if I could and I wouldn't spend a lot fixing it up.

 

[Mace Canute]

There's one thing you can do to make it more attractive to a potential buyer, and that's give it a good "detailing" first! A clean vehicle gives the mental impression to most people that you care about your vehicle and hence you have probably looked after it better than most..and therefore it's worth more! It's cheap to do and it does work.

 

[bdeboer]

It only a showed $1,200 increase in value from fair to good in the KBB price check. That would be my answer, trade it and move on. Even if you take $2,000 hit you are still ahead by a $1,000. In this economy I would be more worried about finding someone that actually had the cash.

 

[crashz]

I'm not sure about your state, but here in MA, the buyer has 30 days to return the vehicle and/or have any major defects fixed by the seller unless the vehicle is sold "as-is" or sold for a price less than $600.

Considering the hassle, I'd trade it in at the dealer if you are buying new. You should be able to negotiate a decent deal.

 

[dodge man]

I agree, clean it up really well and sell it as is. I'd also recomend a pickup, with all the towing and travelling you do. If you like the idea of a SUV put a color matched topper on it. If you get one of the larger cab models, like the Dodge Mega Cab, the interior is huge. I also know that Ford sells an equivalent model. I never could figure out the attraction to SUV's, they always seemed to demand a premimum over a pickup, and I don't see the added value. The real attraction of a SUV is someone that really wants a car, but lives where there is a lot of snow and needs 4 wheel drive.

 

[Duffster]

I agree, clean it up really well and sell it as is. I'd also recomend a pickup, with all the towing and travelling you do. If you like the idea of a SUV put a color matched topper on it. If you get one of the larger cab models, like the Dodge Mega Cab, the interior is huge. I also know that Ford sells an equivalent model. I never could figure out the attraction to SUV's, they always seemed to demand a premimum over a pickup, and I don't see the added value. The real attraction of a SUV is someone that really wants a car, but lives where there is a lot of snow and needs 4 wheel drive.

Spoken like someone that has never owned a suburban.