Considering selling my 5th gen

Hey all,

I’ve never sold a car private party before, just trade-in. Since I’ve done a lot of upgrades, I know I’m not getting the most for my truck when I trade it in. The dealership made me an offer, but I think I can get more. That being said, are there any resources to help price my truck out for private sale and taking into account the upgrades? I appreciate any advice/input.

 

Only car I ever sold private party was a Honda S2000. I sold it in less than a week by listing it for sale on a Honda S2000 forum.

Maybe try selling your 4Runner on this forum?

 

I like the idea... I think more of what I am after is trying to get an idea of how to factor all the upgrades into the price... if that makes sense?

 

That could be tricky because some will say mods add no value but others on here would probably be stoked to buy a vehicle with some nice mods already done to it.

What all have you done to it?

I don't recall seeing too many modded 4Runners for sale on here.

Tacomaworld.com usually has several modded Taco's listed up for sale.

Might be able to look at some of those and gauge a fair asking price for your 4Runner.

I'm gonna guess that the right price is probably around KBB price plus a small premium for your mods. You won't get close to recouping full mod cost.

 

Maybe I should just take the dealer offer. I realize that I won’t recoup the cost, but I guess just wondering if it makes too much of a difference. Dealer offered me $34k for my 2018 ORP with 26,000 miles.

I’ve added icon stage 2, SCS Ray 10 with 285-70/17 Ridge grappler (less than 2000 miles), Morimoto XB headlights, Diode Dynamic SS3 fogs, Magnaflow exhaust, K&N CAI, LED lights throughout.

Talking it out makes me think taking the dealer offer might be the best way to go.

 

Unless you find the right buyer, the upgrades mean nothing and actually can turn someone away who’s not well versed in the automotive world. Having a 10k lift vs a cheap spacer won’t change the price unless it’s the right person. I would try parting it out unless you have tinted windows, tires and what not which can improve the value but not by much. If you have any armor, aftermarket lights, decent lift, I’d strip it and sell it. The dealer will offer you the same probably modded or not.

 

Do you still have the stock parts?

 

Just the the headlights and taillights. I replaced the taillights with the Depo lights.

 

Even if you don’t have stock parts I am sure that there are owners here that would gladly trade their stock parts + money for your upgraded gear. Then sell your car private sale. NEVER trade your vehicle in. Dealer makes money off of you and the future buyer. Dealer will give you trade at least 5k less than what they will sell for. You’re better off doing next buyer a favor (and yourself) and split the difference. Screw dealers

 

The tax savings from trading in is something calculate and consider as well.

 

I like this idea.

 

This is true. You can trade for $34k and buy for $38k and only pay the sales tax on $4k. You split the difference and sell for $36k and turn around and buy for $38k, but you pay sales tax on the $38k. Take 10% as a round number. That's $400 tax on the $4k which makes your trade worth $33,600. You pay $3800 in tax on the $38k which nets your sale back down to $34,200. So all that work for $600? Does $600 come even close to covering the cost of your upgrades or your time? Especially when you're only ending up with $200 more than what they offered you for the trade.

*my math is for entertainment purposes only. I make no claims that I am good at math or accurate with any of my numbers.

 

You'll get the most money by parting out your goodies and putting stock components back on (if you have them or can get them for free). That's a huge pain in the ass that most people aren't willing to put up with.

Second would probably be private sale. You'll have to wait for the right buyer and deal with a bunch of tire kickers.

The easiest thing to do (but probably the least amount of money) is to get a quote from Carvana and Carmax. See how those compare to the dealer offer. Go with whichever one offers you the most.

Don't look at KBB. KBB doesn't write checks for cars.

 

Not everywhere, unfortunately. Lots of states you pay full tax on the price of the new car.

 

No tax savings with trade-ins if he lives in California though. One more reason not to live there lol..

 

Yup, the flake factor is strong. I hate selling anything, especially guns.

OP,

If there is a Carmax near you, they will do a free appraisal and make you their best-offer up-front. It may not be any better than the dealer you're working with, but at least it's one more data point to help make your decision.

 

Try Carvana, they gave me 3-4K more than the dealership offered. Scheduled an appointment, and they took it off my hands after taking a 2 minute look around. Got paid instantly! They’re actually needing more 4runners for their stock because they’re flying off their website. The quote you get is what you typically get if you accurately describe your vehicle online.

 

If you do Kelly blue book that will give you price for trade in and selling it privately. Don’t know how close some of your Toyota dealers are. I did this with my 2015 Tacoma Sport and my 17 4Runner Pro. Fill out the info on Kelly blue book and 3 dealers will contact you and make you a offer. That way you can just compare what your dealer gave you a quote on. You don’t have to sell it to them but you can doing some comparing. It’s tough to sell a vehicle. It’s much easier to trade it in. Don’t know if you own your 4Runner but it makes it hard to hangle with prices. Because dealers what to mess with the numbers with trade in and buying another. When I did both my Toyota’s on the Kelly blue book I owned both. It’s make it so much easier dealing with the dealer on trade in if you own it. After I found out what the 3 dealers offered me then I went to my own dealer and got what I wanted. Good luck on your sale.

 

I'm surprised no one has asked - 2018 ORP, 28k miles, pretty nice suspension, wheels, and tires...what makes you want to sell it? Specifically, what are you thinking of trading it for, or were you just going to sell it to a dealer outright, not trade for another vehicle? Just curious, seems like a very nice truck.

From one of your first posts:



Edit: Never mind...I see from the thread the photo above came from you were looking to trade for a new Army Green Pro, back in May...I guess that fell through, and perhaps you are revisiting that idea? Still, I'd take your truck over a Pro, personally. You've sunk quite a bit of $$ into yours, and would pay a premium for a Pro to start over again...

 

Thanks for all the input. This is why I love this community. Great ideas and thoughts that I didn’t consider. The tax thing doesn’t apply since I live in Oregon and there is no sales tax here. TBH, I was just more looking for advice more than anything. Preparing just in case 6ht gen gets announced, or I come across a Pro that was too good to be true. I am very happy with this truck (even though the ICON has got to go). Maybe I’ll tinker with the suspension?!? I was at a local shop looking at the OME BP-51 system....HMMM! It’s almost an addiction. Some of the newer features on the the current Pro model would be nice though (dual zone climate control with digital display, Apple Car Play) but not necessary. Thanks again all!! Much appreciated....

 

Keep yours, sell your ICONs (someone will buy them), buy some Ironman FCP, OME BP-51s, or Kings, and drive on. Your truck will still have quite a bit of residual trade-in value later if you go that route. It won't change that much. 5th gen 4Runners are in high demand, new and used.

 

You free states are lucky. California does not have tax savings on the value after trade in. It is still taxed for the entire amount including your trade in.

CA sucks!

 

Is this why Pro's typically have a higher resale value, because Pro owners are less inclined to modify them? More content with the original product? I am leaning towards a TRD OR Premium 4R, but would consider a Pro at MSRP. Of the multitude of reasons that Pro buyers justify the Pro purchase is the resale value. Which for me does not enter into the equation. If I buy it, it is because I want it. Not because what I can hopefully resell it for!

 

Pro's are just limited numbers.

Anyone worrying about resale value on a 4R need to find something else to worry about.

 

My daughter and her hubby live in Oregon, and appreciate having no sales tax. She assures me, however, that Oregon makes up for that with other taxes...

 

I priced your vehicle with standard equipment - clean retail (Private Party in Michigan) would get you $38,100. Trade-in comes in at $34,450. I would not be willing to give up the $3,650 difference, especially considering that thing will sell itself fairly quick! Its EZ to do. Just google a generic buyers agreement, modify it to your sale, make sure the cash/check is real my meeting the person at the bank, and boom. If you still owe on it, the process is a bit different, but still pretty EZ.

 

Thanks for this... I don’t owe on it so the process should be easier. The number I had in my head was $39K (after the dealer offer of $34k). Appreciate the effort!

 

LOL, yes Oregon does surely make up for it...

 

$39K might just be the sweet spot, especially considering mods. As everyone else said, you don't tend to get that invested cash back, but it could be an easy justification to bump it to $39K. Either way, avoid the dealership 100%. It can be intimidating to do it on your own, but I've sold 3 of my own private party, and everyday I regret the ones I traded in. Also, the days of putting it in a church parking lot w/ a for sale sign are pretty much long gone. I took good photos, wrote up a great description and paid a fee for a site that allowed for more pictures, great outreach, etc.

When it comes down to the test drive, meet in a well lit area w/ some sort of foot traffic and cameras if things go wrong (gas stations, mall parking, etc). From there its personal preference - I went with them on every test drive and sat in the back. If they pushed it a little, I made an excuse about insurance and it being a requirement and they never raised it again.

Lastly, as I mentioned above, when it comes down to the financial transaction, both of you should meet at a bank. I had them meet me at my banking institution and we went in together, bank verified funds, title work and purchase agreement was signed and the rest is history.

I know I make it sound like you can't trust anyone, but until you can .. you can't.

 

Also if you’re set on dealership, take it to couple different Toyota. Reason I say that is when I traded in my Jeep, one two hours away gave me $4000 more for my trade in than the one in town. You never know what each is wanting and one dealership may know they could get it sold quickly or have a buyer so they’ll offer you more. Both were a Toyota dealership so they don’t have an algorithm for what they offer. Depends on how big of an ass they want to be and rip you off.