When to Sell a Car

Bought a new car in 2011 after going through two disastrous used cars. Wanted to hear when would be the best time to sell the car for the most bang for the buck. I know I should've bought used but didn't want to go through the mechanical troubles again.

Thanks!

4 Comments
 
Best Response

I think that the only "good" time to sell a car, assuming you would just wind up getting another one, is never.

Depending on the type of car you bought, it should last you 10+ years assuming good maintenance. If you'd rather not be the sensible Joe (which is perfectly understandable), then the reality is that there is no good time to sell a car beyond the first 4-ish years. Extend that number further out the more expensive your car is; ie, a 10-year old beamer will fetch an appropriate 10-year old car's price, whereas you might get someone trying to barter silverware for a 10-year old Civic.

That said, here's my rough range for ideal sale:

  • Ferrari's, etc: appreciate after time -BMW, Merc, Audi class: 5-ish years
  • Civics and shit: 2-3 years
  • Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Sentra, etc: tomorrow (today if possible)

Hope this helps.

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