Re: Trade in value of GLX

["S. Joseph Mann" <joem@pswtech.com>]

John,

I've been curious about this myself. I will be upgrading to an Audi TT,
A4 or S4 next year. Edmunds is usually pretty accurate, and yahoo has a
nice interface to Edmunds info. Kelly Blue Book's site is usually right
in line with Edmunds as well.  I would truly like to know what the Banks
NADA loan value is. The following is what I came up with for my car. 
Stock 95 GLX, Sequoia Green (metallic), cloth, weather package, Stock
BBS wheels.

http://verticals.yahoo.com/edmunds/Volkswagen/

4 Dr GLX Sedan                                 Trade-In  Market
Vehicle Base Value  \                           $12,316  $15,395
Equipment Adjustments
	Metallic Paint                             +162     +162
Total Equipment Adjustments                     $12,478  $15,557
Mileage Adjustment (33,000 Miles)                  +248     +248
Total Vehicle Value                             $12,726  $15,805

www.kbb.com
TRADE-IN VALUE (Good)                                    $12,544

A "good" vehicle rating means that the vehicle is free of any major
defects. The paint, body and interior have only minor (if any)
blemishes, and there are no major mechanical problems. In states where
rust is a problem, this should be very minimal, and a deduction should
be made to correct it. The tires have substantial tread wear left. A
clean title history is assumed. A "good" vehicle may need some
reconditioning to be sold at retail, however major reconditioning should
be deducted from the value. Many cars owned by consumers fall into this
category. 

Trade-in value represents what you might expect to receive from a dealer
for this consumer owned vehicle. Keep in mind that the dealer must then
absorb the cost of making the vehicle ready for sale, advertising, sales
commissions, arranging financing and insurance and standing behind the
vehicle for any mechanical or safety problems.



John Hamill wrote:
> 
> I am moving on to an A4 1.8T or Passat 1.8T soon. Took my 94 GLX in to several
> dealers in the Boston area. Trade in value was probably worse than if it were a GL.
> Both said the GLX is hard to move due to its higher cost and they would rather take
> in a 2.0 because they can move it easier. My car is in exceptional condition but it
> does have 67k miles. I put an ad in the paper, I'm not in a hurry to let a dealer
> burn me.
> 
> Moral of the story: a high end VW is worth a lot less than a low end Audi. If you
> want all the gadgets on a VW you are still saddled with the VW "economy" nameplate
> when it comes time to move the car on, so the money you spend on the VR6 etc. is
> basically down the toilet as soon as the car leaves the lot. The dealer told me
> that as soon as a $21k GLX leaves the lot it is worth about $16k tops, whereas the
> lesser models (GL, GT etc) keep a lot more value percentage wise. I think my
> current GLX is the last time I buy a "high end" VW. Perhaps the newer models (A4's)
> will change this perception a bit since they are so much nicer.
> 
> The Passat 1.8T (the "low end" version) is the way to go I think, the 5 speed
> drives as well as the GLX, great power and the car feels quite nimble for its size.
> I also test drove an Audi 1.8T (non-Q), it is also an extremely nice car, the
> interior is way nicer than the Passat. After getting out of the Audi, the VW looked
> downright cheap. It's a matter of whether that's worth the extra BIG dent in the
> wallet. The A4 also felt as tight as my Jetta that's equipped with Bilstein Sports.
> I don't think the A4 needs much in the way of suspension tweaking. The Passat
> rolled a bit more.
> 
> I would appreciate anyone else's trade in stories/comments on a GLX.