First of COLOR: Anyone see the new Orange? The old Orange is too light for me. If the new Orange is a deeper color then that's it.

Secondly: Trade or sell? 2008 Base at 3500 miles. They will give me 13K on trade. I can probably get 15K on Autotrader, maybe 15.5K. But you save taxes on trade and ALOT less hassle.
If I sell on Auototrader it also gives me time to permit the 2009's to arrive at the dealers so I can deal a touch better AND confirm all colors.

Can anyone make some recommendations based on PERSONAL EXPERIENCE?

Frankly it seems to be a tough call but I know that even if it costs me say 3K to swap, in the long run it will even out since 3 years from now an 07 or 08 will be much tougher to sell then the newer more desirable model. So it pretty much becomes a wash from a financial standpoint in the long run.

 

As far as I can see, no one has the new orange color and the chips aren't even up on the Honda website. They have wallpaper that shows it, but that's not the same as seeing the real car. It looks actually brighter to me, more a true orange than burnt orange.

I haven't got personal experience on the trade-in deal, but if you have a Carmax lot nearby, you probably should go get a bid from them. If it's higher, sell to them - it's pretty painless and they cut you a check on the spot. Why wouldn't you wait to trade in your car until the new 2009s come in? I don't understand the timing issue you mentioned. One way or the other, just don't sell it or trade it until you are ready to get your new Fit.

YOU don't have to pay taxes on the private sale, do you? It should be just the new owner who has to pay. I am not a fan of private sales, personally, I don't like to have a lot of people to the house, and there's the issue of asking for cash up front, etc. It's easier to do it through a dealer, and that's where Carmax comes in handy.

I hope they don't wait until the very last batch to make the orange color.

 

I just want to know why Honda doesn't have a build-your-fit for 09 yet. Shouldn't they have done that before shipping them stateside?!? The Fit is Confusion!

 

If you TRADE then you pay no tax so you need to factor that price into the offer given. Hell Trading is so much easier I may just pay the extra $1000.00 or so it would cost.

 

Usually id say sell, but in this case seems like a trade wouldnt be so bad.
As far as the orange color, i like it a little better then BOM but thats not saying much. Id get white :)

 

I'm guessing most states are like this. In Missouri if you sell your car outright to an individual AND get a notarized receipt for the transaction then you pay sales taxes only on the difference between the two car prices. I'm sure there are details that differ state to state.
I don't know why Honda's "build a fit" isn't up for the 09s. I wouldn't trust their rendering of that particular Honda orange. Honda's "build your own 09 Fit" site was way off on what Blackberry Pearl looked like late last year. The only way I could tell for sure was to order it and wait. Luckily it wasn't Barney purple.

 

Naturally it is MUCH EASIER to trade but why would you recommend trade in this case? I will be buying an 09 no matter what color I end up liking. I simply feel that it is a superior car and will hold value much better. This kinda offsets my loss at trading up in a way. I can place it on Autotrader but the numbers are everywhere! 18K, 20K, 15K, 17K, ETC. There are NO PRIVATE SALES in my area. Maybe this is a good thing. Frankly I am completely confused as to what is the best direction to go. Sell it on Autotrader or Trade at a dealer.
I would drop off the car ASAP to the dealer so the miles remain under 4,000 and no damage could occur. I then wait till the right FIT arrives. I have another vehicle to use till the right car comes in in 4-6-8 weeks.

Any Ideas????????????????

 

Did they tell you your trade-in depends on the mileage? I wouldn't give them the car that far ahead of your new Fit's arrival. What if they do something to it? Would you have the paperwork all signed? Would you get cash when you deliver the car? I just would feel nervous about giving the dealership the car when I didn't have anything in my hands to compensate for it.

If you trade in, you don't have to pay tax on the new one? I don't think that's the case here in Texas. Maybe it's the difference in price between the 2, but I don't know. We haven't traded in a car in a long time.

If there are no private sales, you could set your fair price and get it pretty quickly, I'll bet. Insist on cash, period, a cashier's check or whatever. Do you have clear title or is there financing to be paid off? If you have title it's a lot easier...

Good luck to you whichever way you go!

 

Once the dealer accepts the car it is theirs PERIOD. That is the beauty of trading it ahead of time since you are no longer responsible. If the agreed trade value is 13K that's what they are obligated to give you. It is all legal, done it before on other cars. If you hold onto the car then even if you don't drive it there is still the possibility of damage. Trade before your car arrives is like handing them a down payment on your new one till it arrives, fairly common practice.