Might be selling my '09 DC/SB TRD.... Q's

Hey guys. Just a few thoughts I've been having lately... might try selling my taco. not b/c I hate the truck. but just the whole financial picture. What do you guys think my truck is worth? I have 9,500 miles on it. I checked my local autotrader. only 3 '08/09 4x4's in general. No TRD's. KBB puts it very hight... 29ish. How do I sell such a expensive truck myself? I have to run the numbers tonight when i get home... but I'm tired of a car payment and the rat race. For the past year I've been listening to Dave Ramsey. Him and my great grandparents have some good advice. Tired of getting up at 5am and working 10+hr days for a truck, House etc. The whole big picture is stupid when you really think about it. If I sell my truck for say $27k? I'd be buying a 3yr old 4cyl stick shift sedan, such as Sonta, Fusion, Accord Etc. Somthing that gets 20/30 MPG's. Those cars can be bought right now for about $7-11k locally, which I could easily pay for CASH. Whatever I use my truck for I could put a hitch on these cars and borrow/buy a $300 utility trailer that I don't drag with me all the time... so it's an option. and bike racks for cars are $50. The only thing I've hauled with my taco that I couldn't do with a car is a 10' ladder. Not to mention gas is going back up locally... and a vehicle that gets less than 20mph avg is kinda of sutpid. Opinions??

 

Or keep your truck, pay it off in 2-3 years, and the continue to have no car payment for the remaining 8+ years that your truck serves you well. Sounds like we have the same truck, and I've gotten 21-22 mpg on the highway before. For me, the difference between 20 mpg and 30mpg doesn't out weigh the convenience and safety factor that this truck provides me with. This truck makes things so convenient for me (bikes, firewood, camping, etc), and it fits my lifestyle much better than any 4 banger sedan (no offense).

Not trying to convince you otherwise, just another perspective.

 

You have a point. Those are the #'s I'm going to run tonight. I can pay my my truck off in 2yrs as of right now. If I buy a 3yr old sedan with 40k miles on it, how long will it last, etc. You have a VERY good poin STLTaco. I just need to run the #s so I don't regret or keep thinking about it ya know. Economy sucks right now, no matter what NBC says. Really cheezed off lately with how hard you have to work to make what I was making during college. And Nobody is giving me $4,500 for a car, or a mortgage bail out. I guess it serves me right for living within my means. I should adopt DC's mentality. I should spend more to get out of debt. So I should trade my Taco in this Sat on a 2009 M5. Buy a bigger house, and then go on MSN and cry like a little bitch. I wish I could boycott paying taxes and having my social security withheld. Or Cash out in life, stash it all under the matress and get on welfare and take up side jobs that pay under the table. Maybe Acorn will pay me to hold a sign up.

 

Dave Ramsey has a good plan. My wife and I did it and don't have any payments but the house. We were not out of control on credit cards so it didn't take that long. As far as selling your truck, you have to realize that you need a dependable way to work. That may not be a 29 thousand dollar truck. If you work close to the house I would sell the truck. As far as the gas MPG, if you work close to the house the money savings are not that much.

 

I admire the thought you've given to this matter. However, best to be sure that you absolutely want to own a car that only meets your minimum life-style requirements. Perhaps you could take the $11k you'd pay for a car and put that money towards your current truck. Buckle down in other aspects of your life and get the truck paid off in 1-2 years and then enjoy a free and clear Taco for the next 10 years.

Working hard to afford the things you want in life isn't something to avoid. And without knowing other details of your life and budget its hard to fairly say what I would and wouldn't do. Just think it through from A to Z and everthing should fall into place. Good luck!

 

What your saying makes sense. You don't use your truck as a truck so why do you need it right? I agree. My first car was an '88 Acord hatch back. It was great, had plenty of room and got 28-30 mpg. I loved that car.

If you don't need a truck don't pay a premium for it.

Right now, I need lots of room on a consistent basis and enjoy outdoor sports including offroading. I got a regular cab 4x4 because it has all the utility I need and is the most efficient as it has a 4cyl engine.

 

Besides working hard and spend money, you have to also think about your self too. What do you like ? I work 10 plus hours too. I did not need a truck but it was something i wanted so to make my self happy i got it. I take it as a reward of my hard earned money.... I hope this makes sense....

 

Right now it's just me and the wife working 50+hr weeks. I live 10 miles from work. She has a very efficient 4cyl car that AVERAGES 28mpg with A/C. She bought it new during college and it's paid for now with 40k miles. That car cost us $15k out the door! Only done oil changes, 1 set of tires and window tint. It's as cheap to operate as a hamster. My other plan was to sell the truck and buy a older Supra like I had in college. I had a '84 Supra with 200k on it, 5spd. LOVED that car. Avg 19mpg on 87. FUN FUN FUN car. Cheap to insure and fix. Best car I owned hands down. That car was pure FUN to drive.

 

All good advice here. In regards to the mpg's again. If the difference were something like 20mpg vs 40mpg, and I drove 50-75 miles per day, then yes I can see that savings adding up real quick. So that is something you'll have to determine.

I've been in the situation where I thought getting rid my SUV for a car because of mpg gain would be a better fit to offset the price of gas. And I now have the mentality that the functionality of the vehicle is more important to me. Personally, so what if my gasoline bill for the year is $500 more than it would be if I drove a 4 banger. The fact that I can pack up and go camping for a weekend, or buy a new appliance for my house without having to scramble for a way to get it to my house, or help a friend move with my truck far out weighs the benefits of simply getting good gas mileage.

I bought my truck with 47 miles on it, I've got a 100,000 miles 7 year warranty, and I'm doing all the basic maintenance on the truck myself. All of this combined with the fact that its a Toyota gives me plenty of reassurance that I'll be getting my moneys worth plus some with this vehicle.

Good luck on your decision, definitely weigh the options of your personal lifestyle and how the taco fits in. Like smallcandle said above, think it through A to Z and everything should fall into place.

Again, just my perspective and how the taco fits into my lifestyle...

Edit: Just read that the wifey has a car that gets great mpgs. We have a '99 Solara with 176k on it, still gets 29mpg on the highway for road trips and I feel like I can depend on it. Having a 2nd vehicle like this is a great option to have for road trips. You can definitely save gas by using the car over the truck for longer trips if you dont need the utility benefits of the truck for the trip.

 

Good that you've seen the light. People living beyond their means is what got us into this mess. Your life will become a lot less stressful when you're not beholden to a car payment.

I have been thinking of selling my truck if I get out of the work I'm in now. If I want to do renovations on my house, then I'll rent the Home Depot truck for $19/hour or whatever it costs. A lot cheaper than driving round in the Taco.

 

Also to tag onto what STLT said you're trucks warranty will out weigh whatever problems that may incur buying a car with 40k miles or so.

 

Not if you pick the right car. That Accord I talked about had 180K mi when we bought it and the only thing I ever had to do was get the clutch replaced. The car only cot $2500 when we bought it.

 

I do all my mechanic work except a/c. I can spend 15 minutes with a car and write a detailed list of what a car needs. I really appreciate the ideas, opinions and such guys. That's why I posted. Looking to have all the info/ideas on the table before I pull the trigger. the appliance idea doesn't hold water. all the fridges, stoves etc we've bought we did driving around in a 28mpg wife car. 99.999999% of places do a free delivery/pickup of appliance now. And the money you save driving a 25mpg car, or not having payment you can PAY them $60 to deliver the fridge, what one every 8-12yrs???? I like off-roading/camping, but realistically haven't done it in 3yrs. Nor do I see the time avail in the next year. so how often do I go?? not very. the Wifes car sucks on the hwy. it's a buzz box. So we take the truck that gest 21mpg. No point sellling her car, she's had it since new, 100k/7yr warranty and she drives A LOT!! and to be honest, the 10k Accord is an option I will weigh Vs a 1984-1986 Supra. Those cars are battle Axes. I've had 3, and know every bolt on that car. If performance mods are not your priority it's amazing how well those cars hold up. I can buy a nice one for $2,500 and put say $1,000 to cover tires, alignments, etc bringing it up to factory spec to be a reliable car. That would be very FUN car to have also. Paid for in full, and would cost as much as a Slim Jim to insure being's it's 20+yrs old. MPG's aren't the issue. it's the Car payment, Equity and Justification. Bigger picture....

and if I go with a '85 Supra, for that price I could afford a $3k home depot truck with minimal insurance also. Both combined with be a $8k investment (or less) and versitile, both paid for in CASH, no payments. and still have Equity to spare (in the bank). I don't need a $32k taco to pick up junk from Home depot 3 miles away. That's another option... and I don't have to buy the home depot truck right away either. Man, the more I think the more I miss my MKII Supras. I could be happy, sporting it old skool, and have a mountain of money in the bank, and have no payments.

 

Everyone know their financial condition the best. If thats what you think is right for you go ahead. I bought several brand new cars with monthly payments during my high scholl days and got bored with them then i realized new cars are not my thing cuz i get bored easily. I bought many used cars and traded them in and out some lasted long some dint ( i am a texas auto dealer) so it was easy for me to switch cars. Then i finally settled on a truck that i can keep now that i am married and stuff and financialy stable. This is whats best for me which might not be best for many of you. So we can only suggest and give you opinions but end of the day you are the only one who knows where you stand and what kind of choice is the right onw for you.

 

No offense, but there is no way you'd get 27K. I was under 27K out the door (includes 5.5% tax / title liscense / fees) with 25 miles on my 09 4x4 DC sport. MSRP was 30,669.

 

I'm coming from a 2004 Acura TL to the Tacoma Double Cab. My car will be sold next week and I'll be buying the truck shortly after.

One thing you'll need to think about when you price your truck is what the dealers are currently selling them for. I have not yet made my decision as if I want a Prerunner TRD Sport or the TRD Offroad. I have my dealer down to $25,818 on the Prerunner TRD Sport, and $28,425 on the TRD Offroad. This is before the current $1,500 rebate. If you price your truck too high right now your not going to be able to sell it. So KBB is a good resource to get an idea, but if you try to sell a used Tacoma for more than the dealer is selling a new one your going figure that out real quick.

Good luck getting your financials straight, I just went through that a few years back and it was painful.

 

I miss my old supra I guess. and I don't like having payments. Those are the 2 crosses I'm carrying. I think if I ran the #'s it'd be a wash on a $10k used sedan. Only thing that would make me happy, and save money would be a MK2 Supra. That is the funnest run around car. So it comes down to keep taco and pay off in 2yrs, or sell it and buy a 84/85 Supra. I wouldn't know what to do with the money lol. Especially if I kept the Supra stock.

 

If you're interested in selling it and dont want to deal with b.s. you can always sell it to carmax.com - they might not give you what you'd get on a private trade but its ALOT less hassle. I've tried selling a car privately before....ugh what a headache from hell.

 

Very true. Figure that's probly the place to start for value. Heck, I'd like to keep my truck and have a MKII, but life aint perfect. That just would mean I'd have more equity tied up in cars. Thanks for the advice, opinions etc guys. See what happens.

 

I am a BIG Dave Ramsey and his method works! The nice thing is if you do end up selling your truck now, you can save and pay for your new truck with cash. Then you own it out right!

As far as price for your tuck I don't think you are going wrong using the KBB price, it has always worked for me when selling cars.

Good luck what ever you do.