Charlie97L

hey guys, i've had an 07 mustang gt for about a year now. i recently became self employed, and now i have to drive everywhere, and with gas what it is, having it as my primary car in the DC area just isn't working.

i'm likely going to get a honda fit, but aside from that, i got it evaled at carmax today for trade in. they offered 20K even.

is that a good deal? or should i be getting more if i sold it privately?

specs:
2007 gt premium, black, auto, black leather
5 spoke alum. wheels (18" not the bullit ones, but the flat spokes)
interior (silver dash) kit
shaker 500
10K miles

thanks! any opinions would be great.

charlie

Chris07GT

Doesn't sound aweful, but if you aren't in a hurry, I'd try and sell it privately.

wmtheflash

That actually sounds pretty reasonable. I would get their offer in writing, then take it to another dealer and see if he'll beat it. I did that and got $500 more than CarMax offered.

If you're looking to save money, then you should seriously look at a 2007 Ford Focus. A relative purchased one a month or two ago with less than 5k miles for about $7k.

Gas mileage is very close. The Fit seems to have a more versatile space, but it's a lot more crowded in the backseat for passengers. The Fit also has an annoyingly small gas tank, 10.8 gallons to 14 gallons for the Ford. The Focus is more powerful, too. Look for a 2007 ZX3 if you can, they're the lightest and get the best mileage.

Charlie97L

thanks guys, i appreciate the feedback. i'm not going to decide on the offer for a day or two, so if anyone has anything else, please add.

i will check out the focus, thanks for the tip.

timothyrw

i've found carmax to offer reasonable prices.

sounds about right for your car.

rogan01

In my experience with 2 cars, both less than one year old, both with less than 2K miles and in excellent condition (one was a Mustang GT Premium/Black/Black 5-speed), Carmax offered around the Kelly Blue Book value for a trade-in in FAIR condition. Too low I thought. That sounds about right for your car though from them. Of course they will put it on the lot for $23,500 at least.

I don't know about DC but in Florida, you only pay taxes on the difference between your trade and the car you buy at the dealer. This means you save a lot of money doing the trade at the dealer. In your case, you would probaby pay no tax in FL.

Back N Black

I did asalewith CARMAX about a year ago. The offered me a fair price for my car and it was relatively hassle free. Of course they are going to put it on the lot for a few grandmore than they give you, they're a business and have to make money.

ckone0814

IMHO you are not gonna like going to a Honda Fit from a GT!

Consider a Mazda3 5 dr hatch for similar versatility. Loads of fun to drive and 30 mpg. I love mine.

tlpvt

sorry you have to sell the stang[:@]
not trying to tell you how to run your finances, but here's couple things to consider:
i am getting 22.3mpg (computer says) with mostly city driving, stock 07GT. average speed 18mph. have not reset the computer for the last ~4,000mi. i am not going to the extremes ofturning the engine off at every stoplight, but am pretty careful about driving smooth, keeping it under 2krpm,no pointless accelerations etc. having the instant fuel economy displayed on the dash helps too...when i just bought the car i averaged like 13mpg with jack@$$ driving, but hey, we've all done that

now, thefocus is rated 24mpg city and honda fit is 27city, they're both ~14-15k$ new.
unless you're getting a replacement car slightly used for like 1/2msrp (not likely with the honda though) you are not saving a lot of money on gas. and loosing alot trading in your mustang.
do the math carefullyand figure out if it is REALLY worth it for you.
or get a used $300-500scooter for short trips

Charlie97L

thanks for the input guys.

no matter how i swing it, i'm going to be saving money. my payment will be going down, my insurance will be going down, and my gas cost and consumption will be going down. also, since i got the gt at employee pricing, i'm not losing that much on the deal.

unfortunately, living as i do in the dc metro area, a scooter would be suicide, even on the non-highway roads. if i lived anywhere else, that would be what i was doing, you can betcha.

also, i'm averaging about 16 mpg with conservative driving on the stang on my new routes, and most fit's get 30 mpg plus average from what i've been reading online from real world figures. i know that's a big low for the gt, but we also have E85 everywhere around here, which, IME, reduces gas mileage, especially when you get into more performance oriented cars.

i used to have a mazda, and had a ton of problems with it. i know the new 3s are fun to drive, but i've been test driving all of the sub compact 5 doors out there, and the fit seems to do what i need, and drives well. i'd rather get 2 or 3 more mpg than 20 more hp. sure, i won't be able to open it up like the GT, but i could do that so rarely in all the traffic around here anyway.