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i have a 2001 bmw e46 320i ( jap import) w under 150k ( 4-5 years of ownership now), although AA valuation for insurance purpose (recently) was at just over 10k value, A dealer i asked for trade in was offering below 4k. My car is generally good with the major services already done at around 110K by independent bmw workshop, my average usage is 14K pa and I enjoy driving the car still. I am at a cross road of whether to hold on since the trade in value is so low any way, and any new car i traded will also depreciate, if say the depreciation of the new buy is 4k a year, I could have just writen off this existing car in a year basically; and also if i hold on this existing one longer i can also buy a better and newer car in a year or two ( delay gratification?) i mean like now i can consider a 2008 , in a year or two, i could afford a 2009 or even a 2010 car?

what do think? is my thinking a sensible one? I know a private sale could fetch a better price but the hassle etc...would greatly appreciate your thoughts. many thanks

Although the mileage is getting a bit high you should get a reasonable price if you sell the vehicle privately. If you trade the vehicle this year for a 2008 model, you will be buying a car that is 4 years old. If you wait a year and buy a 2009 model then it will also be 4 years old and the same with a 2010 model in 2 years time. Because the mileage is climbing you might be better off selling the vehicle now before it gets too high and while you can still fetch a decent price for the car.

What do u suggest is a good reasonable price?

No argument that it will.b a 4 yrs old car as stated. But when i get it later I will hopefully be owning a later model n hopefully more advanced technology car!

My thinking was say the depreciation is 4k on the new replacement car, it would take a yr to equate the current trade in offered to enable me to consider a complete write off of my existing car! And fingers crossed if I need to spend only 1 k on maintenance for the next year, if I get this 1 k in my next yr's trade in , that wud b a break even for me. If I sell more that wud add to the difference between the trade in of 4k offered now n the reasoanble price I shld b getting now.

A reasonable trade in price will be around $6,500 (dependent on the condition of the vehicle). If you decide to sell the vehicle privately a good start point will be $8,000. You should shop around a bit more as you might find a dealer willing to pay more for your trade in.

many thanks. could you suggest a few models for me to zoom in.

when i next trade i would like a vehicle that has a bit of space for carrying stuff. I hv considered a station wagon as i think suv probably consumes higher fuel. another option would be just get a car with a tow bar for the occasional use. so i have been tossing with these, a sedan, a station wagon , or car w tow bar or an economical suv, there may be no such car for the budget...it is not an easy , any thoughts or even better suggestions ? thinking say with trade in of 6500 and throw in say another 10k or so.

hi i have been browsing trade me and explored into a few cars, mazda atenza or 6, caldina 1.8 vvti, mondeo 2.3 zetec for years from 2004-2008 ( the few models that are regularly mentioned in this forum), caldina from abt $12-16K some with low mileage of 30-40K, atenza a bit more expensive but saw a couple of mondeo zetec 2.3 for ard $18-19k and mileage abt 60-80k ( i tried to avoid mileage in the 6 figures (100k) or near there). i think these mondeo are ex lease. my feel is caldina maybe a little under power as only 1800cc althou i quite like the shape, atenza has 2 and 2.3l and mondeo is 2.3l. mondeo with 9.3l/100 is reasonably respectable, agree? atenza or 6 gsx liftback looks good too but more expensive.

a question here, would you be very suspicious of the very low mileage mid 2000 cars like 30-40k for a 2005? they have hardly been used really for 7 years or so.

on the safety side i think mondeo would be ahead? bigger and tougher? i guess i am just wanting a bit more metal around me when on the road just in case some unsuspected intruders bumped into me! and with the year 2008 they appear rather appealing! how is the safety rating for caldina?

what are your views on these cars? any other suggestions. i am thinking all these cars would have larger boot space then a E46, and if there is a tow bar, that can be rather useful also for a larger load.

The cars you mention are good choices however you could also consider the Toyota Avensis. Try avoiding Toyota's with the direct injection engine (D4-motor) as they were known to be problematic. There is also a 2.0L option for the Caldina model which might have the desired performance you are looking for. Regarding the mileage, 30-40k isn’t many km's travelled for a car of seven years but it is possibly correct if the previous owner never used the car a lot. Checking the NZ service history or doing an AA History check can confirm if the mileage has been consistent over the years - if the vehicle has been operated in NZ. You can check the safety test rating of the car you are interested in by going to the Rightcar website and entering the cars details. If the budget allows don't settle for less than a four or five star safety rated car. You should have a look at the cars and take them for a test drive to decide on which one will best suit you.

many thanks.

i am zooming into the mondeo as mazda is comparatively a little pricey, i note the added value of a mazda but happy to settle with the lesser engine capability of the mondeo as the other aspects and reliability seemed to have received good comments. and it takes the regular which is 8cents cheaper!

as to fair price, what do you suggest a 2008 zetec with say abt 70K be like? asking 18K . I saw a suggested price by turner for a 2009 zetec which has under 80k as between $14-15.5k only!

I saw some in the 130k+ asking in the low teen, even though the years are in ard 2008 but the mileage is a little too high. I enquired on a LX mondeo 2008 ( i know lower spec and a sedan) with 150K but sold for under 10k, despite the high k do you reckon this is still quite a lot of car for the money? or this should be in the too risky basket as the high k despite the year? a little comment on this would be appreciated. would you in any circumstance consider a high k newish car?

i am going to see 2 zetec petrol in the 70-80k 2008 tomorrow , would appreciate your comment re fair price for these zetec. thanks