Free preview · from the dealership side of the desk
Most private sellers price their car one of two ways: they plug it into a valuation site and list at the top of the range, or they knock a few hundred off what a dealer down the road is asking. Both feel reasonable. Both usually end the same way: three weeks of silence, a string of lowball texts, and a frustrated owner who takes a trade-in number they could have had on day one.
Here’s the insider truth: a dealer’s listing is a retail price that includes reconditioning, a lot, on-the-spot financing and often a certification. You’re not competing with that number; you’re competing below it. Used-car managers price off live comps and cut on a schedule, because every day a car sits costs money. Below: how to build real comps, setting list, target and floor, a worked example on a 2019 compact SUV with 68,000 miles, when and how much to drop, and what to say to offers.
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In the full guide
- How dealers price a used car (and why it matters to you)
- Step 1: Build real comps
- Step 2: Find your anchors
- Step 3: Set three numbers before you list
- Worked example: a 2019 compact SUV, 68,000 miles
- Price for the search box, not the eye
- When (and how much) to drop
- Handling offers, and what to say
- Your game plan
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