There has been much talk about car showrooms and how they handle trade-ins. Specifically, many feel that traditional dealerships don’t offer vehicle owners enough. Recently, this was shown with a social media post where a woman wanted to trade in an SUV and the dealership offered under $500. However, CarMax saw the vehicle as having much more value.

Many wonder why car showrooms see less value in trade-ins than CarMax

Car showrooms have been getting much flack as of late for multiple reasons. This is especially the case for what they offer for car trade-ins. According to The Sun, Kaytlyn Briegge recently took to TikTok to share her experience of trying to trade in a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. She says the dealership only offered her $250 dollars for the SUV despite it still being relatively new. Kaytlyn even compared the amount to what she’d recently paid for a sushi dinner.

After trying her luck with car showrooms, the woman decided to look into how CarMax would value her SUV. After evaluating her car, which had over 130k miles and some hail damage, they offered her around $4,000. Of course, this is a much better deal for anyone trying to get rid of a car. However, it also ensures that they get more of what the vehicle is actually worth.

Of course, car showrooms consider several factors when deciding on a trade-in value. They take into account the car’s age, mileage, and overall condition. Kaytlyn admitted that her 2019 Equinox had high mileage and that it had physical damage. Still, offering $250 for a newish SUV when the dealership would have sold it for thousands is a bit predatory.

This is one reason why it’s best to shop around for deals when trying to trade in or sell a vehicle.