<p>My 85 year old mother sold to CarMax and was very pleased with price and service.</p>
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I checked her car on Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) and guessed at the trim level and the $11K is on the low side - the low of the trade-in value (possibly just lower than the low) so Carmax isn’t offering a great deal for it but they’re not ridiculously low-balling either.</p>
<p>Did she try the dealer she bought the car from to see what they’ll offer? It’s always possible it’ll be higher than Carmax but still will be well under what she wants for the car.</p>
<p>The $15K value is pushing the high end of the private party sale price and is over the top of the trade-in value so don’t expect to get that kind of money at a dealer but it’s at least possible you could get it from a private party sale but don’t hold your breath.</p>
<p>Almost all cars that are only a year or two old are in excellent shape so this car won’t stand out in that regard.</p>
<p>The Jetta seems to be a popular car with young people and young females for some reason so that’s probably the market for it. Parking it within view of people at the HS like you are isn’t a bad idea. I’ve sold a few cars just by having a for sale sign in the window.</p>
<p>Your D is learning a lesson of what it’s like to be upside down on a secured loan. It’s something routinely done with cars nowadays as people finance too much of it for too long of a term and usually owe more than the car’s worth almost immediately.</p>
<p>With a new car that is financed to the hilt, it is usually smart to add ‘gap’ insurance coverage to your regular auto insurance policy. Gap insurance covers the upside down shortage between actual cash value of vehicle and the outstanding car loan balance if you wreck your new car. Add the gap insurance to your regular insurance policy through your own insurance agent for just a few bucks more…DON’T buy gap coverage from new car dealer because they’ll overcharge and rip you off.</p>
<p>A friend of mine bought a car on ebay. She said a lot of dealers list their cars there.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that every month you still have the car, your D is making payments on it, and I assume paying for insurance. You might be better off eating a little more of the loan to sell it quickly.</p>
<p>We are prepared to eat a little of the loan, but we are poor. I’m a single mom and she’s underemployed. Someone stopped to look at it at my office today. It makes a good impression. Our little town does not have a VW dealer (only Ford and Chrysler) so Jettas are not common here. She is prepared to keep it for when she comes back, but seems a waste to just let it sit here.</p>
<p>You might check with a nearby VW dealer; is there one within driving distance to you? My son has a 2.5 year old Jetta and his dealer has called us numerous times to get us to sell the car to them. There is a shortage of used cars and they assume we will then purchase a new car from them. We never checked to see what they would really give up for the car, but I understand it would have been a good deal had he wanted to do it.</p>