How It Works
### Trading In a Vehicle
1. **Start Purchase** - Begin buying any vehicle (new shop or used marketplace)
2. **Click "Trade In"** button in purchase dialog
3. **Select Vehicle** - Choose from your owned vehicles
4. **See Value** - Trade-in credit shown immediately
5. **Apply Credit** - Reduces down payment or purchase price
6. **Complete Deal** - Old vehicle removed, new vehicle delivered
### What Happens to the Old Vehicle?
- **Instantly removed** from your farm
- **No agent involved** (you're selling directly to dealer)
- **Can't be undone** (once traded, it's gone)
---
## Trade-In Values
Trade-in value is **50-65% of private sale price**, influenced by:
### Base Trade-In Percentage
| Credit Score | Trade-In % | Example (\$100k private sale) |
|--------------|-----------|-------------------------------|
| 750+ (Excellent) | 65% | \$65,000 |
| 700-749 (Good) | 60% | \$60,000 |
| 650-699 (Fair) | 55% | \$55,000 |
| 600-649 (Poor) | 52% | \$52,000 |
| Below 600 (Bad) | 50% | \$50,000 |
**Why Credit Matters**: Dealers give better trade-in values to reliable customers (higher credit = trusted buyer = better deal).
### Condition Multiplier
Vehicle condition affects private sale price, which then affects trade-in:
**Example: Tractor worth \$100k at 100% condition**
| Condition | Private Sale Price | Trade-In (60%) | You Lose |
|-----------|-------------------|----------------|----------|
| 100% (Excellent) | \$100,000 | \$60,000 | \$40,000 |
| 75% (Good) | \$75,000 | \$45,000 | \$30,000 |
| 50% (Fair) | \$50,000 | \$30,000 | \$20,000 |
| 25% (Poor) | \$25,000 | \$15,000 | \$10,000 |
**Key Insight**: Trade-ins hurt less on beat-up equipment (losing 60% of \$25k vs \$100k).
---
## When to Trade In
### ✅ Good Situations for Trade-In
1. **You Need Equipment NOW**
- Harvest starting tomorrow
- Current equipment broke down
- Can't wait 2-3 days for private sale
2. **Low-Value Vehicles**
- Worth <\$20,000 privately
- Agent fees would eat 15% anyway
- Not worth the hassle
3. **Underwater Loans**
- Owe \$80k, vehicle worth \$70k
- Private sale won't cover loan
- Trade-in applies to new purchase, dealer handles payoff
4. **Tax/Accounting Simplicity**
- One transaction instead of two
- New purchase − trade-in = net financed amount
- Cleaner books
5. **High Credit Score**
- 750+ credit = 65% trade-in value
- Only losing 35% vs 40-50% for low credit
### ❌ Bad Situations for Trade-In
1. **High-Value Equipment**
- \$200k combine
- Trade-in = \$130k (65%)
- Private sale = \$200k (minus \$20k agent fee) = \$180k
- **You lose \$50,000** by trading in
2. **Excellent Condition Vehicles**
- 95%+ condition
- Private buyers pay premium for clean equipment
- Trade-in doesn't reward condition enough
3. **No Time Pressure**
- Off-season, no urgency
- Can afford to wait for private sale
- Extra \$30-50k worth the 3-day wait
4. **Low Credit Score**
- <650 credit = 50-55% trade-in
- Losing almost half the value
- Better to list privately and wait
---
## When to Sell Privately
Use the [[Used-Marketplace|Used Marketplace]] instead of trading in when:
### Value Comparison
**Example: \$200k Combine, 750 Credit**
| Method | Gross Value | Fees | Net Received | Time |
|--------|-------------|------|--------------|------|
| **Trade-In** | \$130,000 | \$0 | **\$130,000** | Instant |
| **Private Sale (Regional)** | \$200,000 | \$10,000 (5%) | **\$190,000** | 48 hours |
| **Private Sale (National)** | \$200,000 | \$20,000 (10%) | **\$180,000** | 24 hours |
**You gain \$50-60k** by waiting 1-2 days.
### Break-Even Analysis
Trade-in makes sense when:
```
(Private Sale Price × 0.85) − Agent Fee < Trade-In Value
```
**Example**:
- Private sale: \$50,000
- Agent fee (10%): \$5,000
- Net from sale: \$45,000
- Trade-in value: \$32,500 (65%)
Private sale wins by \$12,500. **Worth the wait.**
---
## Multi-Vehicle Trade-Ins
You can trade in **multiple vehicles** in a single transaction:
### How It Works
1. Select first trade-in → see value
2. Click "Add Another Trade-In"
3. Select second vehicle → values stack
4. Apply total credit to purchase
**Example**:
- Buying \$300k harvester
- Trade in tractor (\$40k) + trailer (\$15k) + baler (\$8k) = \$63k total
- New down payment: \$37k instead of \$100k
### Strategy: Bundle Low-Value Equipment
Trading in 3 small items worth \$10k each:
- Private sale: \$30k − \$4,500 fees (15%) = \$25,500
- Trade-in: \$30k × 0.60 = \$18,000
- Loss: \$7,500
But selling 3 items privately = 3 agent fees, 3 waiting periods, 3 transactions. Sometimes \$7,500 isn't worth the hassle.
---
## Tips & Strategies
### ✅ Smart Trade-In Tactics
1. **Trade Lemons, Sell Workhorses**
- [[Vehicle-DNA|Lemon DNA]] vehicles hard to sell privately
- Buyers avoid unreliable equipment
- Trade-in doesn't care about DNA
2. **Time Trade-Ins with Credit Score Jumps**
- Hit 700 credit? Trade-in value jumps 60% → 65%
- On \$100k vehicle = \$5,000 bonus
3. **Repair Before Selling, Not Before Trading In**
- Private buyers inspect condition
- Trade-ins don't (dealer assumes reconditioning cost)
- Save repair money, trade in as-is
4. **Bundle Old Equipment**
- Have 3-4 outdated small items?
- Trade all at once instead of listing separately
- Less mental overhead
### ❌ Avoid These Mistakes
1. **Trading In New Equipment**
- Just bought \$150k tractor at 100% condition
- Trade-in = \$97,500 (65%)
- **Instant \$52,500 loss**
- Drive it a few seasons before trading
2. **Trading In During Low Credit**
- Score dropped to 620 after missed payment
- Trade-in = 52% instead of 65%
- Wait until credit recovers
3. **Not Checking Private Sale Value First**
- Always compare
- "I'm in a hurry" can cost \$50k
---
## Related Pages
- [[Used-Marketplace]] - Sell vehicles privately through agents
- [[Vehicle-DNA]] - How DNA affects resale value
- [[Credit-Scoring]] - How credit score affects trade-in %
- [[Vehicle-Financing]] - Use trade-in credit as down payment
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**Next**: Learn about [[Malfunctions|vehicle malfunctions]] and why lemons are hard to sell.