How much is my Honda CR-V worth?
Dear Car Talk: First, let me start off by saying that I am 72 going on 62. I have a 2014 Honda CR-V with over 34,000 miles on it.
I am thinking that I want a new Odyssey because I have had them in the past and because of new safety features, like blind-spot warning and all the other stuff you guys always recommend.
My question would be, what is my CR-V worth in a tradein? Thank you. — Dorothy
Dorothy: There are several ways to figure out the value of your car.
What you should do is start by going to a website like kbb. com. Click on “Get Trade In Value” and fill in your information. That’ll give you a guess as to what it’s worth.
While you’re there, have a look at the “trade in value” vs. the “private sale value.” You’ll notice that you’ll get about 15 to 20% more for your car by selling it yourself. You might want to consider that.
A better way to value your car for private sale is to see what similar cars are selling for in the real world. Try a couple of websites. First, try Craigslist. That’s where you’ll find people selling their own cars. Look for 2013-2015 CR-VS with mileage similar to yours. My guess is you’ll find that they’re selling for $13,000 to $15,000.
Next, check out used CR-VS at cars.com. You’ll find mostly ads from dealers there, so the prices will be higher than in a private sale. But again, it’ll help you figure out what similar cars are selling for, and what your competition is.
You also can ask the dealer what he’ll give you for a trade-in and compare that to what you’d get in a private sale. If the difference is $2,000 to $3,000, you might decide it’s worth the trouble to sell it yourself. Or commission a grandkid to do it for you.
Now, about the Odyssey. You’re absolutely right that we recommend forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and cross traffic alert. But you don’t have to get an Odyssey to get all that stuff. You can buy a new CR-V with that safety equipment if you like your current car.