I've been checking CL now and again for 2012 WRX prices and they all seem to hover at $25k for dealer and $22k for private sales but is that realistic?

To make a long story short, I'm house shopping a significant distance away from work and am going to either get a beater Corolla or get a CT200 and want to see if it's worth selling private or if I should just trade it in.

I've got a SWP 2012 WRX, base model, 14k miles. No accidents, no issues, never had a problem with it. Maintained by RBMS.

Very short mod list (which I would mostly remove if trading in of course): window tint, Cobb AP+SF intake, Nameless axle-back w/ 5" dual mufflers, Feel 441 coilovers, Whiteline 24/22 swaybars, STi "short shifter."

I owe about $17k on it so I'd have the added problem of a private buyer having to cut a check to Subaru Finance/Chase and me for the difference.

And hey, anyone want to buy a nice WRX?

 

It sounds like you need to decide if you want to keep your car or not. If you want to keep it, get a cheap commuter. You can lease a brand new Corolla for less than $200 a month, and some people spend more than that on snacks. Maintenance is covered, and if it gets folded in half on the motorway, it does not matter.

If you want to sell your car, do it - but your best bet will be to pay it off first. Otherwise, the only real option is to have the potential buyer meet you at your financial institution, pay them, and your CU/Bank gives you the difference. Any other option can be frustrating.

Best of luck!

 

This is solid advice. I was in the same situation a few years ago and not having the title in hand made private selling more difficult. I borrowed money from family to pay off my car note to get the title from the bank. With the title in hand, I was able to sell the car in a week and pay back the money I borrowed.

Good luck.

 

Sort of same here too - if you can pay it off first, it will make it a lot easier, but I've sold cars both ways. Since you owe a bigger chunk, might be harder to come up with, but it will sell quicker that way IMO.

 

I got a really good deal on my first Subaru which was a 02 Wrx because I was flexible and patient and was willing to work with the seller who still owed money. Not many buyers are willing to do that which is why he hooked me up.

I've been thinking of upgrading from my 06 sti but I still owe about 3k to my credit union for the loan. I could easily just pay the 3k up front out of my savings and be good but then I'm still stuck having 3k less in my bank account and would have to finance my next car again.

 

The idea there though is that you pay yourself back when you sell the car. That's what I did too, took savings + borrowed some to pay the car and then repaid that when I sold it. Having the title in hand, the car sold quicker.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I've got the money to pay the car off outright and will just do that if I end up selling the car. I know when I'm searching for a car, I don't want to deal with funky title/bank situations.