I live in Central CT. After investigating for a few months, Prestige Audi of Wallingford has presented a fantastic deal on a 99.5 closeout. 1.8TQMS w/Sunroof for $300 over invoice. One Hoffman Audi salesman quoted $700 over; when I went to investigate another salesman said "no less than $1200 over (for a 99.5!). This second jerk claimed 2000s are going for sticker! Prestige said I could do $1200 over invoice for 2000, but this 99.5 for $300 over invoice is brand new, only 43 miles! Cannot pass up!

The purchase price of the car will stand. My problem is my trade. I currently have a 1994 Acura Integra GS-R Sedan (purchased new), to which I added every factory accessory. No after-market modifications. 61,800 miles. Very clean inside, outside will be when I clean it good, superb mechanical condition. Audi dealer WILL NOT KEEP CAR ON LOT! They declare it a wholesale, and the only bids so far have been about $8200. I think I should get$10k-10.5k.

A4.orgers, please advise me on how to perform the "buying/selling balancing act." What are the insurance, property tax, and vehicle registration issues involved with buying a new car which will be your only car as soon as you sell other one? How do you insure and maintain registration of old car "just enough" to show car to potential buyers without getting blasted by two high insurance payments and two high property tax bills?

Any assistance (particularly those familiar with CT laws) is appreciated.

Thank you, and I look forward to joining the club!

My insurance company (State Farm) gives a 30-day courtesy coverage on the vehicle which is to be replaced by a newly purchased vehicle.

In the state I live in (WA), there is no property tax on personal vehicles, but instead excite tax. Since the excise tax is paid once a year, it doesn't make difference whether you keep the old car a few weeks or not, unless it's due for renewal really soon.

In WA state, the sales tax on the new vehicle is assessed on the net purchase price, after deducting the trade-in value. With one of the higest sales tax rate in the country (8.6%), the extra price you can get from selling the old car yourself can be a wash. Still, with such a large spread in the retail and wholesale values, you usually come ahead by selling yourself.

There isn't any complications in selling the car yourself, just a bit of extra work of listing on newspapers and online (classifieds 2000, yahoo, auto trader, etc.) and showing the car to prospect buyers.

Some of my friends think I am odd to sell myself, but I find them odd to trade in...

I was in somewhat the predicament that you are in. I needed to sell my Pathfinder before even thinking of buying the A4. The dealer wanted to give me $21,000 (not a penny more). The car is one year old, in great condition, fully loaded with 11,000 miles. Everyone told me I would be crazy to sell it to the dealer, even though you get a tax advantage between the sale of the new car and old car.

I put it in two local papers, got flooded with calls, and ended up getting $26,000 for the car (owned the car 15 months and paid $28,500 new). I actually started a bidding war, and sold it to the highest bidder.

My message is basically, I agree with the poster above. I would not trade in my car to the dealer unless it was an absolute desperate situation. Put it in a few local papers, call your insurance company, and rest assured that you will get more money from a private sale than from the dealer. Even with your tax advantage if you traded in the older car it wouldn't even come close to what you can get on your own. It was not the least bit of a hassle selling it on my own, and I got the last laugh!