Hi everyone I think I may have made a mistake with the hybrid as I need a car now that can tow. Here is my question to you all. I think I have a little over 2500 miles on it now and want to see if I can trade it in for an Element instead. anybody do this or have any friends that have traded in a more expensive car for a less expensive car? Thanks again everyone and I love this site.

Hicks

 

Just sell the Hybrid privately. With the tax credit you make money anyway. Then go buy the Element.

 

Definitely sell it privately, as you will get more money that way.

The Element seems fine for light towing but the Ridgeline or other pickups/large SUVs might be better if you're looking for medium to heavy towing capacities..

 

Is that possible? What would you guys think I could get for a 2007 hybrid with 2800 miles on it?

 

Check kbb.com and see what the going rate is for it.

 

Its too new kbb.com doesnt even list the 07 hch

 

I thought that CarsDirect would have suggested private seller values, but it doesn't at a glance. You might want to poke around just to see for curiosity.

One possible way to gauge your sale price would be to find out what a dealer would be willing to give you for trade-in and then adjust the price up $3k+

With demand being high on more fuel efficient cars these days, you can probably get the price closer to the purchase price than you think.

 

I tried doing that with an Xterra I had just bought. I immediately wished I had bought the element. I paid 21,250 and the best I could find for a trade-in was 17,500. So I couldn't stomach it. I ended up keeping the Xterra, and liking it quite a bit, especially since we just bought a camper trailer. The Xterra has a 6000# tow rating and is a lot heavier duty than the element but much worse on gas. The Element can only tow 1500 pounds, though it is a very good vehicle. In the end I don't regret the choice, but i do sometimes wish for the Element.

 

All my Honda dealers are inundating me with Buyback offers right now. They are mostly trying to get rid of their Accords, but I know they are always offering deals on Elements and Ridgelines. Most of the offers say they'll keep your payment the same. I'm sure you'll still lose money on the deal though.

What do you need to tow?

What's the towing capacity of the Element?

Can the Escape Hybrid tow?

 

Do you have HOV access stickers? Those will raise your private party selling price quite a bit (2-3K)