Trade In System
50-65% instant value. Skip the waiting. Pay the convenience fee.
- Overview
- How It Works
- Trade-In Values
- When to Trade In
- When to Sell Privately
- Multi-Vehicle Trade-Ins
- Tips & Strategies
Trade-ins let you instantly convert vehicles into down payment credit when purchasing new/used equipment. Instead of listing for sale and waiting for buyers, you get immediate value.
The Old Way:
- List vehicle for sale
- Wait for agent to find buyer (48-72 hours)
- Pay agent commission (5-15%)
- Hope buyer accepts your price
The New Way:
- Trade in during purchase
- Instant credit applied to down payment
- No waiting, no agent fees
- Keep momentum going
The Cost: You accept 50-65% of private sale value for the convenience.
- Start Purchase - Begin buying any vehicle (new shop or used marketplace)
- Click "Trade In" button in purchase dialog
- Select Vehicle - Choose from your owned vehicles
- See Value - Trade-in credit shown immediately
- Apply Credit - Reduces down payment or purchase price
- Complete Deal - Old vehicle removed, new vehicle delivered
- 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 value is 50-65% of private sale price, influenced by:
| 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).
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).
-
You Need Equipment NOW
- Harvest starting tomorrow
- Current equipment broke down
- Can't wait 2-3 days for private sale
-
Low-Value Vehicles
- Worth <$20,000 privately
- Agent fees would eat 15% anyway
- Not worth the hassle
-
Underwater Loans
- Owe $80k, vehicle worth $70k
- Private sale won't cover loan
- Trade-in applies to new purchase, dealer handles payoff
-
Tax/Accounting Simplicity
- One transaction instead of two
- New purchase − trade-in = net financed amount
- Cleaner books
-
High Credit Score
- 750+ credit = 65% trade-in value
- Only losing 35% vs 40-50% for low credit
-
High-Value Equipment
- $200k combine
- Trade-in = $130k (65%)
- Private sale = $200k (minus $20k agent fee) = $180k
- You lose $50,000 by trading in
-
Excellent Condition Vehicles
- 95%+ condition
- Private buyers pay premium for clean equipment
- Trade-in doesn't reward condition enough
-
No Time Pressure
- Off-season, no urgency
- Can afford to wait for private sale
- Extra $30-50k worth the 3-day wait
-
Low Credit Score
- <650 credit = 50-55% trade-in
- Losing almost half the value
- Better to list privately and wait
Use the Used-Marketplace instead of trading in when:
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.
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.
You can trade in multiple vehicles in a single transaction:
- Select first trade-in → see value
- Click "Add Another Trade-In"
- Select second vehicle → values stack
- 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
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.
-
Trade Lemons, Sell Workhorses
- Vehicle-DNA vehicles hard to sell privately
- Buyers avoid unreliable equipment
- Trade-in doesn't care about DNA
-
Time Trade-Ins with Credit Score Jumps
- Hit 700 credit? Trade-in value jumps 60% → 65%
- On $100k vehicle = $5,000 bonus
-
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
-
Bundle Old Equipment
- Have 3-4 outdated small items?
- Trade all at once instead of listing separately
- Less mental overhead
-
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
-
Trading In During Low Credit
- Score dropped to 620 after missed payment
- Trade-in = 52% instead of 65%
- Wait until credit recovers
-
Not Checking Private Sale Value First
- Always compare
- "I'm in a hurry" can cost $50k
- 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
Next: Learn about Malfunctions and why lemons are hard to sell.