Questions for folks that trade trucks often.

[Abcdj]

I have always bought used trucks in the past and driven them till I thought they were unreliable or "The Wheels Fall Off'. It has worked out well for me.

I bought my first new truck in March. It had 4000 miles on it so it wasn't brand new. It is a 20 model and now has 18900 miles on it.

Now that I have something nicer, newer and worth more, I am thinking I want to trade it in and stay in a newer vehicle.

My questions for you guys that trade trucks often and stay in a new truck are?

Do you trade them in around a particular mileage?

Do you trade them in when the warranty is going to run out?

Wait for a particular time of year?

Do you trade them every one or two years?

What triggers you to trade?

What do you expect from the dealership on a trade in?

In general what are your experiences good and bad

[Drycreek3189]

I traded every two years for a long time. I was using my truck for work and got paid for it. Now that I’m retired and not driving 80,000 miles per year, I’m not about to trade until I need to. If it’s not tax advantageous you’re just throwing your money away IMO. I mostly bought my trucks outright and would finance about every other one for 12 months just to keep my credit current. I don’t like paying truck payments (or any others) for the rest of my life.

[Bh_liberty]

I try to trade every 3 years. My thoughts are if your going to be making payments you might as well be driving a new one. I usually run between 30k and 50k a year on my mileage. So far this has worked out for me and my payment has stayed the same. Financially there’s people on here a lot smarter than me so don’t take my advice.


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[BrianL]

I try to trade when the timing of rebates and incentives are in my favor, but usually best to trade before 80K miles.

[gingib]

The bug got you

Just remember the money you "make" on the trade you will pay that and more on the new one. Not counting the interest already paid

[Johnny Dangerr]

I will not drive a modern vehicle with out a warranty. Last vehicle used 5K in warranty repairs...

[Bill M]

I used to be like you then I needed to keep something reliable for working. Over the past 10 years I have traded at 50K or less and every 2 to 3 years. I have kept a good equity position by doing that. I have owned 3 different new trucks in the past 9 years. I was looking to trade the last one but they offered me such a deal on the trade and I got 9K off the new one so I did. We pull an RV on a regular basis so wanted to get something I didn't have to worry about for another few years and my RVing days would likely be done then. If you establish a good equity, it pays to in my mind.

[KGreene]

Be careful what you buy if you plan on trading it soon. Diesels do good, jeeps and Tacomas have been a grand slam for me. Regular everyday trucks will depreciate way faster.

[Shane]

I used to buy used trucks and keep them a long time. But when everything got really computerized with sensors on everything and all of that, it's hard to fix stuff without spending a lot. I've been trading every 2 years, usually in the fall when the model year closeout sales are going on. I usually have about 50K miles on them in 2 years.

[Smeone]

in the wayback when I sold Ford for a short while I believe it was under 5 years old and under 90,000 miles would qualify for a "conventional loan" so they were worth more used

recently I heard a Ford dealer in a small town advertising under 7 years and 120,000 miles

sadly I remembered these numbers more firmly just a few months back, but a lot has gone on and I have been dealing with a ton of other "numbers" and those used car numbers slipped my mind so double check


it may have been 3 years and 90K in the past and 5 years 120K I heard recently

the main point being there are limits to miles and age that a dealership will wan as a premium used car

[bowhntrmatt]

My advice, if you are going to go this route, is to buy desirable models. 4x4 diesel, Jeep’s, Tacomas, raptors, etc. will hold their resale better than, say, a f-150 xlt.

I don’t know how sustainable our current conditions are, but it almost makes sense to trade in every year or two now with how much they give on trades.

[redhoghunter]

In a similar situation but my question to the financial gurus of TBH…. Does leasing make sense in this situation? Would like to be in a new truck every 36ish months and I only drive about 15k miles per year.

Thoughts?