Trade in SQ5 or sell privately?

[Maff_u]

I was hoping to get some opinions on what would be the best option for me. My family has outgrown the SQ5 and I'm looking to get into a Q7 sooner than later.

The car:
2015 premium plus, brilliant black with black/magma interior and 75k on it. tech & fine nappa leather packages.
Good: all stock. regular oil changes. spark plugs at 56k, front pads & rotors at 65k, michelin crossclimate2 at 68k.
Bad: Leaking passenger side vc gasket and exhaust leak coming from the left downpipe.

If I sell privately, i'd have both of these issues fixed (estimate ~$1k to fix). If I just trade in, whether these are fixed or not probably (correct me if i'm wrong) won't change the offer by much.

So my question is - what do you think I could reasonably expect to fetch on the open market from this thing and how big of a hassle is selling privately? I got a Carvana offer for $18k and am waiting to hear back from a couple other audi dealerships that have Q7s i'm interested in. The tax benefit of trading in is roughly $1,500 plus the repairs needed put me at $20,500 to break even. I'm not in a huge market (Rochester, NY) so that could also factor into how long it takes me to find a buyer.

whatchall think?

[bakedziti]

Depends on your timeline; if you can’t wait, trade it in, but otherwise sell privately. There are a few SQ5s are listed locally at the moment but I’m curious what the CarMax in Buffalo would offer you if you just sold it to them.

[Maff_u]

Just checked and it's quite low

I'm not in a huge rush but I wouldn't want to hold onto it longer than a month or so. There is a lien on the car but I have the funds to pay it off. That would probably be more appealing to a potential buyer

[bakedziti]

There is a lien on the car but I have the funds to pay it off. That would probably be more appealing to a potential buyer

This would certainly be helpful in moving the deal along if you can swing the cash outlay, especially with out of state prospects for a private party sale.

Good luck!

[5000S]

I would fix the things that are wrong with the car, and then try to sell it privately, then go to one of the wholesalers.
That shows you care about taking care of the vehicle. You will struggle to sell it privately, unless it is road ready.

[Maff_u]

i'm in no rush so I'm having the leaks addressed.

I'm looking for a particular Q7 (black optic + adaptive air) so this could take a couple months. In the meantime the SQ5 will have to get the job done. one dealership i spoke to offered a pretty generous trade in, but wouldnt budge on the price of the q7. the other offered a lowball trade in but priced their q7 pretty reasonably. net i would have probably ended up with roughly the same value but decided against both of them. there is the first ever b8.5 sq5 ending on cars and bids tomorrow...it's been modified, but will give me a better idea of what mine could fetch on there.

surprised to see a large ($6-7k) price difference between similarly optioned & miled 2018 & 2019 Q7s. I'm guessing it's related to the warranty, but the 2019 i looked at had just expired last month, but was priced like others that had a year left still...

[Razz2o4]

I would be interested in the SQ5 possibly if you decide to sell privately if my A6 Avant sells.