Generally speaking. Bartering., What is this worth? To whom? Options

[turbohcar]

Agreed. Now that I've begun to buy more and more parts for my car, it is becoming ever so clear that when you do try to trade parts for parts, generally speaking you don't get what you bargained for. This idea is identical to that of a used/new car dealership. You take your old beatup 91 AWD Eclipse in to trade on a new 05 Lancer Evolution. You're going to get squat for that Eclipse because the dealership has to take into account resale of that Eclipse. No one but the crazies here would value a 91 AWD Eclipse. Everyone else in the world wants a good reliable car to get them from A to B. Plus, the dealership has to fix all the oil leaks (we all know our DSMs have oil leaks) wash, wax, and prep the car with whatever other parts it needs (tires, brakes, oil change). And on top of all of that, they have to pay their employees. When it all comes down to it, not only is cash king but selling outright for cash is king. So don't be shocked when you go to the dealership next time and find out that the car you've put $5,000 into isn't worth $2,000

I'm just glad as DSMers we have so many resources at hand. The trader, the classifieds here, dsmtuners, dsmtalk, all of them are great resources for selling a car and getting the most for your dollar. The real trick is finding someone who wants what you don't.