When it’s time to upgrade your current ride, you’re faced with the choice of trading it in to the dealership or selling it elsewhere. While a private sale can be a hassle, it often means getting more money for your car. However, it really depends on what you have and your local tax rates that determine the most lucrative path.

A lot of car buyers don’t realize that in most states they get a break on their sales tax when they trade in a car. For example, if your tax rate is 8 percent and you are buying a $30,000 car, you will pay about $2,400 in taxes.

However, if you have a trade worth $15,000, in many states you would only pay the sales tax on the difference between the two. In this case it would be about $1,200. Therefore, if you plan on selling that $15k car in the private market, you would want to get more than $16,200 for it to make up for the tax difference. Also realize that if you sell your used car to another dealer like CarMax you won’t be able to take advantage of this tax difference. So if the dealership offers you $15,000, but CarMax offers you $16,000, you are still better off trading to the dealer.

Be sure to check your local tax code to see how your trade will impact your taxable purchase.

If there is no sales tax in your area (lucky you!), the trade-tax advantage is out of the equation. If you are trading something lightly used, chances are you will make more money if you sell it private party, via Craigslist or eBay or some other method. Just keep in mind that you will most likely deal with tire-kickers and low ball offers from people who aren’t really serious buyers. I suggest you get a number from your dealership first so you can decide whether or not those private party offers are worth your time.

If you don’t have a low mile cream puff to hand over to the dealer, but rather something that has seen some wear and is maybe only worth a few grand at best, private sale may be your best bet. Also, if you have a car that has a following or is “in-demand” private sellers may offer top dollar, while dealerships are just going to run it through their “trade evaluator” and spit out a number.

Of course if your ride isn’t worth a lot of money you don’t want to spend a fortune marketing it only to make a few hundred dollars. Craigslist is the go-to for listings like these, but you would be surprised how cheap some of the other third party listing sites can be. will give you a 30 day listing with five photos. has a basic four-week, three photo package for $25; you can upgrade and add nine photos for an extra $10. is around $60 for a 7-day listing, and final value fees may apply if you’re not a regular seller.

In addition to that tax benefit, trading your car to the dealership has two big advantages. First, it is convenient you drop one car off and pick another car up. Many folks don’t have the luxury of holding on to a car to sell after they have already bought something, and they may not be able to sell a car before picking up their next ride.

Also, if a buyer is , this makes it almost impossible to sell privately. Dealerships have the ability to roll that balance into the next loan or lease.

The key thing here is to be realistic regarding your trade value. Have a look at the private and dealership listings for your same car, see what the numbers are. Use tools like , , and to get a “ballpark” number on what you can expect.

Keep in mind most dealers offer “wholesale auction price” and often the demand for your particular vehicle in a certain area will impact your value. Also, remember that if you have been in an accident no matter how minor, if it is on the vehicle history report you’re going to take a hit in your

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