Trade in your vehicle in Delavan, WI

The trade-in process

1. Step 1Bring it in (or send photos)Drive your trade to Kunes Ford of Delavan or text photos to (262) 455-8480 for a phone estimate.
2. Step 220-30 minute inspectionDino walks the vehicle: body, paint, tires, interior, mechanical scan, frame check. Open the hood, run the OBD-II diagnostic, take it for a short test drive.
3. Step 3Written offerYou get a number on paper — auction value, retail markup or markdown, and the final trade allowance — alongside the math on Wisconsin sales-tax savings.
4. Step 4Your callTake the offer toward a new purchase, take it home and think, or pass and sell elsewhere. No pressure either way. Offers are typically valid 7 days.

What to bring

• Vehicle title (or lienholder info if you owe)
• Both sets of keys (single-key trades OK with deduction)
• Owner's manual if you have it
• Service records (timing belt, transmission, recent tires)
• Your driver's license
• Co-owner if title is in two names

Frequently asked trade-in questions

How is the trade-in value of my vehicle calculated?

Dino Savaglio appraises trade-ins using a combination of three inputs: recent regional auction data (what wholesale dealers are paying for your year/make/model/trim right now), retail demand at Kunes Ford of Delavan for your specific vehicle (some models sell faster locally than others), and a physical inspection of condition — body, paint, interior, tires, mechanical, frame, glass. He shows you the number in writing alongside the math on how it affects your new purchase: trade credit applied, payoff cleared if you still owe on it, and the Wisconsin sales-tax savings on the difference between the new vehicle price and the trade allowance. The whole appraisal takes about 20-30 minutes and is no obligation.

What documents do I need to bring to trade in my vehicle?

Bring the title (or, if you still owe on the vehicle, the lienholder's name and your account number so Dino can request a 10-day payoff quote), both sets of keys, the owner's manual if you have it, any service records that document major maintenance (timing chain, transmission service, recent tires), and your driver's license. If you have a single key only, the trade can still proceed — there's just a small deduction for the missing key cost. If the title is in a co-owner's name, bring them along or a notarized power of attorney; both registered owners need to sign the title to transfer it.

Can I get a trade-in value without coming to the dealership?

Yes for a ballpark estimate. Text Dino at (262) 455-8480 with your year, make, model, trim, mileage, and 3-5 photos (front, rear, both sides, interior). He'll give you a range based on the same auction-and-retail data he uses on-site, usually within an hour during business hours. The range is non-binding — the final number always requires the physical inspection because condition meaningfully affects value. The phone estimate is reliably within 5-10% of the in-person number when the photos are honest. Don't sugar-coat damage or mileage; an accurate phone estimate saves both your time and Dino's.

What happens if I owe more on my vehicle than it's worth (negative equity)?

It happens regularly, especially on vehicles bought new in the last 2-3 years at high MSRP. The negative equity (gap between payoff and trade value) gets rolled into the financing on the new vehicle — meaning your new monthly payment is slightly higher, or the new loan is slightly longer-term, to absorb the difference. Dino will show you the math clearly: "your trade is worth $X, your payoff is $X+Y, so $Y is added to the new loan." There's no judgment about it. The other path is to bring cash to the closing to pay down the negative equity directly; whichever option works better financially is your call.

Will Kunes Ford of Delavan trade in any make of vehicle, or only Fords?

Kunes Ford of Delavan accepts trade-ins of any make — Chevy, Toyota, Honda, Ram, Jeep, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, even classic and motorcycle trades. Some non-Ford trades go to wholesale auction rather than the used-car lot if they don't fit the dealership's retail inventory mix, and that wholesale value sets the trade allowance. Either way, you get a real written number based on the actual market for your specific vehicle. Dino has appraised everything from a 1998 Ford F-150 work truck to a 2023 Tesla Model Y traded toward a Bronco; nothing's off the table.

How does the Wisconsin sales-tax savings on a trade-in work?

Wisconsin charges 5% state sales tax (plus county and stadium taxes in some areas, totaling 5.0-5.6%) on vehicle purchases, but only on the *difference* between the new vehicle price and your trade-in allowance. Example: if you buy a $50,000 truck and trade a vehicle worth $20,000, you pay sales tax on $30,000 — roughly $1,500-$1,680 total — instead of the full $2,500-$2,800 you'd pay buying the truck outright and selling your trade privately. This trade-tax savings effectively boosts your trade-in value by hundreds of dollars and is the main financial reason to trade rather than sell privately if the private-sale premium isn't significant.

Should I trade in my vehicle or sell it privately?

Private sale typically nets a higher gross price — usually $1,000-$3,000 more than trade for a typical 5-year-old SUV. Against that, factor in (a) the Wisconsin sales-tax savings on the trade (often $700-$1,400), (b) the time cost of listing, showing, and negotiating with strangers, (c) the risk of bad checks or fraudulent buyers, and (d) handling title transfer, lien release, and DMV paperwork yourself. For most Delavan-area buyers the trade is the right call when the private-sale premium is under $2,000 net. For high-demand vehicles (Toyota 4Runner, Tacoma, Honda CR-V, etc.) the private-sale premium can be large enough to make selling worth the effort.

Do you accept lease returns or lease buy-outs as trade-ins?

Yes to both. If you're returning a lease and considering rolling into a Ford, Dino can handle the lease return and the new-vehicle paperwork in one visit; you'll need the lease return packet from your leasing company and the inspection (if not already completed by an authorized inspector). If you want to buy out your lease and trade the resulting owned vehicle, Dino can run the buyout-and-trade math to see whether it makes financial sense — sometimes the buy-out price set in the original lease contract is below current market value, creating instant equity. Bring your lease contract and recent statement for the appointment.