Sell to Dealer or Private?

[alekspalatov]

I’m debating whether to sell my Bronco to a Ford dealership and take the loss, or try to sell it private party.

The hang-up is the updates I did to the car. I’d really prefer to sell it as-is, especially since putting the interior back to stock would be a pain.

Details:

• 2023 2-door Big Bend, non-SAS
• Manual, 2.3L
• Single owner, 33,xxx miles
• Transmission replaced by Ford at ~18k miles (cold start grind noise - you can find information about that in some posts from other users)

Mods

• TrailRax roof rack w/ Pak Rax
• Goose Gear full rear seat delete + drawer system

I honestly don’t even know if a Ford dealership would take a Bronco with this setup, or if they’d require it to be returned to stock — which kind of defeats the point.

Bronco is still financed, this was my first new car, and I’m just exploring a different direction.

Not for sale — just looking for advice.
Would you take the dealership hit, or wait for the right private buyer?

Sponsored

 

[PWillette]

No one wants to take a loss. The dealer isn't going to care about your add-ons but they aren't going to give you anything extra and from experience, will most likely give you a low ball number. Wait for a private buyer IMO.

 

[Beach_Bum]

Your accessories (not really "mods") can easily be removed and sold here via the Marketplace or on FB. Dealer isn't going to give you anything extra for them.

Outside of those accessories, it is just a MY'23 Big Bend 2.3L 7spMT. Private party isn't beating down your door for a vehicle that will be out of warranty soon. Dealer is going to give you the auction price. If you are buying another vehicle from them, then the trade value will offset the taxes. But just selling to the dealer, they might not want it as it will likely just be sent to auction.

Your best bet after stripping it of accessories is to sell it to Carvana or the like unless you are trading it in at a dealership for tax benefit.

 

[RobWTX]

Wait, no rear seat, is that what I read on the Goose Gear full rear seat delete + drawer system?
If so, I would at least remove that and add the rear seats, then still private sell it. Dealer will go by "book value", won't give a cent for any upgrades.

But when they sell it, they will ask for more because "Hey, look at these upgrades!"

 

[Ninjak]

I sold my Badlands back to the dealer when I purchased my BRaptor. (I purchased the Braptor from another dealership) I received a good price for it, better than I expected, really. I do have a great relationship with my dealer.

I did take everything off that would fit on the BRaptor, also took the wheels off, and went back to the stock rims with some 35's on them. I left the Warn bumpers and the winch. I did not want to leave a gaping hole in the bumper. I also left the lights and the upgraded speakers. So honestly, I left some meat on the bones and returned to stock the things I could do easily. My Badlands had a LOT of mods.....It sold the next day BTW.

So, private or dealer. It depends on what you want to do and who you want to deal with. The dealer can low-ball you, but so will private buyers. So pick your poison.

 

[Desmolicious]

..

Bronco is still financed, this was my first new car, and I’m just exploring a different direction.

..

Still financed? Dood.

Maybe put the back seat in, sell off as many of the mods as you can and see how you like it as a normal Bronco before committing to selling?

 

[23OBX2.7]

In Sept I sold my Mustang convertible for 15% more to dealer than any private buyer offered and it was a super clean deal, plus didn't even buy anything from them, but the car was warrantied there. They wanted it stock so kept the sound system, summer wheels and tires, wind blocker.

After lease buy out they gave me CAD 7300

 

[Desmolicious]

In Sept I sold my Mustang convertible for 15% more to dealer than any private buyer offered and it was a super clean deal, plus didn't even buy anything from them, but the car was warrantied there. They wanted is stock so kept the sound system, summer wheels and tires, wind blocker.

it really depends on the dealer. Obviously the OP will need to see what they offer and compare.

when I bought my Bronco in December, out of curiosity I asked the dealer what my Miata would be worth in trade in. Edmunds shows private party $18k, dealer $15k.
the dealership offered me $8k and then got upset when I said forget it I’ll just keep it. Then again they also started the negotiations on my regular HE by saying there was a $5k mark up!
in 2025 on a vehicle that I could buy at 10 different dealers within a 30 mile radius!

if you have a decent dealer, you may get a decent price. If you have one like my place, good luck!

 

[KABQ]

Selling/trading to the dealer will be the easier route, but for less money. Private sale will put more in your pocket, but can be a ton of time and effort (and people can be sh*tty).

I've sold a car I was still financing, and it was kind of a hassle. The car I replaced it with only cost about 3k, so I didn't end up with much or any debt at the end.

I know guys who have traded in multiple vehicles early and it really doesn't math. One guy I work with owes well over 100k for the 60k truck he drives now. Keep that in mind if you decide to go that route.

 

[DALOLA]

If you want maximum payoff, you're going to have to put some leg work into it. No one here can tell you what a local dealer will give you. Take a day, and visit every dealer (not just Ford) within a practical distance, and get quotes. Get a baseline by looking at KBB, Carvana, etc... Carmigo is also a good option.

What you get out of it will depend entirely on the effort you put into it.

 

[BlueBronco]

Going through this right now myself. I am returning my moded BL (mostly) back to stock and selling.

As pointed out, dealers and internet car buyers don't care about mods and you won't get your money back.

Best bet is to return to stock, get quotes from the internet buyers and dealers. And then decide if you want the quick money or do you want to deal with a bunch of tire kickers.

I don't have the patience I once did so I am going the quick money route. But, I do have a fairly good offer from Driveway.

 

[jtgensler]

it will definitely be a pain to private sell a car you don't hold the title too.
Might make it more sensible to trade it to a dealer.

 

[Baja Bronco]

You’ll get next to nothing selling it to a dealer (if they even want it?). Being that it’s financed, brings another hiccup with a potential buyer, that will have to be ironed out.

 

[Blue Max]

I second the Carvana option, they beat the dealer offering for my Blackwing by 5k.

 

[Desmolicious]

How do you even sell it privately if it is financed? You don’t hold the title.

Sponsored