promised i would post the spreadsheet. i am in Bismarck, shopping for my first real truck, 2020 or 2021 crew cab half ton, around 30,000. i priced the same kind of truck four ways. corrections welcome, that is the point.
North Dakota charges 5 percent motor vehicle excise tax on the purchase price no matter where you buy, paid at the DOT when you title it, so i left it out of all four. it is the same number either way.
| way | truck | on top | getting it home | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dealer, Bismarck | 31,995 asking | 299 doc, 199 etch they will not remove, 89 nitrogen in the tires | i drive it home | 32,582 |
| Manheim through a broker | 29,600 (MMR) | Manheim buyer fee about 450 at that price, broker 400, condition report is all you get | Fargo lane to Bismarck, 250 | 30,700 |
| Copart through a broker | 27,500 (hammer on a similar truck, run and drive, clean title) | Copart buyer fee about 1,340 at that price, gate fee 79, internet bid fee 129, broker 350 | Fargo yard to Bismarck, 250 | 29,648 |
| lake park, sealed bid | 30,500 (my bid, not won yet) | nothing listed, no buyer's premium | free inside 1,000 miles | 30,500 |
so on paper Copart is cheapest and the dealer is most expensive by about 2,000, with the broker in lake park and Manheim in the middle. what the sheet does not show:
- dealer: i drive it first, i can walk away, i can trade the Focus in. also the finance office, which everybody warns me about.
- Manheim: dealer only, i need a broker, the truck is as-is unless it is a green light lane, and i see a condition report and 10 photos.
- Copart: the fees are nearly 2,000 all in, most of what runs through there is insurance stuff, and run and drive means it moved under its own power at the yard and that is all it means.
- lake park: blind bid. i cannot see the other numbers, i can lose and never find out by how much, and i cannot drive it first. against that there is a limited warranty, 6 months or 10,000 miles, plus 30 days to get your money back if the listing turns out materially wrong. none of the other three give you either on a used truck.
what am i missing?