‘Doesn’t Even Make Sense’: Customer Trades In At Chevrolet Dealership. Then The Salesman Realizes They Were Sitting On A ‘Unicorn’

'Pricing it correctly is correctly is the challenge.'

Customer trades in at Chevrolet dealership

Photo by: Unsplash.com

Chad Swiatecki

By: Chad Swiatecki

May 25, at 9:04am ET

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For most car enthusiasts, calling a vehicle a “unicorn” usually leads to something rare, expensive, and probably loud. Think of an allocation-only waitlisted supercar, a pristine analog sports car, or a limited-production truck that buyers spend years hunting down.

But in a recent TikTok clip, we learn that at a Chevrolet dealership in Ontario, a veteran salesman doesn’t get hyped up over flash or "wow!" factor. To Shawn O’Neill, sales manager for Ernie Dean Chevrolet Buick GMC (@erniedeangm) in Alliston, Ontario, his big-value rare find looks like a lightly driven 2023 Buick Enclave Premium with just over 9,000 miles.

“We refer to unicorns as super rare trade-ins. This trade we took in doesn't even make sense,” he said in the clip that’s been viewed more than 7,000 times. “Most [2023 models] have around 60,000 kilometers. This has 15,000 kilometers.”

Mileage Matters For Trade-In Value

In the clip, O’Neill stretches out the reveal like he’s about to pull the cover off a Z06 Corvette or some impossible-to-find heavy-duty truck. Instead, he walks viewers over to a white Buick Enclave parked quietly on the lot.

The three-row crossover has just 15,000 kilometers, or about 9,300 miles, on the odometer, despite being a 2023 model. O’Neill also points out that it carries GM’s naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V-6, an engine configuration that’s slowly disappearing from newer family-oriented crossovers as automakers pivot toward smaller turbocharged engines and hybrid powertrains.

“So, I’ve got it priced at $46,900 plus tax, which is the same price as most ‘24s,” he explains in the video, before asking viewers their thoughts on pricing. “What do you think of the price? Am I too high, too low, or should I be asking closer to $50,000?”

O’Neill’s pricing question was likely intended to spark debate among viewers because vehicles like this occupy an awkward middle ground in the market. A dealership typically prices a low-mileage trade-in by balancing several competing factors at once: comparable listings, mileage, remaining factory warranty coverage, local demand, and the cost difference between used and new inventory.

In this case, O’Neill is essentially betting that buyers will value the Enclave’s almost-new condition and unusually low mileage more than model year alone. A 2024 model with four times the mileage may technically be newer, but some shoppers may still gravitate toward the cleaner, less-used vehicle, especially if the monthly payment difference between used and new inventory remains relatively small.

That pricing debate gets at something dealership managers obsess over constantly: Not every valuable used vehicle looks valuable at first glance.

Dealerships Wait For 'Cream Puff' Cars

For enthusiasts, rarity usually means performance, exclusivity, or collectability. But inside dealership operations, the most desirable trade-ins are often what industry insiders sometimes call “cream puffs”: vehicles with unusually low mileage, clean ownership histories, predictable maintenance records, and minimal wear.

That’s the story for the pristine Enclave, which O’Neill reveals came from an owner who traded vehicles “every three years on the dot.” That’s the kind of customer dealerships love because they reliably generate late-model inventory without the uncertainty that comes with auction purchases or neglected trade-ins.

And while flashy enthusiast cars still grab attention online, dealers often make steadier money on clean, easy-to-finance family SUVs with unusually low mileage and strong maintenance histories.

Vehicles like the Enclave also occupy a distinct niche in today’s pre-owned market because they’re typically driven hard. Three-row family crossovers often spend their early years hauling kids, commuting daily, or piling on highway miles during road trips. Finding one with fewer than 10,000 miles after two model years is unusual enough that dealership staff immediately notice it.

What do you think?

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That matters more now than it might have a decade ago. As new vehicle prices and financing costs continue pushing buyers toward late-model used inventory, mileage has become one of the biggest differentiators on dealer lots. For some shoppers, a lightly used vehicle with thousands of miles left on the factory warranty can feel like a safer value than stretching for a brand-new model carrying a much higher monthly payment.

Motor1 reached out to the dealership via email and direct message and to Buick via email. We’ll update this if they respond.

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