Trade in or Sell Your Car

When buying a car, if you have a vehicle that you plan to trade in or sell, you will want to make sure you get the best value possible for it. You should know the standard value for cars of your make, model and year. There are also ways to ensure a higher sale or trade in appraisal value. Described here are a few ways to help you get the best value for your car.

Vehicle Appearance Matters

Take action to make sure that your vehicle presents itself well. This means taking it for a thorough cleaning inside and out, known as detailing. A complete vehicle detailing can seem expensive but will help ensure a higher appraisal value at dealerships and make private buyers more likely to purchase at your asking price.

Make Repairs

Make sure that any damage and major mechanical issues are fixed, if possible. A dealer will examine vehicles for obvious damage and usually take them for a drive looking for mechanical problems. Make sure the wheels have been aligned and brakes are working properly before taking your car for an appraisal. If a dealer must do cosmetic and or mechanical repairs it will drive the value of your trade in down.

Shop Around

Shop around, before you suggest to any dealer that you want to buy a new car, take your current vehicle to several auto dealers and ask for a trade in appraisal. Vehicle purchases often involve many hours at a dealership, talking, listening to sales pitches and filling out paper work, making it a poor time to negotiated trade in values. Getting the trade in appraisal can prevent you from negotiating about trade in value during your vehicle purchase. The value provided by the appraisal can also provided a benchmark price for private sales if you choose to do that instead.

Go Private

Once you have an appraisal from a dealership, review what vehicles of your make, model, year and condition are being sold for through private sales in your area. You may be able to get more money from an individual than from a dealership. This is not true of all vehicles in all locations, so be sure to do the research.

After deciding what to do with your current car, make sure you know how you are going to choose a vehicle.