|
HOME
|
Preparing Your Car
for Trade-in or Sale
 Want a relatively simple way to get more money for you car, whether you decide to trade
it or sell it? Get it ready! For whatever
reasons, many car buyers simply ignore this simple step. They present their cars to dealers or potential buyers
in horrendous condition--dirty exteriors, interiors bulging with trash, with lingering odors that overpower you
as soon as you open the doors. Many rationalize this lack of preparation by saying "I'm going to get rid of
the car anyhow. Why would I spend any more money on it?" As the old adage says, with many things you have
to spend a little money to make more money.
So how do you maximize your potential trade-in or resale value? There
are certain things that you cannot change: the color, the mileage, or the popularity of your particular vehicle.
What you can change, though, is the overall condition of the vehicle, and to some degree, the overall maintenance.
You must look at your car or truck as an appraiser or buyer would: Stand back from it, forget for a moment that
it is the vehicle you have been driving every day, and ask yourself: Would I want to buy this vehicle? If not,
why not?
Items which are in need of repair or deficient are going to be "charged against you" by an appraiser
or a buyer, so why not do what needs to be done before you take the car to a dealership or place it up for sale?
A car which appears to be well kept will almost always bring a higher return in trade-in value or sales price.
Do your own appraisal of the vehicle in your driveway:
- How does the paint appear?
Is it dull or scratched? You can get the minor scratches touched up for under $100 and a good wax job will bring
life back to many dull paint finishes. (Do the waxing before you do the minor touchup).
- What is the condition of the tires?
If they are bald or in need of replacement, expect the appraiser to deduct the cost of replacing them. I would
look for a sale at a local tire store and replace those that were in need of it.
- Does the windshield have a star or crack in it? Your automobile insurance may well cover the cost of replacing the windshield (for the
deductibles) if it is cracked, and minor stars or bulls eyes can often be repaired for $75 or less.
- Sit in the vehicle. Is it appealing?
Is the upholstery clean or are there remnants of trips to the fast food restaurant still there? Is the carpet clean?
Does the interior smell fresh or does a bad odor linger?
If your vehicle does not appear to be ready for resale to you, it probably will look the
same way to a potential buyer, whether it is a private individual or a dealership!
(Portions excerpted from Smart Sense Car Buying)
In addition to the physical preparation that needs to be done, there
are a couple of additional items you can do to assure yourself that you are getting maximum dollar for your car.
Get a complete
report on your car.
This can eliminate any potential questions from buyers regarding the quality of the title to your car. It can eliminate
buyer's concern regarding odometer rollbacks, fraud, or flood damage. A strong selling tool.
Make a professional looking "For Sale" sign for your
car. Make the phone number readable from the street, especially
if you park it in an area that makes it difficult for someone driving by to stop. Sounds obvious, but check out
some of the "For Sale" signs with their minuscule phone numbers in cars when you drive around.
Make a professional looking hand-out (flyer) for your car. This is extremely effective in Real Estate and works the same when selling a
car. Why? It is something that adds validity to your car, gives the buyer additional information, and is something
they can take home with them. If they look at a number of cars on the same day, if they have a flyer of yours in
hand, it is your
car that they will remember most. This doesn't have to be an expensive proposition. All desktop publishing and
most word processors can make a snappy looking flyer. See an example of a flyer here.
|
