How To Get The Most For Your Trade
How To Get The Most For Your Trade
Posted on August 21, 2015
After many years selling cars the number one complaint I still get from customers is that they did not get enough for their trade in vehicles. Nobody has ever told me that we paid too much for their trade, NEVER! In order to get more money for your trades I will give you a few ideas.
- The easiest and cheapest way to get more for your trade is to clean it. Customers come in all the time with filthy vehicles and expect to get the most money for them. A simple car wash on the outside, vacuum and wipe on the inside will work wonders on your trade in value. Put some dryer sheets in the pockets to help get rid of odors and shining up your wheels with wheel shine will help as well.
- Make sure to fix your check engine lights, abs lights, etc. If it is too costly to fix, then have it in writing from your mechanic stating exactly what is wrong. This will help because when we are appraising vehicles we always think the worst. If a check engine light is on it can be something as simple as the gas cap not being fastened properly but it can be something MUCH worse as well. If you come in not knowing what the problem is we will always assume the worst.
- If you have a broken windshield get it fixed. Depending on your deductible, it may be a lot less expensive to fix your windshield through your insurance then trading it in broken.
- Use touch up paint to fix any small chips and scratches. Watch a video or two on how to do it before you run out and start dabbing paint all over your vehicle though! I find using a toothpick with a bit of paint on the end works wonders. There are a ton of other methods that can be used. A little research with go a long way.
- Have the vehicle history. How many owners? Can you provide the maintenance history (always good if you can)? If the vehicle was in an accident know what was done to the vehicle and what the cost was. Being honest and upfront about your vehicle always helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-R8pTniSAM (Learn how to touch up your cars paint.)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef_-SNSnByg (Great tips for cleaning your car.)
https://www.carproof.com (You can get your vehicle history from this site.)
