As much as you love your car, there will come a time when you’ll have to trade it in to get a new one. When that time comes, make sure you follow these tips so you can make the process easy and get the best price for your old car.
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Help Your Car Look Its Best
If you were trying to sell your house, you wouldn’t show it to potential buyers with dirty dishes in the sink and broken appliances in every room. The same is true for your car. When you get ready to trade it in, make sure you spruce it up so it looks its best. You should clean out all of the junk, give it a thorough cleaning inside and out, and see about getting those small dings and scratches fixed. You can even take it to a detailer to remove any unpleasant smells that might be inside.
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Gather Your Receipts
Rather than just tell the dealer that you took care of your car, gather the receipts so you can prove it. A well-maintained car is worth more than one that hasn’t been cared for, so providing the dealer with maintenance records and receipts can help you get more money for your trade-in. These records can also help if the dealer has any questions about the parts used in a repair or the condition of any area of your car.
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Do Some Research
Before you arrive at the dealership ready to trade in your car, take some time to do some research on the value of it. There are a variety of websites out there where you can enter the details of your current vehicle and get a range of prices you can expect. You can also monitor e-commerce websites to see what your model is going for at auction. Once you have this information, print it out and bring it with you to help during negotiations.
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Look for Promotions
Several factors can affect what a dealership offers for your trade-in, including the dealer’s current inventory levels. If the dealership is low on used cars, it might decide to offer a special promotion for trade-ins to boost its inventory. You can also consider visiting at the end of the month when salespeople have quotas they need to meet to try to get a better price for your trade-in.
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Make Sure Your Timing Is Right
Timing is another factor that can impact how much a dealership offers for your trade-in. When you’re ready to trade in your old vehicle, make sure the timing is right. For example, convertibles typically don’t sell well during the winter, but trucks and SUVs do. On the other hand, when gas prices go up, the demand for trucks and SUVs goes down and requests for fuel-efficient vehicles go up.
The next time you’re ready to trade in your current car for an upgraded vehicle, keep these important tips in mind so you can get the most money for your old car.