Parting with a car you’ve driven for years can be tough, but the excitement of a new vehicle can ease the pain. Before dropping your car off at the dealership, follow these tips to get the most you can from your trade-in:
- Go to a trustworthy dealership. This is extremely important. Take your car somewhere with a good reputation that won’t rip you off.
- Research prices. Research has never been easier than it is today. Take the time to look online at what most people are getting for a car similar to yours.
- Clean the car. Don’t turn in a dirty car to a dealership. Clean it from the inside out and show them that you’ve kept good care of it.
- Maintenance records. Hold on to maintenance records and present them to the dealer.
Autotrader also gives some excellent advice to follow before trading in your car, including fixing any small problems ahead of time:
Although you may have learned to live with a window that doesn’t roll down or a headliner that sags, new buyers won’t want those items on their new cars. That means such small issues could affect trade-in value, since dealers will have to pay to fix them before re-selling your car. Our advice: Using a small budget, address repairs on your trade-in that are most obvious. A new key fob battery, for instance, may go a long way to convincing a dealer that your car has been well maintained.
For more information regarding trade in advice, read: How to Get the Best Trade in Value for Your Vehicle.