How To Trade In Your Car For More Money

• Posted on Autos.com Editor
• in Car Buying
• on October 7, 2013

The last time you traded a car in, was there anything you could have done to trade in the car for more money than what the dealer gave you. Yes, there are some simple things you can do to ensure that you’re getting everything you can for it. You can stack the deck in your favor with just a little elbow grease and a minimal outlay of money. Remember, anything the dealer has to clean, fix or replace takes away from what they will give you for your trade-in.

Clean trade-ins are worth more than messy ones:

• Remove all personal items from the interior.
• Clean out the trunk.
• Wash the outside. Polishing or waxing can add to your trade-in value.
• Vacuum the inside, clean the upholstery and clean the inside of all the windows.
• A detailing shop can add value to your trade-in by giving the vehicle a professional cleaning inside and out.

When the dealer looks at you vehicle, what will they find?

• Check all the fluids and top off the ones that are low.
• Check the air pressure in the tires and fill them up as needed.
• Tighten up any lose screws or other hardware to eliminate any squeaks and rattles that make vehicles sound junky.
• Check all the lights and replace any burned out bulbs as needed.
• If you are taking an expensive radio out of the vehicle, replacing it with something cheap is better than leaving a hole in the dash with wires hanging out. Same thing goes for speakers.

Does your vehicle’s paper trail lead anywhere?

• Maintenance and repair receipts go a long way towards showing how well a vehicle is cared for.
• If you still have the owner’s manual, warranty information or other documents that the new owner may need, be sure you have them with the vehicle.
• If there is some warranty time remaining on the vehicle, be sure to mention it and include the warranty information with the vehicle. Even a little warranty can help when negotiating a price.