When you are looking to get a new car you first have to get rid of the old used one that you have. The idea is to get as much as possible for it. You are probably going to be tempted to trade it in, but if you sell it yourself then you can usually get more money for it. In theory, at least.
The trick is to prepare the car ahead of the sale so that you can get more for it than if you choose to do nothing. Selling a used car is a bit of an art and it can actually end up getting you far more money when you do it right. In this article, we will give you some tips on how to get your car ready to be sold.
1 – Upgrade old parts
There are a number of old parts in the car that might seem fine to you but during a test drive will be apparent to the new driver. These old parts make the car run a bit rough or could even end up causing the car to not work well and will kill the sale.
Not only that, but when the potential buyer opens up the hood they don’t want to see old and outdated parts in there. For instance, the battery should be changed so they see a new battery in there and understand that they won’t need to change it themselves. The best car batteries will make sure the car starts right up when the test drive happens.
Look into also changing the timing belt before the sale if it is ready for one. Look in your owner’s manual about when it should be changed. If it is due to be changed then having it done will look good for a potential buyer. It can be expensive and if they ask to see the car’s papers and realize it is in need of a new one they may balk.
2 – Get it detailed
You are no doubt planning to clean the car to make sure that it looks as nice as possible. However, getting a detailer to do it is your best bet since they can make the car look practically brand new. They have the tools and the expertise to give the car a deep clean that you aren’t likely to pull off.
The car will look shiny inside and out and can even have a bit of the new car smell that will trick people into thinking the car is newer than it actually is.
3 – Keep your receipts
Anything you do to fix up the car before the sale should be proven to the potential customer. This means that you need to have receipts for any repairs or parts that were added to the car before the sale. They will want to know that they don’t have to worry about fixing these things themselves.
Tags: car maintenance, used cars
