How to Increase the Trade-In Value Of Your Vehicle

By: Kris LeSueur   |   22 Jan 2020

Parting ways with your vehicle is never easy; you and your car have probably been through a lot together! However, sometimes upgrades are needed.

When the time finally comes to say goodbye to your ride, you should ask yourself the following questions:

  • What is my car worth?

  • What can I do to make my car worth more?

At LeSueur Car Company, we want to make sure you get the most money possible for your vehicle. Below are five factors that can affect the trade-in value of your vehicle, and things you can do to make your vehicle worth more.

Mileage

Mileage is extremely significant in regards to your vehicle’s trade-in value. For instance, if your vehicle has more than 100,000 miles on it, that may turn off a lot of potential buyers. Even if your car has been dependable over 150,000 miles with relatively few problems, resale value is going to be a lot lower than if your vehicle only had 70,000 miles.

Maintenance  

Regular maintenance is crucial, not only to provide reliability, but to increase resale value in the future. Follow your manufacturers’ recommended maintenance schedule, including oil and filter changes. Be sure to keep all maintenance records, no matter how minor, and have them handy when you are ready to trade-in your vehicle.

Condition: Interior

To put it simply, people want to buy cars that have been taken care of properly. While a dealership like LeSueur Car Company may overlook a spot here or a spot there, a filthy, smelly car is going to give you less trade-in value overall. This is because it takes more time and money for a dealership to clean a dirty car.

Before trading-in your vehicle, clean the interior of your vehicle as much as possible.

Condition: Exterior

A ding or dent may not seem like a big deal to you, but appraisers have to be picky; a dealership has to make a profit off your vehicle, and no one wants to buy a banged up car. Used vehicles are usually graded by appraisers on a four-point scale, with categories of Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor condition.

Paint scratches or dings can be the different between a Fair rating over a Great rating- something that could end up costing you hundreds of dollars in trade-in value.

Before trading in your vehicle, have it washed and take care of all dings and dents, as well as any other exterior deficiencies which can diminish trade-in value.

Why LeSueur Car Company  

At LeSueur Car Company, we want to help you get the most for your vehicle! We take trade-ins and offer a large selection of great quality vehicles! Click here to browse our inventory today!

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1109 E Curry Rd, Tempe, AZ 85281