Get the most out of your trade in!

Getting the most out of your trade can not only save you thousands of dollars but it can also make your buying experience much more pleasant. Were going to discuss how to get the most money for your trade in.

At Auto Mart in Las Vegas, like most other dealerships we take a wide variety of factors into seeing how much a car is worth. Dealers rarely try and rip you off on a car, trade ins are usually seen as checks they need to cash by selling them to other dealers or at the auction.

So how can you get the most for your vehicle? There are a few different ways, from the way you approach the sale, to the way you present your car, condition and even selling it yourself.

Lets tackle the one that is helpful no matter how your selling your car, appearance. I can't tell you how many times we get a car in on trade that just looks abused. Filthy outside, trash everywhere inside, smells, stains etc. It really makes it hard to give a customer a ton of money for a car that looks abused from every angle. If the car looks mistreated it probably was and stains, dirt on the cars etc, all hide the true condition of the car.

The best way to present your trade, as trade in or private party, is clean and tidy. Get all of your stuff out of the vehicle, its hard for them to imagine this car on their car lot or in their driveway if your stuff is in it. Clean it, a good wash, detail, wax can make a car look like a million bucks. Clean the interior, nothing drops your value like the interior being so disgusting that nobody is willing to drive it so they assume the worst.

Ok, now your car is beautiful, clean and presentable. Lets talk about condition. If your car has a check engine light, or low pressure tire light on, or a weird noise your going to take a serious hit on the sale or trade in. Simple lights are the most annoying, if your car has a low tire pressure light, fill up the tire. If there is a check engine light, find out what it is. If its a 50 dollar sensor, change it. If there is a loud rattle because a piece of metal is hitting the exhaust, fix it. Don't rebuild the car, your trying to make money not lose it, but simple fixes that remove obvious issues can help you quite a bit.

Now you have this clean, well running car that doesn't smell like a cat died in it. Now lets get you all the money we can out of it!

If at all possible I reccomend selling your car private party for a few reasons. You will get more money for the vehicle, your eliminating a middle man (the dealer) and getting that money yourself. It also makes your negotiation for your new or used car purchase much simpler and give the dealership less room to "wiggle" numbers. Craigslist and ebay seem to be the two best choices for consumers and both are free. At least try, you could be surprised on what you get!

If your having issues selling privately or you just don't want to meet strangers then trading in the car is obviously your best bet. Be informed before you go to the dealership. The best resource is kelly blue book, use trade in value. Kelly blue book is usually a bit high so don't get stuck on that number. Keep in mind the true condition of your vehicle when getting that number as well.

Ever private party or dealership wants a clean, cheap used car. Give them what they want and you can maximize your trade in and get every penny out of it!

#tradein