How To Increase The Value Of Your Car

Whenever you sell a high-value item you want to make sure that you get the best selling price possible for it, cars are no different. By following a few simple steps you can increase the value of your car at a fraction of the cost to do so.

Give It A Clean

It might sound obvious but if you are looking to get the best price for your car you want it to look its best and this means giving your car a proper clean. You can either clean the car yourself or get a professional valet to clean your car thoroughly. Getting your car cleaned by someone else will cost you money. However, the added value that a clean car generates can be several times more than the price you paid to get it cleaned. Meaning cleaning your car properly before selling it can be a worthwhile investment.

Have Minor Dents Repaired

Similarly to getting your car cleaned, the cost of repairing minor dints and scratches on your car can be less than the value added once you have had the work done. This means getting minor repairs to your car based on things that the buyer is looking for when purchasing a new car. Cars that are more expensive models are more likely to increase in value once cosmetic damage is dealt with, if your car is of very low value it may not be worth you making repairs to your car. Generally, this cap is below £2000 so you should reconsider getting repairs before selling your car. However, if your car model usually sells for over £10,000 it is highly advisable to get more extensive repairs if necessary.

Put yourself in their shoes and look at your car, or look at a car owned by your friends or family and evaluate if there is any way you can ask to reduce the price; as this is a common tactic by buyers, they look at a car closely and try to find faults or damage. They can then use this information to try and get a price reduction. Ensuring your car is in good shape when you sell it reduces the possibility of people trying to haggle down the price you have set. Whilst you are in the process of selling your car you should take how you take care of your car, so next time you are parking in London, ensure that you take extra precautions to prevent it from getting scratched or otherwise damaged.

Get A Current MOT

If your MOT is coming up within the next two months your car MOT should be checked, as this provides the new buyer’s confidence that that car is in fully working condition and doesn’t have any expensive flaws. Sellers who sell their car suspiciously close to when their MOT is due may be unknowingly indicating to buyers that there is something wrong with the car they are selling; they may be doing this to try to pull the wool over the buyer’s eyes and sell their car for a higher price than what it is worth, considering the cost of any potential repairs.

Get All The Paperwork In Order

Ensuring that you have the right paperwork to hand can reassure buyers that the car has been looked after during its lifetime, as they can refer back to old MOT tests to make sure that the car has not got any reoccurring problems which could pose costly to them. If you have recently or are in the process of getting work done on the car you should also include these invoices to ensure the buyer is aware.

Find Accessories That Came With Your Car And Include Them In Your Sale

If you have taken out accessories such as a spare wheel or a parcel shelf and have them stored in your home or garage you should fish them out and include these within your sale. Buyers will take every opportunity to claim that the car should have come with this or that, which they can then use against you to try and haggle down your selling price. If you have these items laying around and not getting used, you should ensure that you find them and include them with your car sale. Additionally, if your car had a spare set of keys that came with it, make sure that you hand these over to the buyer of your car.

Sell Your Car Privately

Selling your car can be convenient as you can often sell your car faster, but you are paying for this convenience as you will usually be given a lower offer by a dealership versus a private buyer. Selling your car privately also allows you to better negotiate with the person buying your car, as the private individual likely won’t be as sales savvy as the individual you will meet in a car dealership. Car dealership employees will be trained to get the absolute best price when buying cars from people, meaning that people often end up selling their car for less than it is worth to dealerships.

Get New Tires

If your tires are looking a bit threadbare you should get them replaced anyway, but if you are about to sell your car this is one of the things that buyers will be looking out for. Ensuring that the tires of your car look somewhat decent is a good way to ensure that the value of your car is retained.

Recharge The Air Conditioning

Over a long time the refrigerant fluid in air conditioning units can leak, meaning that your car conditioning system becomes less efficient over time. Ensuring that the air conditioning works properly can sometimes be a big selling point for buyers. Getting this fixed can cost less than the value it adds to your car.

Make Sure The Breaks Work Properly

This will be done when you get your car MOT checked, but it is still worth stressing the importance of having breaks that work properly. Buyers are drawn to cars that have good breaks or breaks that have been recently fitted and tested by garages, meaning if your car has good breaks it can be a fantastic selling point for you as a seller.