Is It Sensible to Fix My Car Before Trading It In?

The obvious answer must seem yes. But whatever is obvious is often too good to be true. Fixing your car before trading it in is actually no trick in the book to inflate its price. In fact, it will cost you twice as much as the dealer to fix those mechanical and cosmetic damages and the returns from the trade will not be impressive enough. Yet, there are dealers who might charge you the reconditioning price at market value or even more and you might end up losing more money than what you had if you had fixed the glitches yourself. So, rule one of trading is to pick only the reputed car dealerships in Anderson, SC.And rule two, take your car as it is.

Fixing your car does not make sense

Good used car dealers in Anderson, SC, do not care about a few dents as long as you are upfront about them. If you try to buy a paint-pen and cover the dents up with amateur hands, the dealers will get suspicious of hidden rust and devalue your car. Allowing the dents to be visible shows them for what they are and you lose the amount for dents and not rusts. Also, dealerships have tie-ups with servicing agents who do the reconditioning job for a lower price for them when compared to you. The dealer will charge that price during the trade-in deal which will ultimately benefit your cause. Take a clean list of all the existing problems of your car and expect a fair value.

But do wash your car

Avoid taking the suggestion “as it is” way too seriously. Your vehicle still has to make a good first impression at the dealership to attract a high price. Think how would you feel if you are being sold a car that has a thick layer of dust on it even if the promise holds that all its parts are working fine? Wash your car yourself or take it to a professional car wash. Get the cabin fumigatedif the vehicle stood in the garage for a long time. Even the best of car dealers in Anderson, SC, are ultimately run by humans and we all like to transact with a clean and shiny car.

Carry all the relevant papers

This, in fact, is the secret sauce to inflate the trade-in price. Stack all the vehicle history and maintenance papers chronologically to show the dealer that you have kept your servicing routine. Also, present a clean title along with the owner’s manual. The top car dealerships in Anderson, SC, bother more about the papers than the dents as they say more about the car’s internal quality than a visual inspection. Stop worrying about fixing and organize the papers. Then, give your vehicle a thorough wash and get ready to upgrade your present ride.