Time to sell your car?
Whether you’re planning to buy a new set of wheels or you’re investing the cash elsewhere, you don’t want to sell yourself (or your car) short. Luckily, there are lots of things you can do to increase the value of your used car when it comes time to sell. Here’s how to get the most money for your car!
Improvements to Increase Your Car’s Value
A few last minute improvements can help to sell your car and convince buyers of your reliability as an owner too. How do you really max out on resale price? Keep vehicle value in mind throughout all of your time in possession of the car.
Upkeep and preventative action affect the resale value of a car, so does where you choose to sell it. So let’s take a look at how to take care of your used car and how to sell it for the most money.
1. Clean the Interior & Exterior
What do you think when you see a filthy car drive by? Probably that the owner doesn’t take great care of their car. Are we right?
Rightly or wrongly, this is what buyers will think if they see your car (or photos of it) looking like it’s in need of a cleaning. And they may be prepared to pay less for it as a result.
2. Repair Any Dents, Dings, or Scratches
Wondering how to increase the value of your used car? Then spending a little cash repairing any dents, dings or scratches is a really good idea.
These types of minor damage are instantly visible to a buyer — whether they’re looking at the car in person or via an online listing. And they too will most likely affect the price a buyer is willing to pay.
Getting your vehicle completely repainted is costly so you’re unlikely to make the money back in a sale. However, getting an auto shop to touch up any obvious body damage is a pre-sale essential.
3. Ensure Maintenance is Updated
Whether you want to get the most money for a used truck, a used SUV or a used car, stay on top of routine maintenance. Keep receipts or records that show where maintenance was completed, along with the date and any details.
This documentation helps to reassure a buyer by telling them exactly when car components were last replaced or repaired. A full service history also shows buyers that you’ve been a careful, organized owner – which gives them greater confidence in the quality of the car.
Extended service contracts (commonly referred to as “Extended Warranty”) and CPO programs vary, but all offer some level of protection for covered mechanical failures that can save you from the expense of mechanical repairs that are inevitable on any vehicle.
4. Take Care of the Spare Key
Getting a new car key cut and coded is an expensive business. By having both the car key and a spare — and saying so in your car listing — you reassure buyers that they don’t have to factor key cutting into their overall costs.
While this may not make a huge difference to your vehicle sale price, taking care of both your car key and the spare is an easy way to add a few extra dollars to that bill of sale.
5. Maintain a Clean History
Talking of cleanliness… A clean history also has a big impact on how much money you get for your used car.
Buyers can find out whether your car has ever been involved in an accident, whether it’s ever had any title or odometer issues, and whether it’s ever been used as a taxi or rental car by using a service such as Carfax or Autocheck.
If any of these issues are listed on your vehicle history, you won’t get the most money for your used SUV, car or truck. Of course, sometimes the worst possible thing happens, and you may have to roll with the punches.
But by verifying the vehicle history when you buy your car and driving safely, you improve your chances of having a clean history report and getting a good price for your vehicle.
6. Watch the Mileage
Want to sell your car for the most money possible? Then keep the mileage low. The current miles on a used car is a huge factor in determining the value and vehicles with lower miles are always worth more.
Cars with higher mileage are more likely to need repair work in the short term. So as the miles on go up, the value of your car goes down. In fact, head past 100,000 miles on the odometer and it’s very common for the value of your car to decrease dramatically.
Use Motobyo to List Your Car Online
When you sell through a Motobyo auction, you sell directly to your buyer rather than to a dealership. Why does that mean more money in your pocket?
Well, dealerships buy your car for a wholesale price in order to sell it on at a retail price, making a profit for themselves in the process. They may also charge additional fees which further decreases what’s left in your pocket.
When you sell your used car directly to a buyer, you get to skip the dealership middlemen and all of those unnecessary costs.
Motobyo makes it easy for you to get the value you deserve by connecting you with private party buyers directly. You can sell your vehicle online on the Motobyo platform for as little as $99. That base level sale listing includes a third-party mechanical inspection and a comprehensive mechanical condition report detailing the current mechanical status of your vehicle. This transparent report helps you get more money for your vehicle by building trust and confidence between you and your prospective buyers.
Ready to Sell Your Used Car?
With the option to auction your car or accept an instant cash offer, Motobyo makes it easy for you to sell your used car for the most money.
Simply enter a few car details to get a vehicle valuation and take the wheel on your car sale journey.
