Suddenly Frugal Blog

Cash for Clunkers may be over, but that doesn’t mean that people aren’t still interested in buying and selling cars. If you’re thinking it’s time to trade your old vehicle for a new one, there are things you can do to help yourself get the most money for your car, clunker or not. With that in mind, here are 3 ways to prep your car to sell, courtesy of Autotrader.com, one of the largest online classified sites for autos:

1. Get your car’s appearance in great shape.
Appearance is everything. That means you should thoroughly clean your car inside and out before having a potential buyer look at it. Your car might run perfectly and be in excellent mechanical condition, but you may turn off some buyers if your car has a dirty exterior, odd smells or a back seat crowded with old newspapers, animal crackers and other junk. Here’s a laundry list of things you can do to improve your car’s appearance:

• Wash, wax and vacuum your car.
• Wipe down the dashboard and other surfaces.
• Gloss up the tires and polish the wheels.
• Clean all glass inside and out, including mirrors.
• Clean out any junk from inside your car and the trunk.
• Replace any burnt-out lights or fuses.
• Top off the fluids.

2. Fix any small items that might reduce your car’s value in a buyer’s eye.
In addition to cleaning up your car’s appearance, consider any other maintenance issues that may need fixing. Is a brake light or headlamp out? Are the floor mats worn? Are there nicks or chips in the paint? Most of these items cost very little to repair, but from a buyer’s perspective, even these little things can be enough to try and negotiate the price down.

3. Gather your car’s repair records.
Smart car shoppers want to know how well maintained your vehicle is and will ask for maintenance records. Being able to prove your car has had regular maintenance and that any potentially big ticket repairs or upgrades (new tires, new brakes, etc.) have already been made may allow you to command top dollar. Consider putting these records in a binder for easy review or scan them into an electronic form for easy sharing with potential buyers via email (just be sure to black out or otherwise obscure your address, credit card number and other sensitive information that may be on these documents).

Hopefully these tips will help you get the best price possible for your used car. And if you have other ideas to share, let us know.