Once you decide to sell your car, there are usually two ways you can do it: either try to find a buyer yourself or sell it to a used car dealership. Although option number two is typically much faster and straightforward, before driving your vehicle to a dealer’s lot there are some things you should know about the trade itself and how to get the best deal you can.
How Selling Your Car to a Dealership Works
Although the odds of you getting a much higher offer from a dealer compared to a buyer that you find by yourself can be slim, the quick and hassle-free process can make it worthwhile. The huge amount of deals done by car dealerships over the years has resulted in a very efficient procedure, and the dealership is likely to do everything it can to help make things as smooth as possible.
Once you arrive at a dealership, you will probably be greeted by a salesperson who will direct you to the employee in charge of used cars. Before offering you a price, the used car manager will ask you for all relevant information regarding the car and will then use an online vehicle history database to check for any previous issues. During this conversation, a mechanic may check the car’s condition and even take it for a drive to look for any underlying issues.
You’re also likely to be asked if you want to trade in your old car for a new one, with attractive deals that typically offer you a higher valuation for your used vehicle than the valuation you’d get if you only want to sell your car for cash. However, most car dealerships are willing to do business with you and offer the same valuation even if you don’t want to use their dealership to get a new car after selling the old one.
Once your car has been verified, the dealership will make you an offer, based on how other similar cars are priced and on your car’s condition. The offer may also be influenced by other factors, such as the number of identical cars they have on the lot at that moment or the time and money they need to invest in the car to make it sellable. Most dealers are totally transparent regarding the tools and methods they use to evaluate your car, so feel free to ask them and they will probably tell you about the entire process.
After you agree to the offer that was made to you, the dealership will start preparing the paperwork, which can take up to 48 hours. The process may be longer if you still have an outstanding loan on the vehicle, as the dealership needs to contact your lender. This doesn’t usually affect your car’s price, with the main difference being that your loan will be paid off before any money gets to you. If your car is worth less than the outstanding loan, you will have to pay the difference if you want the deal to go through.
Determining a Fair Value and Getting the Best Price for Your Car
Before taking your car to the dealership to get an estimate, you should at least have a rough idea regarding what it’s worth. There are plenty of online tools that can help you do that, and all you need to do is put in the car’s original price, along with details regarding its condition, mileage, and additional equipment. The offer you’ll get from a dealer is likely to be close to the trade-in value that you previously determined, with a little space in there for the dealership to make a profit when they resell it.
You should also look online for your car’s history report, especially if you weren’t its first owner. If the car has an accident history or if there are any issues with its paperwork, it’s better to know about it than to hear it for the first time at the dealership, while trying to get the best deal you can. You can also get an instant cash offer online, but the companies offering that still require a physical inspection of the vehicle. However, it’s a good way of finding out how much a dealership is actually willing to pay for it.
Once you know roughly how much you can get for your car, you need to make sure that the dealership will not find any reasons to lower that estimate. The first thing you can do about that is to repair any minor damages, such as small scratches, faulty lights, squeaky seats, and other issues that are noticeable, but cheap to fix. If the car has any major problems it usually makes no sense to fix them yourself, as the repair is likely to cost more than the extra money you’d get from the dealership.
Finally, before taking it to the dealer, you should make sure that the car looks as good as it can. Although professional car sellers are able to see a car’s value beyond superficial details, like it being dirty or its cabin having a fishy smell, they are likely to assume that you didn’t take good care of your car. It is usually a fair assumption, as drivers who neglect their car’s looks are more likely to neglect aspects like regular inspections and oil changes.
Although the entire process of preparing your car and taking it to the dealership to be evaluated can be stressful and time-consuming, you are likely to get a better deal if you shop around and visit multiple dealerships. You should especially be focusing on dealerships that regularly sell your car’s brand, as your car may be more desirable for them.
Selling your car to a dealership is a quick and easy way to get a decent price, but it helps to be familiar with the entire process. Visit Rydell Outlet and you can get a good price on your vehicle, as well as a great deal on another one.
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