How To Sell Your Car For The Most Money
The pandemic has caused a lot of self-examination over the past several months, and that is certainly true about owners’ relationships with their cars.
Vehicles that were used multiple times every day in pre-COVID times are now sitting in garages for days if not weeks at a time. This, along with an economy stifled by business shutdowns and restrictions, has prompted many people to sell their current vehicle and/or downsize their family vehicle fleet. Some consumers are also trading a larger or luxury vehicle for a smaller non-luxury vehicle that is less expensive to own and operate.
On the other hand, the desire by many to avoid the use of public transportation has spurred former bus, train, and subway riders to purchase a car. The prospect of sharing a ride in close proximity with dozens of other passengers just doesn’t seem palatable right now.
What this means is lots of people are buying and selling used cars. This is attested to by statistics on used car sales at auction gathered by J.D. Power. Among the findings: used car prices have grown 35% over the past 16 weeks and are now 15% higher than at the beginning of March.
What Affects My Cars Value
Lots of factors impact how much your car is worth, including:
- Age
- External factors like the 2030 electric switchover
The overall condition of your car in terms of maintenance is also key, so its always good to keep your vehicle looking its best with a car wash and wax.
Precisely who you are selling your car to can also make a difference. Finding a private buyer can sometimes land you a higher price, as the figure doesnt need to be adjusted for the dealer to make a margin. That said, in some instances, the time, effort and stress that comes with finding your own car buyer might make this difference in price seem negligible.
Gather The Documents You Need
The selling process begins with gathering all documents related to your car, such as vehicle title, service records and the original sales paperwork if its still in your possession. While you likely know the basics the year, make, model and current mileage you also need to know your cars trim level and the features that came with your specific vehicle. Advertising these options helps increase your resale value.
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Whats My Car Worth Car Value Check & Trade In Values
To answer the query whats my car worth, you need to figure out a few details. It starts with knowing your cars information the basic stuff anyway.
You need to determine your cars year of manufacture, the make and model , the trim level, and the mileage. Youll also need to know if your car has a clean title, or if it has a branded, junk or salvage title.
From there, you can search for a value on a few different online sites, such as Kelley Blue Book or NADA Guides. Two things to take into consideration: one, a junk car is nowhere near the price youll see using the information on those sites, and two, junk cars are a dime a dozen .
Trade in values on a junk car are similarly lower than your standard car, and you may find it much more difficult to convince a used car dealer to give you close to the real trade in value of your car. You can get an instant car value check specifically tailored for very old cars, damaged cars, or scrap cars, however.
Why Use Instant Cash Offer
- Quick and easy
- Can be redeemed immediately at a participating local dealer
- No obligations
To get a sense of what you can expect from any of these methods, compare the Kelley Blue Book Private Party Value and Trade-in Value. Then check out the Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer. The difference could also be the deciding factor.
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Research Prices In Your Local Market
When selling a house, a good real estate agent estimates its value by looking at comps, or comparable properties. You should follow the same general practice when determining your cars resale value. A four-wheel-drive pickup truck will bring more in a New England winter, relatively, than a two-wheel-drive.
Go to online used car listing sites such as Autotrader, CarGurus or Cars.com and enter your cars information, as if you were searching to buy your own car. When you see the results, find cars that closely match yours. Pay attention not only to the asking prices what the seller would like to be paid but also to how many similar cars are for sale.
Its also worth doing searches for cars similar to yours on both Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, which are localized, and eBay Motors, which can reach buyers across the country.
Lastly, get cash offers to sell your car online from major online dealers such as CarMax, Carvana and Vroom. You’ll need basic information such as the 17-digit vehicle identification number or license plate, mileage, model and options details. There’s no obligation.
What they offer you, versus what they ask for that same model online, represents the cost of reconditioning your car, shipping it to a lot and making a profit.
About the author:Philip Reed is an automotive expert who writes a syndicated column forNerdWallet that has been carried by USA Today, Yahoo Finance and others. He is the author of 10 books.Read more
Factors That Can Affect Your Cars Value
1. Modifications
Some added features can increase your cars value such as, alloy wheels, new tyres, and infotainment systems. However, many modifications can negatively impact your cars value as these original parts are made to fit correctly in your car, so modifying these impacts the design integrity
2. Condition
If your vehicle is in good condition with no damage, this will seriously add value to your car. Even cars with slight wear and tear that is relative to the cars age will have a decent value. On the other hand, though, if the car has significant damage then this will decrease value.
3. Previous Owners
Generally, vehicles with a smaller number of previous owners, should have a more consistent level of care and maintenance. Whereas vehicles with more owners can be subject to various conditions of upkeep. This is why its advised to regularly service and maintain your car as this can add value to your vehicle.
4. Seasonality
Interestingly, cars can go up or down in value depending on the season due to market demand. For example, SUVs are more valuable in winter as these cars are suited to icy conditions. Whereas convertibles are worth more in the summer months.
5. Mileage
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How To Use The Scrap Car Value Calculator
If you want to know the average salvage value of your car, use our online salvage car value calculator. We invite you to take the time to enter the required information into our car scrap value estimator. All you have to do is enter the VIN or make, model, and year. The next steps will be to determine the mileage and condition so that we can offer you the best price. After you submit the information, we will make you a guaranteed offer without any obligation on your part.
How Much Is My Car Worth
Whether you’re buying or selling a car, you’ll want to find out its real value.
Our free valuation tool gives you an up-to-date price based on the car and its mileage.
- Find out a car’s value, whether it’s being sold on the forecourt, as a private sale, or if it’s being traded in.
- Our free valuation tool gives a car’s price instantly.
- All you need to know is the car’s number plate and mileage.
The valuation report will tell you:
- Details of the car – its registration date and MOT history
- Price for selling privately – in very good to excellent condition
- Trade-in price – how much you’d be offered for it as a part-exchange
- Forecourt price – how much you could expect to pay for it if buying from a dealer
- Quicksale price – the price you might expect to be offered if you need a quick sale
Here’s an example of what a valuation report looks like:
All you need is the registration and mileage.
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Fix It Or Disclose It
If your car has obvious mechanical problems, you need to address those either by getting them fixed or simply pointing them out to the prospective buyer. While a private party might want a car that has no problems at all don’t we all? dealers will typically expect the car to have some mechanical issues. The fact is, they have the ability to repair those faults much less expensively than you do, and they expect to do some vehicle prep before they retail the car on their lot. So, if you are going to sell your car to a dealer it is much less important that the vehicle be in near-perfect condition.
New And Used Car Fair Purchase Price
Buying a car can be stressful. It helps to have a trusted pricing source on your side. The Kelley Blue Book®Price Advisor shows you what you should pay for a new or used car based on what others have paid in your area. And how can you be sure you’re getting good deal? Aim for the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price and Fair Market Range as your target price.
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What Are The Reasons For Selling My Car For Scrap
There are various reasons why you might decide to scrap your car. Your vehicle has died or needs an expensive repair that may exceed the value of the vehicle itself you may have been in an accident, and the insurance company wants to write off the car and calculate the value of its scrap. Recycling a car means that all metal, glass, plastic, rubber, and even liquids are recycled. Over 80% of your car is reused, saving precious natural resources and the environment. Fill out the form, get the quote, order junk car removal, and get your money.
Who Is The Highest Paying For Junk Cars The Best Junk Car Value Calculators
Your fingers will have to do some walking to find out which local junkyard is the highest paying for junk cars. I know, its a pain in the backside to do it. Who has the time for all those calls, and only to make a few extra bucks on junk car prices?
Instead, choose CarBrain to sell your junk car fast, and for a fair price. With CarBrain, youll get a guaranteed offer for your junk car, not some pie-in-the-sky car price estimate that youll never get in real life.
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How To Find The Value Of My Car
Your cars worth isnt the same as the day you bought it. There are online tools you can use to estimate your cars value. Chase provides their customers with an online resource where you can upload your car details and see the estimated value and maintenance information. When conducting your research, the following five items are the main factors in estimating your car’s value:
How Much Is My Car Worth Get Your Free Online Car Valuation Now
How Much is My Car Worth? For anyone selling their car, this will be the first question they ask. We will buy your car fast, safe and fair and will tell you how much your car is worth online in 60 seconds. We Buy Any Car® is the leading buyer of used cars and buys thousands of cars each week, taking the hassle and risk out of the car selling process for vehicle owners who value their time and security. Even if you’re not ready to sell your car today, we will be happy to answer the question “How Much is My Car Worth” for you at any time 24/7/365 from our innovative, easy to use website with a free online valuation.
We have a team of car pricing analysts who study used car values. Unlike other dealers, we don’t use online car pricing guides. When you value your car at webuyanycar.com, we’ll give you an honest valuation based on up-to-the-minute industry data that truly reflects your car’s value – and we’ll back that up with hard cash. Other well-known online price guides spend millions of dollars promoting themselves as impartial “book value” guides. In reality, these companies are lead-generators who make millions of dollars selling leads to car dealers by enticing you into their dealerships with an inflated valuation you’re unlikely to get.
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How Do I Find Out How Much My Car Is Worth
Free online car-valuation tools, like Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds and NADAguides, can help you estimate the fair market value of your car.
Youll need to provide the following information about your car to get the estimate:
- Make, model and year
- Options and features
- Mileage
These pricing guides combine this and other information with additional data, like dealer transactions, consumer information, market trends and auction sales to estimate used-car values. Each valuation site uses a different combination of data, so your cars estimated value may differ slightly across each of these sites. But using these valuation tools can help you can get a general sense of how much you could expect to get if you sell or trade in your car.
NADAguides will show you the lowest and highest prices people in your area have paid for the same make and model, as well as the invoice price and MSRP. The Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds tools will give you estimates of the trade-in value and private-party value ranges for your car.
What Is A Scrap Car
A scrap car is an end-of-life, old or damaged car that is set to be processed by a licensed metal recycler.
Typically, scrap cars have been on the road for over 15, 20, or more years and have high-mileage with body and mechanical damage.
As a general rule, a scrap vehicle is worth the material that it is made of.
Due to their components, some older cars with low mileage hold higher value. Check out our instant value calculator and find out what your scrap car is worth near you.
If youve got a vehicle that is not roadworthy anymore, read on to find out how to get the most money and sell it conveniently.
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How Are Scrap Cars Priced
In terms of strict scrap metal prices, cars may be worth about $200 . However, if your vehicle is in pretty good condition you can get more cash for it.
That said, there are other factors that can drive the car scrap values higher or lower.
Check out the average weight of popular vehicles here to get an idea of how much your car is worth in scrap value.
What Is Routine Maintenance On My Car
Most routine maintenance visits include basic items youre probably familiar with: an oil change with new oil filter, checking parts like the brakes for wear, rotating the tires, and hooking the car up to a diagnostic computer to check the internal functions and look for any error codes. On one hand, todays new cars are more sophisticated than ever before, with electronic systems to track and control everything from safety features to comfort amenities. But routine maintenance on most new vehicles is also simpler and more straightforward than ever before.
If your car is more than 10-15 years old, traditional maintenance schedules apply. But here are a few things that have changed from the old days when servicing a newer car.
- Most oil change intervals have gone to 5,000 miles or even 10,000 for some automakers.
- The traditional tune up for engine timing and spark plugs is a thing of the past.
- Lubrication for joints, bearing and other suspension bits is no longer necessary. These moving parts are sealed for life.
- Coolant flushes are still needed, just not as often only every few years.
Heres the rule of thumb: Just follow the manufacturers maintenance schedule and, most often, your car should continue to run well for years to come.
If you still have questions, read this article to see whether or not your car needs maintenance.
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What Information Do I Need For A Car Valuation
All you need for a quick and accurate valuation is your cars registration and mileage. All the data we have, from thousands of deals in our marketplace, does the rest! Our data is updated daily, so you know its a valuation you can trust but dont delay, a high valuation today may not be the same next month.
