Evaluate Your Trade

Question about how to get the most from your used car? Call 800-639-5397 or CLICK HERE

How much is my used car worth?

If you are like most of our clients you want to know how much your old vehicle is worth.
It is impossible for you to get the exact amount your vehicle is worth online. However we can provide you some help to get you closer to knowing how much you can expect to get for your old vehicle.

The three best places to go for non biased third party information to get a good general idea as to what you can expect your car to be worth are:

 

 

KBB Pulls information from a number of sources and provides you with the average trade in or retail values of used vehicles in excellent, fair, good, average and poor condition. How close this number is to what we will give you for your car depends on the supply and demand for your particular vehicle at this particular time. Generally speaking KKB is pretty close to what we will give you in most situations.

Black book gets it prices from what vehicles are bringing at the auctions. If your vehicle is in good shape and in demand, and nicer than what we could buy at an auction, we are likely to give you a little more than the Black Book price.

The reason we are giving you this information is that we have nothing to hide and want you to know how to use these resources in getting an idea of what your vehicle is really worth.

For a truly accurate number drop by and let us look at your vehicle, touch it and drive. We will then look at KBB, Black Book NADA, Mannheim's auction, and possibly call some wholesalers or other experts that might give the most for your vehicle. Once all this is done (which is a lot, but we can usually do it in 15 minutes) you will know what your vehicle is actually worth.

Try to wash your car before you stop buy. Our used car appraiser can see though dirt, but when it is clean and shiny he knows you care about how much you get for your used car.

Should I sell my used car myself- or trade it in?

We cannot answer that question for you, but we can tell you what it takes to sell it yourself. After all, we are experts at selling pre-owned vehicles:

1. Have the vehicle professionally detailed inside and out. It will probably cost over $150, but it is definitely worth it.

2. Fix the minor problems and take care of any immediate maintenance. Customers do not want to buy someone else's problem. They will quickly reject a vehicle that needs any sort of repair when they buy it, that includes the tires. In fact we spend an average of $800 dollars on maintenance and repair on every pre-owned vehicle we sell.

3. Expect to spend about $225 on advertising your car in the newspaper and online portals such as Autotrader.com. Do not rely on just one advertisement and be sure to not price your vehicle competitively.

4. Now get ready to wait. It take about 30 days on average to sell a pre-owned vehicle and we are more efficient than most. The national average is closer to 45 days. A vehicle that needs tires, maintenance or repairs takes even longer to sell.

5. Be prepared to meet potential buyers at their convenience. They may even show up at your home unannounced.

6. Ask potential buyers if they have arranged for financing and when it is sold prepare to spend extra time completing paperwork to transfer the Title.

7. Finally, think about the Tax savings you receive when you trade...6.25%!

You will probably get a little more money for your vehicle if you sell it outright. However, after considering the time, inconvenience and cost most people choose to trade-in their car.