So you’re in the market for a new car but what do you do with your trade in? How can you be sure you get a good value? What do you need to know about how your car condition impacts the value?

What are some tips when considering trading in a vehicle? 

Service your trade.

Check the status of your service records. Oil changes, tire rotations and overall service and maintenance. Is the vehicle running properly? You’ll want to be sure you’re up-to-date on service records and maintenance. Consider repairing any damage. Condition will impact the dealer’s valuation.

Give it a good scrub-a-dub.

It seems obvious but wash and vacuum your trade-in before you go to the dealership. Putting forth the effort (or paying someone to detail it) will improve the value of your vehicle. The elbow grease will pay off.

Investigate your trade’s value.

Spend a few minutes to hop online to the popular Carfax which lists any extensive repairs that have been made which could affect the trade-in value.

Want to avoid the in-person trade-in evaluation?

We have the solution. With CarSnoop, we’ll walk you through the steps of providing dealers details of your trade-in. It’s all done via your phone or computer. New car buying with a trade-in is made simple with CarSnoop. Let us save you time and hassle. Experience a stress-free way to buy a new car with CarSnoop.