How to Prepare Your Car for a Trade-In

Check for Repairs

Try to fix any small issues by yourself. Have a friend take the driver’s seat and try all the lights as you walk around the vehicle to make sure they all work. You can easily and inexpensively replace burned-out bulbs.

Fill up the essential fluids for the transmission, brakes, coolant, etc. Don’t forget the oil as well. If you have major repairs, you don’t have to worry about them. That’s why we have a service department.

Go for your own test drive to make sure that the engine and everything else is working correctly. If you note any issues, such as rough running or an indicator on the dash isn’t working, please bring them to our attention.

Make It Shine

First impressions count even when trading in your vehicle to us. Make your trade-in look good by emptying the interior, vacuuming, and cleaning. Wash the exterior and add a coat of wax. You can do all of this yourself to save money. However, if you don’t have the time or desire, you can have your car professionally detailed at a small cost.

Clear the Tech

The infotainment system makes your drive more convenient but it’s also a vault full of information that your probably want to keep confidential. Delete your home addresses, favorite destinations, and travel history from the navigation system. Erase your calling history and disconnect the Bluetooth system from your phone. If you have any data subscriptions, call your service provider and have them terminated. If you’re lucky, you may get some of your subscription money back.

Prep the Documents

Create a folder when you can store all documents related to your car including the title (pink slip), registration, service records, and any other paperwork that might be important to buyers. A well-running vehicle that has been taken in for all its scheduled maintenance is worth more. You don’t have to pull the vehicle history report because we will do that.

Supply the Equipment

If you have extra keys or original equipment that you’ve kept away from the vehicle, submit them with your trade-in. For example, you may have stored the owner’s manual in your home library. Put that back in the glove compartment. We won’t give you credit for any items that are missing.

If there’s any equipment that you added later that is not original to the vehicle, such as phone holders or trashcans, take them out to put in your next vehicle. We can’t give you credit for accessories that you added yourself.

Find Out Your Vehicle’s Estimated Value

If you know your vehicle’s estimated value ahead of time, you’ll be able to judge our offer more accurately. Ignore the retail value, which is what a private seller can offer. We deal only in wholesale values because we need to make a profit off your trade-in.

Although the Internet is full of sites that claim to give you the right values, a reliable one to use is My Car’s Value from Kelley Blue Book, the noted auto authority. After you fill in basic information about your vehicle, it gives you both the Trade-in and Private Party value.

But Don’t Worry About Your Car Loan – Mostly

You generally don’t have to worry about your car loan on a trade-in because we can find some way of paying the loan off when we arrange your financing.

However, if you owe more on the vehicle than the vehicle is worthy, you have negative equity. Anything you get for your car will be too low to pay off the loan. We will need to come up with a way to deal with that in our discussions with you. For example, we could add that negative equity to your loan, which will raise your payment.

What to Do Now

When you’re all done prepping your car, you can either give us a call to make an appointment for your visit, or you can just come down with your trade-in and start shopping for your dream car. We hope to see you soon at Sun Chevrolet.

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