The first step to getting the highest price your car when you’re ready to sell it is to pretend you’re ready to buy it. If you can manage to look at your car as a potential buyer would, you’ll see exactly what you need to do to make it more desirable.
If you were buying a used car, and you went to check one out, what’s the first thing you do? You look at the car from the outside. Just like a home, a car has ‘curb appeal’, which is the first impression buyers have when they see the vehicle.
IMPROVING YOUR CAR’S CURB APPEAL AND OTHER TIPS FOR GETTING MORE FOR IT
Just by thinking about what you do when you look at a car you want to buy, you already have the first tip to getting more money for it.
1. MAKE IT LOOK IT’S BEST
We’ve recently given you pointers for washing, waxing and polishing your car. That’s the least you could do to improve its appearance. If your car is relatively new, 5 years old or less, that may be good enough.
But regardless of how old it is, there are other steps you can take to improve its outward appearance, including applying protectant to the tires, cleaning the wheels and wiping the oxidation from cloudy headlight covers.
If your car’s bodywork is full of chips and dings, it’s probably worthwhile to invest in scratch and dent repair.
2. CLEAN THE INTERIOR
After looking around the outside of the car, most people will open the driver’s door and sit behind the wheel. So what are you going to do to make them love your car?
Make sure the entire interior is as clean as can be, including getting rid of those salt stains in the foot wells. Wipe your dashboard and other vinyl areas with vinyl protectant. It’ll make the vinyl look like new. If you smoke, try to get rid of the smell, but good luck with that. Remove anything personal from the interior, like that box of kleenex.
3.DETAIL THE ENGINE
Not too many car sellers think of this one. But, whether you get it done professionally or DIY, it’ll be worth your efforts. Just imagine what it would be like when you opened the hood of a used car and the engine was sparkling. Use a degreaser to clean major parts and any fluid spillages.
4. DON’T FORGET THE TRUNK/HATCH AREA
Buyers will probably open up the trunk or hatch. Again, make it as clean as possible, including the inside edges of the trunk lid and hatch door. And, again, get rid of personal items. It’ll probably be worthwhile to check and clean the spare wheel area to impress the sticklers who look everywhere.
None of these tips should cost you more than the payoff you can enjoy by doing them, but that depends on other factors like the overall condition of your car. To learn more about making your car look like new, contact us here at Leons.