Should I Fix My Car Before Trading In?

If this is your first time trading in a vehicle in Andover, you may be questioning “Should I fix my car before trading in?” While some minor adjustments will definitely help give the local dealerships a better first impression of your car and even lead to a higher trade-in value, major adjustments are better left alone. Learn more about the dos and don’ts with the finance team at Don Hattan Dealerships below!

You should definitely leave major repairs alone, due to these reasons: 

• Major repairs are costly, so there’s a good chance they will take too much away from the trade-in value. 
• Dealerships near Wichita have the expertise and tools to easily fix major issues at a way lower cost than if you were to do it yourself. 
• Some dealers might not do a detailed inspection of your car before finalizing the offer, so they might not even deduct the cost of these repairs from your trade-in price

We recommend that you only do minor fixes to make your vehicle presentable. There is no guarantee that any fixes will bump up the trade-in value, and dealers can still deduct the value they will spend for reconditioning, just in case there are major issues that aren’t apparent. You should do basic things that you would normally do to keep your car decent: 

• Get rid of garbage, take out personal things, and clean out the seats and floor mats
• Wash the car yourself or get it done by a professional 
• Fix any minor scratches using DIY methods
• Wax your car for a shiny finish 
• Check headlamps to see if they’re working properly and replace them if needed
• Check the fluids (brake & transmission), oil, radiator, and windshield-washer

This list of to-do’s should get you on the right track. Remember to keep it simple. If you try to fix something minor and doesn’t do a proper job, the professionals at dealerships will likely notice and subtract that from your trade-in value.

Besides fixing your car, you can also gather the following before trading in your car near Derby: 

• Complete or at least recent maintenance records neatly put together
• Have everything that came with the car when you show up to the dealership, including the mats, keys, and winter tires

After knowing the answer to “Should I fix my car before trading in?” it’s time to take your car to our Wichita dealership and earn back some cash! Feel free to learn how to trade in a financed car and then discover our selection of vehicles.