Ideas To Optimize Trade-In Value

Do all of the manufacturer's recommended maintenance and keep good records with receipts.

Have any warning lights checked out before trading. Many times, a brake warning light or engine light will be caused by something very minor and can be taken care of very inexpensively. The used car appraiser is going to assume the worst and deduct enough to cover any possible repair needed to correct the problem.

Have a cracked winshield replaced. You can probably replace by paying your comprehension insurance deductible for far less than the dealer's cost. It will probably cost you at least $300 in your appraisal.

It will pay you to have your vehicle detailed before having it appraised.

Change you oil & filter if needed. Make sure your fluid levels are good & replace wipers blades if they're not in good shape.

Don't smoke or let others smoke in your vehcile. It can easily cost you $1,000 to $5,000 in value, depending on vehicle model.

Try to avoid unnessesary miles. High mileage will generally cost you more than what shows up in the appraisal book values while low mileage will generally add more value than what shows in the books. As a general rule of thumb, if you finance a vehicle for 60 months and put 20% down and drive average miles (15,000 per year) - you will be at a break-even point, as far as trade-in vaue and pay-off, in approximately 36 months.

Do your research and at least know what NADA, Kelly Blue Book & sites such as Auto Trader show your vehicle to be worth. Just be realistic when appraising your vehicle and make sure you're using trade-in values and make deductions for any repairs that are needed.

Think about color when you purchase your new vehicle. Most people wouldn't think so, but a vehicle's color can possibly be a difference of $1,000 or more at trade-in time. you might ask your salesperson about popular & unpopular colors. 

Rotate your tires every 10,000 miles. If tires show signs of uneven wear or you have mis-matched tires or are marginal at all, the dealer is going to deduct enough for replacement cost.

If your vehicle is still covered by the factory warranty, that will of course help the trade-in value. Another thing to think about are some of the mileage thresholds. A vehicle with over 70,000 miles is much harder to finance as most banks & credit unions restrict loans to vehicles with lower miles. Also, even though today's car & trucks will run for 200,000 + miles, the value drops dramatically once you hit 100,000 miles.