Boost the Resale Value of Your Car in 6 Steps

There are many reasons why you should always keep your car in the best possible condition. The most important reason, naturally, is safety and reliability. You want your vehicle to be able to take you without any problems from point A to point B. However, every car is an investment and you should look after all your investments. The time will come when you’ll be selling a damaged car or you`ll need to sell your old car in order to buy a new one, which will suit your needs. By selling your car for more money, you get a faster return on your investment and you have more funds to put towards your new purchase.

However, not all investments in your car provide the right benefit. Sometimes you simply spend an amount of money that you can’t get back through a higher resale price. In order to help you make the right decision, we’ve prepared the following tips to help you boost the resale value of your car.

Regular maintenance is crucial

It goes without saying that the best thing you can do to increase the value of your car or at least lose as little money as possible is to have it maintained regularly and properly. This means you can’t leave it for the very last moment. It’s something that you do over the course of the whole ownership period. Make sure you regularly replace certain parts, as recommended by the manufacturer, at the specific period. It’s always better to have a complete service history recorded by a licenced mechanic than to try to persuade a potential buyer you’ve taken good care of your car without any evidence.

Wax polish and shine

You won’t be selling a car in pristine showroom condition, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make it as presentable as possible. On the contrary, polishing and waxing a car will certainly make it stand out. Every buyer obviously would like to own a car that looks close to new if not completely new. So, clean up small gaps, tar marks, plastic parts and make sure you wax your car. Also, make sure there are no fuel or oil leaks that need to be rectified and give the engine a good clean one day before showing the car to the potential buyer.

Exhaust system

Having a reliable performance exhaust system can make a big difference to both the driving experience and the resale value of your car. That’s why you should seriously consider replacing the old exhaust on your trusty Commodore when the time comes to sell this fine Australian-made car. It will improve your car’s performance while lowering the consumption. Finally, your car will look and sound much better. 

Clean up the headlights

There are at least two good reasons for keeping your headlights as clean as possible. The first one, obviously, is the fact that you want them to provide enough light when you drive at night. The second one is the way your car looks with clean headlights. They boost the overall look of your car, i.e. make it easier to get the asking price. You can find great headlight-cleaning kits in the market with instructions to clean up the grime from the headlight and give it a refreshing look. If you want to invest even less, use toothpaste and a soft cloth. You may wish to apply polish later to make the headlight lens shine or have them polished professionally.

Clean the interior

One of the things you can do without any professional help is to thoroughly clean the interior of your car. Start by vacuuming the whole interior, before you move to cleaning the carpet, floor mats, seats and window glass. AC vents, switches and panels should also be cleaned and you can find many different reasonably priced cleaning kits to help you with that. In case that seems like too much work, you can always turn to professionals in car washing and cleaning, but you’ll have to be ready to pay more.

Replace inexpensive spares

Inexpensive spare parts, such as interior lights, brake pads, wipers should be replaced before selling. This will not only shed the age of the car, but also give the car a fresh look. Certain parts will also help the car to perform better, while parts like lights show that everything is in working order. Don’t forget to tighten any lose interior plastics or parts that would loosened with time. Minor dents and scratches should also be taken care of, while getting the car prepared before selling.

It’s not always easy to decide what improvements are worth making before selling your car. Many people invest a lot of money that they simply can’t reclaim through the sale of their car, which is why you need to choose wisely. These tips are rather inexpensive, which makes them more likely to be a good investment.