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If you want to get the best trade in value for your car, there are many things that you can do. They are simple and easy and cost little or no money at all, but get overlooked all the time. These are some important steps to follow to maximize you trade in value.

First off, don't pull up to the dealership with a dirty car. Spend an hour or so cleaning it up. Run it through the car wash on your way there. Clean the dash and instruments with Armor All and make it look presentable.

Just general dusting and cleaning can go a long way, and don't forget about the windows. Just the clean window go a long way even without washing the rest of the car. So make sure you put your time into things that make a difference

Vacuum or even shampoo the carpets, or at least spot clean those coffee stains and footprints. Clean rims and tires can make a world of difference. Get rid of the brake dust and scrub up the tires and buy some tire wax to blacken them up as well.

The salesman should be somewhat impressed when he looks over your car. The less work the salesman thinks they need to do the better. These are simple things that everybody neglects that can make a big difference in the bottom line.

Second, get rid of all of your personal belongings and decorations. This includes window clings, hula girl bobble heads, and everything in the trunk. Be sure to scrape any residue from stickers off of the windows. The sooner the salesman thinks he can get your car back on the lot, the happier you will be.

While you are cleaning all of your stuff out of the car make sure you have all important roadside tools that came with the car. This is your spare tire (with air in it), a jack to change the tires, the four way or wrench, roadside safety kit, and any extra keys as well. Having all of these things in the car already, means the dealership does not have to buy or replace them. More money for you.

The last thing, which is probably the most important, don't mention the trade in until the last possible second before you sign anything. Do all of your negotiating on price as if you have no trade in. Don't let the salesman know that you are trading the car in.

If the salesman asks about a trade in, you don't know, you may keep it for a winter car or a spare car. You may even sell it outright in the newspaper. Either way, you don't know if you are trading it in.

That way you get the price to where you want it, and just when he thinks he has a sale, boom! You hit him with a $5000 trade in off that price. He may get mad and say they aren't going to take you trade in, but stay strong, tell him you are leaving. He will take a smaller commission before he lets the sale go completely.

I have followed these guidelines with every car I have purchased and it has always worked in my favor. Of course, salesmen are never to happy with me at the end of the day, but hey, it is my money. Just tell them that you changed your mind about the trade in. If he tries to raise the price back up, tell him your walking out.

Don't under estimate any of these steps. They are all very important if you want to maximize your dollar at a dealership. Everything that you can do to make your car look better is more money in your pocket. I hope they work as well for you as they have for me.

Learn more about this author, Jeffrey Sammerson.
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