GETTING THE BEST VALUE FOR YOUR TRADE-IN VEHICLE

Here are some tips to help you get top dollar for your trade-in:

1. By all means, WASH and WAX your vehicle.
2. Vacuum it also.
3. Clean out the trunk, glove box, and backseat.
4. Clean the tires and rims.
5. Remember to clean out the ashtray if you smoke.

6. Get rid of any unpleasant odors.
7. Buff out any obvious scratches.
8. If you have a broken windshield AND your insurance covers it (with no deductible), get it fixed.
9. Attend to any minor maintenance.

Will any of the above get noticed by the dealer? ABSOLUTELY NOT! The only way they will notice is if you DON'T do these things. The one thing it WILL accomplish is to give you some credibility when you are dickering over the low-ball price the dealer will be offering you for your trade-in.
Keep in mind the dealer will be offering to pay you the wholesale price for your vehicle. If you want to get the retail price, you will have to sell it yourself.

Checking the trade-in or low-retail value of your vehicle at one of the online used car pricing sites, such as Kelly Blue Book (www.kbb.com) or NADA (www.nada.com) will give you a rough estimate of what your vehicle is worth.

When I worked at a dealership in the Midwest, I discovered that all of the dealers in that area used the guide published by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). It would be helpful if you knew which guide was being used in your area. One way you can find out is by checking dealer advertisements and comparing vehicle prices to see where they fall in comparison to the online price guides. That will help you to know the wholesale price the dealership paid the last owner for the vehicle so you will know how much room you have for negotiating purposes.

If you are not satisfied with the price you are being quoted and are not successful in moving the dealer closer to the price you had in mind for your trade-in vehicle, you can always try another dealership. You may find one that is easier to negotiate with as far as price goes.

Here are a few more points to ponder:

- Rainy (and snowy) days are GREAT times to go car shopping (customers are harder to come by on bad weather days).
- Dealerships generally get more desperate to make a sale toward the END of the month.
- Most dealerships are still willing to NEGOTIATE on price.

A final thought on the automotive industry from Bill Gates: "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG." Wouldn't that be great?

Learn more about this author, Barbara Mitchell.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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