It's a Secret!

Shhh…. It’s a SECRET!

Want to know how to cheat a dealer out of more dollars for your trade-in?

Wondering what to do with your current car when considering your next one is a common thought process.  The answers to this question are abundant, yet not always clear.  Do I trade it in, sell it to a private party, pass it on to my kid or donate it to my favorite charity?  (Although sometimes those last two may seem the same).  The easiest and simplest way is and has always been to trade it in.  If you have a payoff, that part is taken care of in a timely fashion.  The transfer of title (getting it out of your name) is handled properly and any “known” problems simply go away and become the trading dealer’s issue.  Usually – no questions asked, you wash your hands of it and walk away.

The usual, and sometimes no fun - part of trading it in is the common perception that a dealer won’t give you a fair-trade allowance.  You know this because you looked up its value online and have been offered less from a dealer in the past.   While there are several reasons for this and no two dealers are the same, the most common reason for a smaller offer than you anticipated is reconditioning. 

Reconditioning is what the dealer has to do to the car to make it marketable to the next customer.  Those are real dollars the dealer will spend on your car to make it sellable.  Those dollars are sometimes debatable.  For example, if your car has 40% tire life left, the question becomes “would I buy new tires today if it were my car?”  We all know the answer would be no but if you were buying that car, your first thought would be “this car will need tires soon” and therefore, you’d want to pay less.  Dents, dings, broken windshields, seat tears and/or stains, wheel scuffs… the list goes on, all play a part in what the dealer will offer in relation to the online values you’ve looked up.  

What you may not realize is that the dealer loves (and wants) used cars, regardless of the year, make, model or even condition.  An aggressive (or progressive) dealer should and will make a concerted effort to acquire every car they can.  After all, while it may be somewhat of a gamble for the dealer, it’s also an opportunity for them to gain another customer selling your car to the next person. 

Here’s the “secret” part.  Regardless of the condition, age, mileage, etc. of your car – if you want to cheat the dealer out of at least (on average) $500, CLEAN YOUR CAR prior to appraisal.  We will overlook tons of imperfections if the car is simply clean. I say “on average” because sure, a rusted-out 1970’s model (Ford Pinto or AMC Gremlin) that kills mosquitoes with all the smoke it bellows out may not be worth that much more and conversely, a $20,000 trade-in may bring $1,000 more if it’s simply “super clean”.  But… on average, you can expect $500 more just for spending a few hours scrubbing the salsa out of the carpet from a late-night run at the Taco Hut or buffing out the years of sun burnt/faded paint on the hood.  You might even consider buffing the faded (and now foggy) headlights.  Regardless, you’d be surprised how aggressive a dealer will become on your trade-in if you simply spend a little time shining it up.

You are now “in the know”.  Clean your car!  I can assure you, if a car has a back seat full of dirty diapers, trash and empty Spam cans or enough pet hair that makes us afraid to climb in because we fear it will stick to our clothes, that dealer will appraise it accordingly. 

John Chauvin – GM

Hewlett Volkswagen, LP