How to keep your vehicle’s resale value
You know the time will come when you will upgrade your current vehicle to something newer and, perhaps, better, at least in your opinion. It goes without saying that if you take your current vehicle into a dealership to trade it in, you’re going to want to get as much value out of it as possible. What can you do to make sure that happens? There are steps you can take to maximize your trade. Keep reading for a few suggestions on how to keep your vehicle’s resale value.
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Top 5 steps to maintaining your car’s value
While it is never too late to take good care of your automobile, it is best to start these good habits right away when you begin ownership.
Wash and wax your car on a regular basis. Don’t just rely on Mother Nature to give you a free car wash when it rains. Take good care to clean the outside of your car regularly, making sure to get rid of the dirt that hides in hard-to-reach places. This will also help prevent rust build-up. Waxing your car will help protect it and give it a pretty sheen that will make it more attractive to dealers.- Clean inside the car regularly. Life happens. Your car is probably not always going to be the epitome of cleanliness, but as much as possible, take care of wrappers, papers, and other loose clutter that is scattered about the inside. Give it a good vacuuming, too, to keep the carpeting and floormats as free from mud and grime as you can.
- Service your car regularly. Get your oil changed on schedule. Make sure all the parts are up to date and working properly. Also, keep your paperwork for these maintenance jobs so there is a record of your care if it ever comes into question.
- Don’t modify your car. Modifying can be fun and give you a higher sense of pride in ownership, but adding a bunch of extra bells and whistles to your car is a great way to make a future potential buyer say, “No, thanks.”
- Drive safely. This is basically the most important thing for anything related to driving, but it also applies to maintaining your vehicle’s value. Keeping it accident-free will keep its resale value higher.
Your car will probably never be in utterly perfect condition, but following these steps is a good way to do your part in maintaining its value so you can get the most out of a potential trade-in. Keep checking back with the Gil’s Auto Sales blog for more tips and tricks!