Trading in a car—detail and maintenance

October 12, 2022 6:54 AM

We expect to trade in our 2013 Forester in the near future. It has low mileage for its age, and is generally in good shape. No accidents, some exterior paint scrapes, and generally current on maintenance. In this very odd 2022/2023 car market, what should I do to prep this car in anticipation of trading in at the dealer?

In particular:

—this is our “beater” car. It hauls junk, and has survived the early stain-prone years of our kid. I’ve vacuumed it out recently, but it is not exactly showroom ready. Will I improve trade-in value having the car professionally detailed?

—I said generally up to date on maintenance, but it’s currently overdue. I’m not certain what service is scheduled next, but most weeks this car gets 10 miles max. I’m not certain whether I need to keep servicing this car given how little it’s used, but this may just be penny wise, pound foolish, both for the safety and operation of the car when I do use it and having a good maintenance record when trading in.

Any advice for maximizing trade in value? Or do they just confirm it turns on, has its inspection stickers and title/registration?

Thanks!

posted by Admiral Haddock to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

I think generally speaking you don't need to do much for a trade in, because the dealer is going to do all of the work to resell, or whatever.

If you were selling it privately, you may want to get it detailed and an oil change. It's been a few months since I last looked into this, but I imagine you may get more money by selling it privately than you would for a trade in. Of course, this discounts any effort/time/labor you'd have to put into it to sell.

good luck!
posted by wocka wocka wocka at 7:09 AM on October 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Boy, I know that this is not what you asked, but would you consider selling this outright for something a little above the trade-in value? I am driving a 2008 Pontiac Vibe which may not make it through the winter. I have been holding out this past year hoping used car prices - or any car prices - would decline, but instead we have the interest rate increase. Beater is fine. My current beloved car was my farm vehicle. If you want to explore the possibility, please MeMail!
posted by Silvery Fish at 7:10 AM on October 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

Get a quote from Carvana and one from CarMax and maybe a couple others. Shouldn’t be very difficult, and may be higher than you expect. That way, when you go to the dealer, if for whatever reason their quote isn’t up to par, you can point to the competitors’ quotes and I bet they will match or beat them immediately.
posted by Slinga at 7:29 AM on October 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

I wouldn't do any work short of getting stuff that you don't want to lose out of the car. Give them as little gas as you can. They might just sell it off to a service or junk it. If they want to service it, they can do it cheaper than you can.

Decide upfront what you want to pay for the new car and get the dealer to meet your price. How they decide on trade in value vs what they are willing to negotiate for the car itself is their problem.
posted by cmm at 8:29 AM on October 12, 2022

Wash it, clean it out inside. Wash the windows, maybe wash the interior vinyl. Vacuum. Go to Cars.com and get an idea of what it's worth, which may surprise you. The dealership will play games, but if you know the value of the new car as well as the old car, you are in a better bargaining position. i'd consider selling it myself, as you'll get more out of it.
posted by theora55 at 8:44 AM on October 12, 2022

My parents left me a couple vehicles when the died a few years ago. Probate kept me from getting titles until now. But my did had a black, 2008 Dodge Dakota SLT. I took it for some maintenance at the place he bought it in 2017 and they asked me if I wanted to sell it. Not really happy with their service, I went somewhere else. But I did look up the price on CarMax. My jaw dropped when I saw they would pay $7K as is. I'll bet a private buyer would give you an even better deal than any dealership. I'm keeping the truck BTW. Can't imagine I could find anything comparable for the same price in this market.
posted by CollectiveMind at 9:27 AM on October 12, 2022

When I've traded cars, I've done absolutely nothing except remove all my stuff/trash. It has never affected the price.
posted by nosila at 11:27 AM on October 12, 2022

Don't forget (like I did) to remove any automated toll transponders you have installed.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 12:46 PM on October 12, 2022 [4 favorites]