Used cars parked parallelly at a dealership

Tips For Keeping Used Car Resale Value Up

If you have a used car for sale, one of your most obvious priorities will be getting the highest possible value out of it. But as anyone who has dealt with the sale of used cars in the past will know, this process often begins long before you actually put the car up for sale.

At Auction Direct USA, we’re here to help. Here are a few tips our experts can offer when it comes to increasing your car’s potential resale value.

Keep Your Paperwork

As you move through your car’s life, keep all documents you have that relate to the vehicle. Do not keep these in the car themselves – keep them in a separate folder, and organized by basic dates and relevance. Items in this folder should include your title, purchase receipts, finance contract, all service records, your owner’s manual and your window sticker. The more documentation you have of everything that’s taken place with your car, the more you can prove about its value.

Don’t Abuse the Car

It’s common to hear drivers talk about preventive maintenance, and while it’s indeed vital, the one area that’s most important is often overlooked: Drive safely and stay alert. Reckless driving leads to higher chances of an accident, but also can damage the chassis and cause more fluid leaks, oil burning, and engine part failure.

New Tires

One area that can be particularly valuable when it comes to pre-sale replacement is the tires. Tires are a big part of curb appeal on the car, which has shown to be an outsized factor in seller interest – even if other elements of your car are in tip-top shape, a buyer who sees worn down tires is less likely to show interest. In most cases, the cost of simply replacing the tires is easily worth the increase in resale price you can demand.

Proper Maintenance

Finally, the top tip we can offer for upping resale value on your car is simply keeping up with your recommended maintenance. Little repairs that can be handled for virtually no cost during scheduled maintenance can torpedo into far more costly issues if this maintenance isn’t done properly, and your car’s overall value could plummet in the process.

For more on how to keep your car’s resale value high, or to learn about any of our used cars, speak to the pros at Auction Direct USA today.