Selling or trading?

My friend wanted a new car but because she does not have enough money for buying the latest model in the market, she is planning to trade her car instead. When I heard about this, I told her not to rush with the idea since trading the used car can either paid off the car’s original value. So instead of trading it, perhaps she can just keep it or sell it herself. With such case, decision-making is important so I told her to take time first to make sure that she will do the right decision. Bewildering yourself with the right decision is indeed difficult, so here are some tips that you may consider before selling or trading your car.

· First, make some research. You might encounter some prospective buyers or dealerships that may try to give you lesser amount of money for your car than its actual worth. That you should be familiar since every shopper aims to bargain the price of the vehicle you gave with this common situation.

· Know the value of your vehicle. Identify which is the standard market price that you can expect it to be worth if you sell it privately. This is value is commonly referred as the blue book value. To find your car's blue book value, you can buy a blue book for used vehicles at most bookstores or visit the web at Kelly blue book.

· Take note of important details like its driving condition, mileage, geographic location, and selling price.

· Give your vehicle a price that is competitive in the market. Seek help from professionals to appraise your car’s true market value price. This figure is adjusted for a number of factors including mileage, condition, options, and the region in which the car is being sold. Be sure to leave a little wiggle room when setting your asking price by asking more than what you want to sell the car for.

· Create Ads that Sell. If you want to sell it privately, you can put a print out “For Sale" signs in your car’s window. When creating this sign or ad in the paper, you have an opportunity to communicate how eager you are to sell the car. Think about what you are telling people by the way you phrase your ad. Little words convey a lot.

· Advertise Your Car. This can be done through classified ads of the newspaper or through the net. Posting a sign in your car’s window or telling your friends that your car is for sale is also another way of advertising. When it comes to advertising, you need to be creative. Consider some unusual places to put your ads.

· Give Your Car Curb Appeal. Wash, wax, detail, and visit the shop to let some mechanical parts are repaired. Inspect it carefully to make sure all its parts are mechanically sound and free from dents, dings, and scrapes. Prospective shoppers will be willing to pay more for cars that are in better condition. Remove all the junk from the inside of the car. Wipe the brake dust off the front wheels and remove all the grimes from the tires. The inside and outside window glass and the surfaces should be cleaned. Wipe down the dashboard and empty the ashtrays.

· Provide an array of recorded details. This will show prospective shoppers how organized you are in taking care of your car. Put your maintenance records in a neat folder ready to show interested parties. Have your mechanic check out your car and issue a report about its condition — this could motivate a buyer because you have to overcome one more objection they can present.

· Show off your car. Let them evaluate your car. With the preparations you have done, certainly you will make a good impression.

· Be ready to negotiate. Buyers or dealerships have a principle of starting an offer at the lowest offer. But once they see that you have done good in taking care of the vehicle and are knowledgeable enough about your car’s condition, they may be willing to raise their offer.