Selling That Car: Detailing, Car Washes, And Other Tips To Get It Ready
Turning $175 Into $1000 Through Auto Detailing
One word: detailing. Detailing your vehicle will definitely increase what you can sell it for, if you do the job right. Even dealerships understand that a vehicle purchased at auction goes for more if it’s detailed, than if it isn’t. Now you can get your car professionally detailed for about $175, but you don’t necessarily have to go that route to get the same effect.
You can use a little sweat equity to get the job done. Cleaning the interior with a vacuum, pulling out the seats and cleaning beneath them if you have the know-how, and wiping down every surface with specifically treated cleaning wipes can do a lot to make your vehicle more salable.
The Two-Bucket Car Washing Method
After a careful car wash using the two-bucket method, you can apply a ceramic coat that makes the car “pop”. This can protect paint, and it will make the vehicle look better. Now, it’s a bit of an extended step, and depending on your vehicle, this may be going a little far.
However, most of the things detailers do in their shops you can do on your own property, and you’ll save money doing so. It will, however, take time. So at the end of the day, you’ve got to ask yourself what your time is worth.
If spending $175 can allow you to up the asking price by $500 to $1,000, it’s worth it. If you can do the same by detailing the vehicle at home, you expand your profit. Something else you’ll likely want to consider is minor repair.
Minor Repair Considerations: More In-Depth Car Detailing
How are the tires? If they have less than 50% left on the tread, in terms of longevity, it could be worthwhile to replace them. It will depend on the Blue Book value of your vehicle, of course. Also, look into components. Can you fix the AC with a simple recharge? It could increase what you sell the vehicle for by a factor greater than you spend getting the issue fixed.
That’s going to be your general rule of thumb. If you can get more for your vehicle by fixing minor things than the cost of their repair, it’s worth the extra work. A day’s cleaning and a week running around repair shops could increase what you sell your vehicle for by several thousand dollars. But there’s another balance to consider.
Sometimes the vehicle is in a place where to spend any more on it isn’t worth the effort, and you might as well just apply some simple car detailing and be done with it.
The Bottom Line On Selling Your Car
The bottom line is this: definitely consider car detailing before you sell, and run a cost-benefit analysis to determine if you should pursue further repairs. To learn more about vehicular maintenance, car detailing tips before you sell, and other key information relating to vehicular assets, visit Anybody’s Autos.