Purchasing a new vehicle is an incredibly important decision and there is much to consider both in terms of what you need out of your new vehicle and what potential vehicles offer to suit those needs. However, perhaps equally as important and requiring similar amounts of research is the selling of your vehicle. Here are a few important considerations when selling your vehicle.

Know the Value
While you likely have an ideal amount which you would like to sell your car for, this is largely irrelevant compared to the actual value. You can bet that your potential buyers are doing their research and you should as well. There are well-known resources across the web to get you started. Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds.com are a couple of those.

You should also take into consideration the market. Like anything else, if you’re selling a Honda Civic and there happen to be many Civics for sale in your area, this is likely to force you to sell your car at a slightly lower price than you might prefer in an effort to stay competitive.

Finally, consider taking your car to a mechanic if you’re not an expert. Not only will this help you to determine a realistic selling price but you might also discover something that would have otherwise reared its ugly head after the sale. Avoid the awkward back-and-forth that wound ensue between you and the buyer.

Private vs Dealer vs Trade-in
How much effort are you willing to put into the sale? If you don’t mind meeting potential buyers or having them come to your house as well as answering a barrage of questions in both scenarios, then selling your car to a private owner might work for you.

However, if you’re looking for something simpler and likely faster, then you might consider selling your car to a dealer or, if you plan to buy a new car, a trade-in. Keep in mind that if you sell to a dealer or trade your car to a dealer, they are going to attempt to resell your vehicle which means there could be a chance of that affecting the price. A recommended practice would be to test the waters of all three.

Make it Shine; Inside and Out
Hopefully you didn’t wait until you decided to sell your car to start taking proper care of it, however if you did, now is certainly the time to take action. A thorough cleaning of the inside and outside of your car is a minimum. This includes a wax on the outside and a shampooing and an “Armor All-ing” on the inside. If there is any chance that you might cut corners while cleaning, have it done professionally. A mediocre job of cleaning might reflect mediocre care of the car and can scare away a customer.

Consider having your car detailed, tires rotated, wipers replaced and any other routine maintenance you may have neglected over the years. Don’t convince yourself that you’ll just “work the neglect into the asking price” because you might not have anybody to sell to if you don’t take care of your car one last time.