How Do Dealerships Value My Trade?

Preparing Your Vehicle for Trading In

Before you begin the trade-in process, it's important to bring your vehicle up to par. You'll want to do a thorough deep cleaning of the exterior and the interior surfaces, getting them as clean as possible. While it might not seem like a big deal, a clean car is an attractive and therefore more valuable car.

You'll also want to take your vehicle into a service center to get a clean bill of health. If it needs any major repairs done, they should take top priority, which will pay dividends in the end. An oil change, tire rotation, fluid top-offs and the like will add value to your vehicle. While putting money into a vehicle you're looking to trade seems counterintuitive, you'll be rewarded with a higher valuation and get more for your vehicle in the end.

Kelley Blue Book® Instant Cash Offer

At our dealership, we use the Kelley Blue Book® (KBB®) to ascertain the value of our cars. This nationally trusted automotive resource is where we've put our trust and we encourage you to do so as well. When you utilize the KBB® Instant Cash Offer tool, there are a handful of steps to follow before receiving your vehicle's value in hard currency. Let's explore those steps now.

The first step is to enter information about your vehicle into the online tool. Mileage, model, and make is just some of the basic information that's required. Then, it gets into details, like unique features of the model and whether they are still in operating condition. Sometimes, photographic evidence will be required.  

After plugging in all that information, you'll get an Instant Cash Offer for your vehicle. Once it is provided, the offer is good for up to seven days from origination. This gives you a few days to consider your options.

Once you've made your decision, you can bring this offer to our dealership along with the vehicle you're trading in for a final inspection and confirmation of the offer. After that, you're given the choice of getting cash or a trade-in credit. Whether you decide to sell or to trade in the vehicle, the offer is the same.

Next Steps

Once the offer is in your pocket, you can put it towards the cost of a new vehicle or invest it in other opportunities. Of course, you can choose different ways to utilize the offer. You could put half towards a vehicle and buy additional warranties or accessories to further customize your vehicle with the remaining amount.