Thinking of trading your vehicle in to an auto dealership? Trading in your vehicle can be a great idea, but the salesman often try to get your trade-in for as cheap as possible. Make sure you get the most value for a vehicle trade-in by reading our 4 tips below.

1. If You Want to get the Most Value for a Vehicle Trade in, Wait to Mention it

Dealers are known to “play with the numbers” to try and cover the cost for a trade-in so it’s in your best interest to not mention that you are trading in a vehicle until after the price is finalized then say “hey how much can you reduce the price if I trade-in my vehicle?”

2. Thoroughly Clean the Vehicle and Remove Dents or Dings

Little things like dents, scratches and mess are all things the dealer will use to calculate the amount of work they are going to have to put into it to make it re-“sell able” so make sure you bring your ride in there in as good of a condition as possible.

3. Shop Around

Don’t go to the dealership you want right away and instead explore other dealers with the same vehicle you are interested in purchasing and ask them what they would take for your vehicle trade-in then you have a number to compare values to and can tell if a dealer isn’t paying enough for your trade-in.

Another great way to get a general value of your vehicle is to look the make and model up on Auto Trader.

4. Understand the Dealer

A car dealer is trying to make money, so in the case where you feel like you’re still not getting the best deal you must remember that you are purchasing from a business and there purpose is to create a profit so if you feel like they’re not giving you enough try and sell the vehicle privately, you do not have to trade your vehicle in to the dealer ship if you don’t want to.

Hopefully these tips above help you with getting the most value on your next vehicle trade-in!