How to Trade In a Car
Trading in a vehicle is a good way to get rid of an old car when purchasing a new one. The money you make on the trade can even go towards the down payment of your new vehicle. If this is something you’re interested in doing, you’ve come to the right place.
Our team at Rockwall Ford has put together this page to help you trade in your vehicle. We hope that drivers from Rockwall, Mesquite, and Garland, TX, find this page helpful.
Gather Paperwork
When you’re preparing to trade in a vehicle, you’ll need to get some things together. If you’ve paid off your car, you’ll need the title. It is also helpful to gather any maintenance or repair records you have to show you’ve kept up with your vehicle’s needs. These can come in handy for negotiating.
Research Your Vehicle
As you prepare to trade in your car, you’ll want to know how much you might get for it. Look online to see what your vehicle is going for. There are plenty of websites that offer estimates, including ours.
Our Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer tool gives you an estimate of your vehicle’s value using Blue Book® values. You can even redeem this estimate at our dealership.
Searching a few different websites will give you a good range of prices that you can expect an offer to fall into. Bring these with you so you can negotiate if you want a bit more money.
Clean and Repair Your Car
Making your vehicle look nice is one way of saying that you care for your car and maintain it. You can achieve this with a wash and a vacuum before you bring the vehicle to the dealership. A nicer-looking car might receive a higher offer than one that hasn’t been cleaned in a while.
If your vehicle needs some minor repairs, this can be a good time to take care of them. Just make sure that you’re not spending more than it would increase the value of your vehicle.
The same goes for recalls. Recalls are almost always free, so getting them taken care of shouldn’t cost you anything but can increase the value of your car.
Find Your Next Ride
Now that you’ve gotten all the research done and cleaned your car, it’s time to find your next ride. Head to the dealership, find your next vehicle and start the financing process. At this time, you’ll probably be able to kick-start the trade process, too.
Negotiate and Close the Deal
You can negotiate the price of your trade-in vehicle. As you do, bringing out the maintenance records you have and the prices you’ve researched can help.
When you and the dealership have agreed on a trade-in price and the price of your new car, you can finish up. Look over the deal sheet to make sure everything is correct and sign. The deal is done. You can drive away in your new car.
Trade In Your Vehicle Today
With this guide, you now know how to trade in your vehicle. You can drive away in confidence in your new ride!
Drivers in the Rockwall, Mesquite, and Garland, TX, areas can trade in their vehicle and find their next car at Rockwall Ford. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out online or by phone.