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Save Money: Dirty Little Secret for Selling Your Car

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Thinking of selling your old car?

Before you do, read this first.

A useful money saving tip is to have your car detailed before selling it.

I know you are probably thinking that you don’t want to put any more money into it because you want to get rid of it.

Think again.

Get the inside scoop from a person who formerly worked at a car dealership and had his own detailing shop.

 

How to Put Major Cash in Your Pocket When Selling Your Car

If you were selling your house, you would scour every nook and cranny to make it look as beautiful as possible. There are many tips for staging a house when you want to sell it. Think of this tip as staging your car for sale. Bring it to a place that details cars all of the time. Dealerships do this on a regular basis. When they get trade-ins they try to restore cars to look as new as possible. Have the car cleaned thoroughly inside and out. Have it waxed, deep clean the wheels and shampoo the carpets. If you have leather interior, have it conditioned. You will get more for your car just for cleaning it. I did.

I put my car up for sale on Craiglist for $1750. It was a 1998 Honda Accord (12 years old at the time) that had 220,000 miles on it. Everyone that saw the car gave low ball offers. I decided to unlist it. I had the car detailed for $150. I relisted the same car after it was thoroughly cleaned for $2200. The first person that came to look at the car bought it in cash.

When I originally bought the car, it was 5 years old and had 140,000 miles on it. I paid $4200 when I first purchased it and put another 110,000 miles on it. So I made $400 dollars more than I would have just for cleaning it.  I made 17% more than I would have. Remember, the people looking were not willing to pay the $1750 for the SAME car because it was dirty. It goes to show that perception and a little elbow grease go a long way when it comes to selling you car.

This guest post is written by Mike Scala, the President of a North American Manufacturer of Electrical Products. He is also a husband, father of two girls, car enthusiast and Fantasy Sports blogger. Check out his website at OutOfRounds.com.

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