How To Sell A Car At A Dealership

The time has come. It’s time to get rid of your car. Maybe you’re preparing for a move to a new city that doesn’t require having a car. Perhaps you just invited a new member into the family and need something with a few more safety features. Maybe you just simply want an upgrade. No matter your reason, selling your car can be a plain and simple process.

Selling your car is even easier when you do so through a local dealership like ours at C. Harper Chevrolet East. But how does it work? How do New Alexandria, Monroeville, and Irwin, PA, drivers sell a car to a dealership?

Below, our team will break it all down. Read on, and start getting your car ready to sell!

SELLING YOUR CAR AT A DEALERSHIP NEAR NEW ALEXANDRIA—WHAT TO KNOW

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Selling your car to a local dealership is a much more straightforward and transparent way to say goodbye to your car. It can help you avoid having to privately sell your car to a stranger, even saving you time from listing your car online.

Before you can hand your car over to a local dealer, there are a few things you should know. To start, you’ll want to go into a dealership sale with a number in mind. There are plenty of ways to assess the value of your car, so you’ll have no problem finding out how much it’s worth.

Knowing your vehicle’s worth can go a long way in helping you evaluate an offer from a dealership.

SELLING YOUR CAR AT A DEALERSHIP—GETTING READY

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Along with finding your vehicle’s value, there are a number of other ways to get ready for a sale with your local dealership.

First things first, you need to get your car’s paperwork together. You can make the whole process a lot easier by having your car title, registration, insurance, and any other important paperwork with you when you go to sell.

Once you’ve done that, shift your focus to the car itself. Getting your car ready for a sale means having it looking, and operating, at its very best. You can maximize your offer by doing the following:

• Clean your car (exterior & interior)
• Fix exterior damage (dents, dings, scratches, or other damage)
• Assess mechanical issues (engine, transmission, battery, brakes, and other issues)
• Remove personal belongings
• Ensure car payments are up to date

Selling a pristine car that the dealership can deem “showroom ready” will prove its worth when you finally get that offer.

SELLING YOUR CAR AT A DEALERSHIP—HOW IT WORKS

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Now that we’ve covered all the prep work for a sale with a dealership, it’s about time we get to the process itself. How do you really sell a car at a dealership?

The start of the process is entirely up to you. You can either call ahead or come right to the dealership to let them know you’re ready to sell your car. Then, you’ll meet with a sales associate to start discussing how much your car is worth. This is where having your paperwork together will come in handy, so don’t forget!

Once they’ve seen the vehicle, the sales associate will evaluate a few things. First, they’ll run your vehicle’s ID number through their vehicle history database. This will let them know of any previous accidents or damage. Then, they’ll start drafting an offer based on a few items:

• Your vehicle’s market value
• The condition of your car
• The dealership’s inventory of your car model

WILL A DEALERSHIP BUY YOUR CAR?

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Well, this question reigns supreme. Once you’ve shown the dealership what your vehicle has to offer, will they buy it?

This can depend on a few things. To start, they’ll by assessing your vehicle’s condition. A team of factory-trained technicians will run it through a multi-point inspection to determine whether or not it needs significant repairs. If your vehicle is in tip-top shape, then there’s no reason to believe they won’t extend you an offer.

Next, they’ll check if you owe anything on the car. Even if you still have payments to make on the car, they’re still likely to make an offer. However, it may impact the value of the offer. The offer will have to be enough to pay off the car, so it may result in things evening out and no actual profit.

SELLING YOUR CAR AT A DEALERSHIP—THE OFFER

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Every dealership is different. You may get an offer for your car at one dealership that’s entirely different from another. So, once you have an offer, you’ll certainly want to weigh all your options. Once again, it’ll help to know your vehicle’s value and have a number in mind.

It may also work to your benefit to look at a few different dealerships. Once they provide an offer, you can also ask any sales associate to show you how they got to that number.

It never hurts to a do a little extra work when it comes to selling your car at a dealership. Visit different dealerships, weigh your offers, do your homework, and make sure you’re getting the best possible value for your car!