How to Improve Your Car’s Resale Value

You’ll want your car to retain as much value as possible so that when you’re ready to sell it or trade it in, you can get the best price for it. Taking care of your vehicle now can help you improve your car’s resale value.

Routine Maintenance

Routine maintenance can be easy to overlook or avoid,… but don’t neglect it! Regular, routine maintenance will help keep your vehicle healthy, minimizing costly repairs down the road and, in turn, improving your car’s resale value. Break the bad habit now of neglecting oil changes, inspections, and other maintenance to ensure that your vehicle continues running in tip-top condition for the entire time you own it.

Take Care of Those Tires (or Replace Them)

Though this could definitely fall under routine maintenance, your tires are so important that they deserve their own subsection here. Like engine oil, you can tell a lot by the way a vehicle has been maintained and cared for from the condition of its tires. Are the tires new, or have they been on the car for several years? Is the tread still holding up, or are the tires bald? From a resale point of view, if the vehicle owner has taken care of and pride in their tires, they’ve likely treated the rest of the vehicle with the same care and attention.

Drive Safely and Take Care of Your Vehicle

Avoiding accidents and vehicle damage is a pretty solid rule of thumb under any circumstance, but few things will make your car’s resale value take a nosedive like frame damage. Additionally, dents, dings, and paint damage will also cause that resale value to plummet.

Driving rough and pushing the car beyond its limits can cause engine components to fail prematurely, as well as damage to your chassis. Take care of your car now, and you’ll retain a higher resale value when you’re ready to trade it in for your next one.

Take Care of Your Vehicle’s Interior, Too

This can be a hard one for a lot of folks – especially if they have kids – but try not to trash the inside of your vehicle. Keeping your car littered with trash – from half-empty cups to fast-food wrappers – will lead to stained, damaged upholstery and could even cause an insect infestation. If you have leather, keep it healthy and don’t let it dry out and crack. Do your best to keep a clean, clutter-free vehicle interior, which will directly reflect on your resale value.

Invest in a Smart Buy

The best way to ensure that your car retains a high resale value is to purchase a good, reliable vehicle in the first place. Integrity Auto Finance stocks a wide variety of nicer, newer vehicles – late model and low miles – that are the definition of “smart buy.” Newer vehicles with less miles are going to be more dependable, inherently having less mechanical issues, if any at all. You’ll spend less money on service and repairs, and your car will run smoother and last longer.

Check out our incredible inventory to find your next “smart buy” vehicle!