You’re going to want to get it inspected by a mechanic, detail the inside of the vehicle, have the oil changed, and then finally clean up the outside. All of these steps are important not just because they make you more money when you sell it, but also because they will help the buyer know that the car is in good condition if they decide to purchase it from you!
Steps before selling your car
The first thing you are going to want to do is to get your car inspected by a qualified mechanic. You can do this in any major city and it will cost between $75 and $150 dollars depending on what the inspection finds with your vehicle. The reason for this step is so that if there is anything wrong with your automobile, you can negotiate this with the potential buyers so they know what repairs need to be made before they purchase your car.
The next step is to detail the interior of the car and then proceed to clean up whatever is on the outside or even underneath it. Make sure you vacuum all of the insides and lightly wipe down everything that might have fingerprints on it such as the inside of the door, steering wheel, and even the shifter. Detailers use a solvent that helps get rid of stains on cars but if you do not have access to this, you can buy a bottle of Greased Lightning for around $5 at any home improvement store or Walmart.
Once you are done detailing what is inside and outside of the car, go ahead and clean up the engine compartment. This step takes a lot of time but it is important so people can see how well you have kept up with your car. Get some old old rags or cloths, put them over your mouth to avoid inhaling any toxic fumes from underneath the hood, open the hood and use a degreaser to wipe everything down. Go ahead and do this by hand, avoiding using any sort of power tool that will make your car look more expensive than it actually is!
How to detail your car before you sell it?
If you want to make sure that your car looks as good as possible and is in the best condition possible before selling it, follow these steps:
- Have the car inspected by a qualified mechanic. The inspection will tell you if there is anything wrong with your car and what repairs need to be done.
- Detail the inside of the car and clean up any stains, fingerprints, or other dirt on the interior.
- Detailing the exterior of the car is also important so you should detail anything outside such as under the hood, deep in the engine compartment, and around door handles. You can use Greased Lightning or another solvent to help remove stains from your vehicle.
- Once finished detailing your car use a degreaser to wipe down all of the parts on your engine.
10 things that might be wrong with your car that could affect the sale - Your car might have bad brakes. If the buyer takes it for a test drive and has to push their foot to the floor in order to stop, there is a good chance they won’t want to buy it.
- The engine might be making weird noises when you start it up. This can be because of a few things, but the most common cause could be that your timing belt was broken or stretched out which will need to be repaired before it gets any worse.
- It might have air conditioning problems. You won’t want to sell your car if the air conditioning doesn’t work because even though you can still drive without air conditioning, people are more likely to want to buy cars with working air conditioners.
- The tires might be worn out. If you’re selling your car, you’ll want to make sure the tires are in good condition because if it needs new tires, this will affect how much money someone thinks they need to invest into buying your vehicle.
- The oil might not have been changed for a while. This can become a huge problem if the oil has not been changed for a while and can cause damage to your car’s engine if it is exposed to this for too long.
- The windshield might have a crack in it. Even though people can still drive cars with cracks, they are more likely to want to purchase a car without cracks in the windshield because it means you have taken care of your car.
What does the inside of a car with high mileage look like?
A high mileage car is usually dirty on the inside because people don’t want to put in the extra effort to clean it. If you are selling your car with high mileage, you might want to detail the inside of it before you sell it so potential customers know that you have taken care of it.
Interior damage might be caused by the previous owner. If you are selling a used car, there is a good chance that at least one of the previous owners was not very careful with their belongings. This includes spilled drinks, dog hair, food particles, and who knows what else!
The more money your car actually needs right after the sale, the less you will get for it. You want to make sure you sell your car for as much money as possible and do not make any big repairs right before selling it.
Some signs that your vehicle might need some repairs before you sell it
Checking the color of your oil is a good way to tell if you need any repairs. If there is a brown or black residue on top of the oil, it might be time for a major engine overhaul. The more money your car actually needs right after the sale, the less you will get for it. You want to make sure you sell your car for as much money as possible and do not make any big repairs right before selling it. Some signs are:
- It needs regular oil changes and other routine maintenance
- It has a lot of dents and scratches on the outside and inside
- The engine light is constantly on, or there’s a check engine light.
- The mileage is too high for the year it was manufactured.
- There is a lot of wear and tear on the inside.
Call Houston Junk Car Buyers to get an estimate
We are a Houston car buyer that pays top dollar for junk cars. We buy any car form cars that have been totaled in accidents to cars that haven’t run in year to later mile cars that just aren’t worth the time and effort to sell them.
