Trying To Trade An Old And Dirty Car Into A Dealership? Stage It For Maximum Profit
Working with a car dealership is often a game of chance and careful manipulation. You want the dealer to think your vehicle is a high-quality vehicle that is worth a lot of money. The best way to ensure this perception is to stage it in the best possible light.
Staging A Car Makes It More Appealing
Taking your old and dirty car to a car dealership without cleaning or fixing it is a major mistake. They will take one look at it and offer you as little as possible. That's because they, like many other buyers, assume that a dirty car is often a poor-quality vehicle. They also make the same mistake of thinking that a beautiful car is actually a higher-quality vehicle.
As a result, it is important to stage your old vehicle in a way that makes it look more appealing to the dealership. While you shouldn't bring them an obvious lemon, cleaning and repair obvious issues will make a dirty, but otherwise great, car more appealing to a car dealership when it comes time to trade it in for a new purchase.
Cleaning Your Car Is Essential
The most important part of staging a car is getting rid of all of the junk that has built up in it over the years. Take out all your trash from the front and back seats and throw it away. Store anything you want to keep in your home or garage. Then, clean out the trunk in the same way. Once you're finished, remove all of the carpets and vacuum them.
Now, use a car vacuum to eliminate other stains that have built up inside of your vehicle. At this point, you can wipe down the interior with various cleaning items to remove stains. Eliminate dust from your dash and take care to wipe down problematic areas that are easy to miss. With these car cleaning and staging hacks, your car look years younger. Now take it through a car wash and get ready to fix your dents to make it look even more appealing to a car dealership.
Managing The Car Exterior
Another essential step in staging your car is to remove any dings or dents that may appear on the surface. This step is typically quite easy if you approach it properly. Take a small rubber mallet and strike the interior areas softly to pop the dents back into place. Place a piece of cloth underneath the hammer to make sure it doesn't scuff or dent.
You can also use a small metal hammer for more delicate areas. Like with the rubber mallet, use a cloth to protect the metal from dings. There are other possible DIY car exterior repair hacks to consider, such as using a plunger or boiling water, for removing dents. Turn to them if the typical hammer and cloth method doesn't work for you.
At this point, your car will be beautiful on the inside and out and will impress the owners of the car dealership. As a result, you will be more likely to get a better deal. Just make sure to avoid staining or damaging your car in the process. You'll see your possible cash just flush down the toilet.