In this article we will have a look at 3 Steps To Fixing Up Your Car Before Sale – Without Scaring Off Buyers.
It’s interesting that when we come to sell a house, repairs to the property and fixing up the minor details can often seem like a great idea. It means the difficulties you may have encountere with the house aren’t going to affect your resale value, because, well, they’ve been attended to.
However, repairs and fixes before a car sale can sometimes be seen as a red flag. If a buyer can tell you’ve replaced one of the constituent elements or completely changed the bodywork, they might wonder what’s wrong with the vehicle that prompted such action. After all, extensive repairs might signify that the car was involved in an accident. The outer car might look fine as a result, but what about the engine? What about the clutch, or the brakes? Are they still functioning as intended?
So, while there does seem a mismatch between the two preparations and how they’re perceived, it’s hard to argue they’re not based in reality. In this post, then, we’ll discuss some methods you can take for fixing up a car before a sale, but not to the point where it’ll scare off prospective buyers:
Make The Interior Sparkle
This is the fastest, easiest way to make a great impression on anyone looking at your car, so remove all your personal belongings and any trash, then give the entire cabin a deep clean. It’s quite simple to make a car interior look good, just vacuum the carpets thoroughly, wipe down all the dashboard surfaces, and make sure the windows are completely streak-free.
A clean interior suggests that the previous owner cared about the vehicle and likely kept up with maintenance too. However, be careful of the little details too. For example, if your seats are stained, you might find it beneficial to use an upholstery cleaner to freshen them up.
Tackle Minor Scratches & Dings
Buyers often get nervous when they see large dents or evidence of major bodywork repair, but tiny scratches and small surface dings are different. It’s useful to touch these up because they make the car look tidy and most can buff out. You can often find simple scratch repair kits at an auto shop that you can apply yourself in minutes.
If you have a deeper scratch, getting professional car paint matching done on just a small area makes the bodywork look immaculate but won’t alert the buyer to a full respray, so it’s a nice compromise.
Address Basic Service Needs
You don’t need to replace the entire engine, but covering the very basic maintenance needs before a sale is important. For example, be sure to check all the fluid levels, including oil, wiper fluid, and coolant, and top them off if they’re running low. You should also make sure all the lights are working correctly including headlights, brake lights, and indicators, and clean those if you can.
Check the tire pressure and inflate them to the recommended level, as tires suffering from low pressure can look neglected. Then be certain to gather all your service records together in one file, too, as it’s fine to show these little measures of upkeep.
With this advice, we hope you can more easily fix up your car before a sale, but not scare off a buyer by doing so.
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Haider Khalid
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