Get more money for reselling your car and you will have extra cash to spend or save at your discretion. So how do I get a better price for my car? I hear you ask. Here are our words to the wise:

1. Don’t be a tool

While it may be fun to rev up the engine and speed off in a cloud of screeching tires, it is not very kind to your car. You will go through tires much quicker than you should and your vehicle will not appreciate your macho engine games, and neither will the attractive pedestrians you were trying to impress.

2. Get broken things fixed

We get it; you have other priorities than spending piles of moolah on car repairs. But getting small problems fixed as soon as possible can save you money in the long term. For example, a little chip in the windscreen can turn into an expensive crack the size of the Grand Canyon if you leave it too long. Okay, so maybe we are exaggerating. A little. But you get the point. Just fix it.

3. Show a little tenderness

In addition to getting broken stuff sorted asap, there is also the issue of ongoing maintenance and treating your people mover with the respect the agreeable servant deserves. Doing this might mean that you need to go to a car maintenance workshop because: car noob. It’s okay. We’ve all been there. Just learn what you need to do to keep your car running smoothly and you won’t have nearly as many repair bills. Then when it comes to upgrading, you’ll have a good-looking vehicle that is oh so saleable.

4. Don’t try to sell a stinky dirty car

If you’re a smoker trying to sell your car, non-smokers will not buy if your car stinks. So, prepare the machine well. Take it to a car wash, get the insides steam cleaned and all old stains and faint odours from various Saturday night adventures will be gone. Magic!

5. Get your docs in order

No, we’re not talking about lining up medical practitioners, the topic here is proof. Find all the documents you have that relate to recent car maintenance and even the car manual (if you still have it), plus rego and any other proof you have looked after the car with utmost due diligence and you’ll be a much more trustworthy seller.

The moral of the story

If you are buying a car with the intention to resell, it pays dividends to look after it as best you can while you own it. Boosting your jalopy’s resale value may involve avoiding tool-like behaviour, investing time and money in treating it right and giving the thing a deep clean before buyers come to inspect it. By having supporting documentation to present to potential buyers, you will be a much more convincing seller, and you will find it so much easier to get a higher price for your vehicle.

Thank you to Rapid Finance for helping with this article. If you are in the market for a new car please consider Rapid Car Loans.