Selling Your Car to a Dealership

Are you asking yourself, “Should I sell my car to a dealership?” Many people sell their cars at a Ocean Honda of Burlingame to reduce the cost for a new vehicle they want to purchase. You will often hear this referred to as a “trade-in”. The dealership will decrease the new vehicle price according to the agreed selling price of the car you’d like to sell. If you’re not ready to buy a new car at the moment, you can also sell the car to the dealership and save the money to purchase a new one at a different time. Regardless of your timeline, we’ll equip you with the knowledge and expectations to prepare you to sell your vehicle.

Selling My Car to a Dealership: Preparation

When selling your car, it’s important that you make your car look as clean and updated as possible to get the highest possible value. Selling your car to a dealership in South San Francisco is an simple process:

• Clean Your Car: Wash the interior of your vehicle with detail. Updating some of the vehicle parts such as the windshield wipers, floor mats or headlight bulbs is a simple way to increase its value. Small modifications made to the exterior of your car will give it a shiny new look, which will also help the car look only lightly used.
• Write Down the Benefits: Generate an easy-to-read, detailed report about your car. It should include your vehicle’s maintenance history, the intriguing features and any trimmings you added to your car that increases the car’s attractiveness to dealerships like Ocean Honda of Burlingame.
• Title Access: Make sure you have fast and easy access to your car’s title during the selling process. This will help you get an offer faster.
• Know Your Car’s Value: You can go to websites like Cars.com, Kelly Blue Book or a dealership in South San Francisco to determine a reasonable value for your car. Having this information will help you during the negotiation process.
• Pick a Dealership: Dealerships in Palo Alto usually accept newer or gently used cars regardless of what they have in stock. Older models tend to be more difficult to get a large amount of money for, but going to a used car dealership may get you the money you’re looking for.

Selling My Car to a Dealership: Expectations

After you’ve completed your research and know where you want to sell your car, it’s time to start the process! Below is a list of things you should expect going forward:

• Set an Appointment: If you have questions about the selling process, talk to the finance department at Ocean Honda of Burlingame. They will make sure your questions are answered and will take you step-by-step through the process to make sure your experience is seamless.
• Prepare to Talk to the Used Car Manager: Many dealerships in Burlingame will put you in contact with their Used Car Manager to manage the sale of your vehicle. They’ll collect your information, then run a vehicle history report on your car.
• Inspection: The Used Car Manager will more than likely send your vehicle to the service center for full inspection. They will want to confirm good mechanical conditions for your car.
• The Offer: If you receive an offer, you don’t have to accept it right away. Feel free to collect several offers and pick which one is best for you. If you already have a number in mind, it makes it easier to accept or decline more efficiently.

Selling My Car to a Dealership: Benefits

There are a multitude of benefits to selling your car:

• Avoid Hassles & Save Time: Selling your car privately can be time consuming. We suggest going through a dealership to avoid having to vet potential buyers, invite strangers to your home for test drives or dealing with online hassles.
• Decrease Your New Car Price: Trading in your older vehicle will give you the option to apply the trade-in value to your new car, therefore reducing the total cost of the new car and the monthly payments.
• Save on Taxes: When you trade-in your current vehicle and purchase another vehicle from Ocean Honda of Burlingame, you only have to pay the sales tax on the difference between the trade-in value and the cost of your new car.

Sell Your Car to Ocean Honda of Burlingame Today!

If you need a way to take your dream car home or just need some extra money, trading in or selling your vehicle is a great way to do so. If you’ve done your research and prepared to sell, contact our finance department to get the process started!