Selling your vehicle can be a trying process. Many things must be considered and taken into account to give the best chance of fetching a price at or above the car’s value. Other than certifying that the vehicle’s mechanics and the paperwork associated with it are in order, one of the most crucial matters to be taken on is the cleaning and detailing the entirety of the vehicle before presenting it for inspection by interested buyers. Naturally, your car’s visual appearance and general cleanliness may heavily influence the ease of selling the same.
The most present benefit of carrying out a pre-sale detail of your vehicle before selling it is improving its aesthetics. If done well, a pre-sale detail will have your car looking as though it has come from a showroom. A good-looking car draws the eye. This translates to the presentation of a buyer much faster than if the option had been skipped. Being able to sell your car faster also has the benefit of avoiding the headache that can stem from the need to store it before it sells, thus putting its value in jeopardy.
Pre-sale detailing preserves, or increases the value of your car. Presenting a vehicle that has been well tended to and is looking its best provides more incentive for interested buyers to purchase the car at the stated price. They are usually less likely to negotiate, and if they do, it will not be as stridently as they would if the car was not well presented.
A good pre-sale detail not only gives a good impression during the inspection of the vehicle, but it will also carry forward to the negotiation phase of the selling process. One of the make or break moments in the car sale process is the test drive. If a buyer requests a test drive before making a decision, a car that has been detailed will provide more assurance to the interested party that the car’s purchase is a good idea.
Pre-sale detailing is also a good chance to restore your vehicle’s aspects that show evidence of wear and tear. This includes scratches on the paintwork, dull and lacklustre vinyl boards on the dashboard and other places, and dirty seats that look aged and less appealing. Full detailing means that seats and carpeting get a good shampooing treatment. The dashboard and centre console are cleaned and conditioned, and the scratches on the exterior paint are taken care of before the car is washed polished. Therefore, the vehicle is restored to a general clean and ready look with a high shine that attracts buyers and can even create a bidding war!
While it may cost money to have a pre-sale detail done on your car, it should be considered an investment. In this case, the adage ‘spending money to make money’ really does apply. Once you have had your car detailed, selling it will be much easier, and you will be able to command a fair price as a reward for the effort and resources you put into the pre-sale preparations.
Careful research and fact-finding will show that the value of a pre-sale detail cannot be denied. If you are preparing to put your car on the market, you cannot afford to ignore this valuable tool.