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Love at First Sight
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| Five ways to improve your car's resale value |
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| Updated |
Jul 7, 2004 20:28:55 |
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 53 ( -10 -18.86% ) | | Author | Staff |
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Description:
With proper maintenance and exterior care, you can actually improve the resale value of your car. These five steps will help keep your car's first impression favorable:
Step 1: Keep the engine in tip-top shape
Follow the car's service schedule. Especially important: be sure to get an oil change every 3 months, and a thorough check up done at 15, 30, 45 and 60,000 miles. If you consistently follow the periodic maintenance schedule outlined in your owner's manual, your car will run better and longer.
Step 2: Preserve that new car smell
Keep your car's interior nice, comfortable and spotless. Consider a cover for the front and back windows in order to keep the sun from creating cracks and discoloration. Seat covers will help keep seats in good condition, and be sure to promptly repair any interior rips or stains. Most of all, try to keep the inside of your car clean and protected at all times.
Step 3: Maintain your car's beauty
This is the most important tip of all. A car that looks good also looks stylish, comfortable and dependable. After all, who would keep a junker looking good? If you get into an accident, don't go cheap -- get the car fixed right, all the way down to matching the paint job. Owners of cars with red paint jobs -- or any color that fades -- should seriously consider repainting before putting it on the market. Make sure tires are new and black -- nothing makes a car look bad like an old pair of shoes. Step 4: Drive peacefully
Sure, you can avoid accidents by driving peacefully. And that certainly will keep your car in prime running condition. A courteous driver also avoids many miscellaneous car repair problems often associated with driving too fast or braking too hard. Remember, your car is not designed to operate under racing conditions.
Step 5: Get to know your car
It seems simple enough. But really getting to know your car is more than just getting behind the steering wheel and driving away. It's keeping records of all repair and service, reading up on how much it's worth based on publications like Kelly Blue Book, and understanding your car's strong points. Records are especially critical -- if you replaced the engine but didn't keep the receipt, few people will take you at your word. When it comes to cars, we all need proof that a repair was completed. Most important of all, however, is understanding how to accurately price your vehicle. The optimistic owner who puts a $2,000 car for sale at a $4,000 price tag will have a hard time completing the deal -- and no one wants to be the person who puts a gem on sale for $500 OBO. Overall, people who are responsible with their cars from the first day will usually get the best price on a resale. Those of us who cut corners on repair and car cleanliness will eventually end up slashing the final resale price down the road. |
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