How to maintain the value of your used car and get best selling price?

With the prices of new cars increasing, and the shrinking buying power of the consumers, used cars are the talk of the town nowadays. People are preferring good condition and reliable used cars over new ones, and such cars are also selling at higher than their usual price. But if you are using a car and want to maintain its value and get the best selling price, then there are some tips and advice that you need to follow.

It may sound obvious but keeping your clean and trying to protect it from the bumps and potholes on the streets can increase the life of your car, which in turn will get you the best price for your vehicle. Wash your car using a specified car washing foam whenever it gets dirty and wax it at least every season. Wax protects your car paint from sunlight and gives it a nice glossy shine. Sedans such as Honda Civic usually take less time to wax compared to bigger sedans and SUVs. Car interior gets dirty with the passage of time, there are several car interior cleaners that are made to clean the interior, use them according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Also, remove the bird poop immediately, it is acidic in nature and can cause the car paint to peel off.

Car tyres play a crucial role in daily driving. Bad quality tyres will make the suspension work harder and it’ll wear out the bushes and ball joints. Invest in a good tyre pressure gauge and check your tyre pressure once in a while, optimum tyre pressure is essential to car’s health as well as for tyre’s life.

No matter what car you are using, never neglect the importance of changing engine oil, air filter, and oil filter at regular intervals. People tend to ignore these things if they have a car known for reliability, but even the toughest cars need to be maintained properly if you want the best value out of them and great resale value. Drive your car sensibly, a car driven carefully will keep on working much longer than a car recklessly used. Apart from the above-mentioned things, change at recommended intervals: the coolant, brake fluid, gear oil and rear differential fluid if you have a rear-wheel-drive car.

Cars with working air conditioning systems always get a better resale value than the ones with non-functional air conditioners. To maintain the A/C of car, change the cabin air filter every year, it is usually located inside the glove box of your car. Also, get your car’s refrigerant check before every summer and keep the condenser clean. Condensers have located at the back of the front grill and in front of the radiator. Use a hose or a pressure washer to clean off the bugs or any contaminants from it.

All the above-mentioned trips have one main goal, that is to maintain the value and worth of your car, which also translates into better resale value as well. Some of the measures may sound trivial and unnecessary, but trust me, they are worth doing and will help you in the long run and will make your car look well maintained. A well-maintained car always speaks for itself and fetches a much better resale value compared to the ones that are poorly kept and driven like a maniac.

Lana Martinez is a freelance technical writer living in the Santa Clara. She's a gadget and tech geek who loves to write how-to articles about a wide range of topics. When she's not writing about technology, Lana loves watching and reading mysteries, cross stitching, and attending musical theatre. She's also an avid Doctor Who fan.