It’s difficult to sell a car without any maintenance records, so do you want your potential buyers driving away with the feeling that they just purchased an expensive lemon?

Before you embark on the journey of spending your hard-earned money on repairing the car you are about to sell, you should have answers to the following questions:

Should I repair my car before selling it for cash or trade-in value?

The answer might depend on how much time and money would be required to fix up all of its problems.

If too many repairs are needed, there is no point in going through the trouble as most people will shy away from buying something broken, let alone fixing what needs attention themselves!

Selling a car needs a lot of quality preparation.

Obviously, you want to make sure you have an alternate car unless you don’t plan to use another car yet. You need to decide whether to sell it yourself or ask a car dealer to sell it for you. 

And you need to classify your car to make sure you get a favourable price for selling it. Still, before you do any of this, you must make sure your car is in the good and right condition to sell. If your car has body damage like dent or rust, it will make more sense to invest a little cash in repairs to help sell it.

PS: If you have damage insurance cover for your car, you should go and fix it now!!

Take care of the things that can be easily fixed!

When people come to take a look at your car, the first things they are most likely to check are your tires, the brake lights and headlights, the windows, the windshield, and the paint.

This is one of the reasons I make sure to let you know all the necessary maintenance tasks you must do to keep your car healthy.

These parts give good evidence of whether a car has been well maintained.

If you didn’t take care of your tires, why would you care for your brakes, oil, or engine? Replacing things like wiper blades or headlights is easy and affordable.

This is an easy turn-off for whoever wants to buy your car. It’s pretty awful.

Keep your car sparkling clean!

Another simple thing you must do before selling your car is to clean it thoroughly (in & out).

Wash the exterior (body of your car), clean the rims, and, even wax it.

As for inside the car, start by removing all of your possessions!

Your prospective buyer wants to picture herself in the car, she also wants to imagine herself already driving the car around as her own but your socks or belt is hanging around making that impossible.

The Next thing is, clean out all the ancient stains from the cupholder 🥤 vacuum out all the sands in the car, if necessary, shampoo the carpets, and make the dashboard shiny.

You don’t need me to tell you how to wash your car right? But you probably aren’t so confident when it comes to costly repair decisions.

Fix Visible Damages

Online market stores for used cars offer many selections and most buyers won’t waste their time asking about a car with obvious signs of damage.

Take, for instance, if your car has a broken bumper or cracked windshield, you may struggle to sell it…

You see, most of these repairs aren’t expensive and won’t even take long.

But, for the trouble the prospective buyer would have to go through to repair the damages on their own after buying, they will expect a discount far greater than the cost of the repair.

And, as I have mentioned above, if the outer look (appearance) of your car is awful, prospective buyers will wonder what the inside will look like and they will assume it’s worse than the outside.

I’m sure you don’t want that to happen.

Then, if your car has serious body or glass damage, you should take it to a body repair shop or take it to a trusted mechanic to help you get a good car body repair technician.

This is what I do for my customers and it’s why they see me as a professional. Prince Automobile Clinic Our repair standards are second to none thanks to our excellent repair capability and highly skilled technicians. If you invest a little money in repairs, it will be much easier to sell your car.

Still, you must make sure you calculate your car’s value (as if it was not damaged) and the cost to repair beforehand.

Putting N50,000 into a car worth N300,000 doesn’t make much sense. But, performing an N100,000 repair for a car that is worth N3,000,000 makes more sense.

If you do your homework well, you can easily regain that N100,000. Especially if your car will generate more interest once it’s in good shape.

And at the same time, used car buyers won’t expect your 2010 Camry to be in perfect condition. Scratches and dings are the unavoidable cost of driving, especially when driving on Nigerian roads, potholes and mad drivers everywhere.

So, if your car is a bit older, future buyers won’t care much about a few scars on the car. In fact, you’ll have saved them the trouble of making the first mark. Lol!

Trading In or Selling

So, your decision to repair damages or not should depend on how you plan to sell your car…

If you’re selling it to someone that wants it for private use, it makes sense to pay for repairs that the next owner will likely expect. However, if you’re trading in your car at a dealership, I.e. you are selling your car to an auto dealer, there’s less reason to have it repaired before selling.

Most auto dealers have their own auto repair shop, or they partner with one and have access to repairs that are less costly. They can fix your cracked or broken bumper for less than you can, so keep that in mind while negotiating your car value!

In a nutshell

Deciding whether or not to repair the exterior and interior damages before selling your car can sometimes be a very difficult decision.

But, if you get an estimate for the damage, and an estimate for the value of your car, you can make a mindful decision. And, if you choose to repair with Prince Automobile Clinic, you’ll get first-class workmanship and exclusive repair service. Good luck selling!

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