How to Sell a Car at a Dealership

When you're thinking about upgrading your vehicle, you might want to increase your buying power. One of the easiest ways to do that is to sell your ride to a reputable car dealer. At Lincoln of Lafayette, our used car team is always interested in expanding our pre-owned selection, so we would pay top dollar for your quality vehicle! But before getting in touch with our team, let's take a step back and figure out how to sell a car at a dealership first. So how does selling your car to a dealership near West Lafayette work? Read on to find out. 

How Does Selling Your Car to a Dealership Work? 

While the process is pretty straightforward, there are a few things that we recommend you to do to ensure the best possible outcome. Consider doing these steps: 

• Clean Up Your Car: A big part of how to sell a car at a dealership is doing the prep work. This includes having your car washed, detailed, and replacing small parts like windshield wipers or floor mats. These are simple yet effective ways to increase the value of your vehicle before you bring it to the dealership. 

• Write Down the Benefits Of Your Car: Another tip is to have a detailed history of the maintenance record of your vehicle, a list of its additional features, and a list of its accessories like extra key fobs or bike mounts. This information will help increase the value of your vehicle and make it more appealing to dealerships. 

• Have Your Car's Title on Hand: Having your vehicle's title ready when you sell it will save time on the dealer's end and get you your offer faster, so you can enjoy a new or new-to-you ride sooner in Frankfort. 

• Research Your Car's Value: Use tools from Cars.com, Kelley Blue Book, or your local dealership to find the trade-in value of your car. You can use this number to negotiate your price or get an approximate value for what the dealer is willing to buy your car for.

• Pick Your Dealership Wisely: If you have a newer, gently used vehicle then most dealerships will buy it regardless of their inventory or the car's initial condition. However, if you have an older model car, then you may find it's easier to sell it at a used car dealership instead. 

What to Expect 

When you've done all of the prep work, this is what will happen next: 

• Make an Appointment: You can walk into a dealership and sell your car, but it's best to make an appointment, so the dealer knows to expect you and can have the proper documents ready. 

• Used Car Manager: When you're here, you will be directed to a Used Car Manager or a salesperson to handle the sale. They'll collect your information, and then run a vehicle history report on your car. 

• Inspection: In some cases, the Used Car Manager will inspect your vehicle, or the dealership's service center will check your vehicle for its quality and mechanical condition. 

• Consider the Offer: Based on what the dealership offers you, you can accept the offer or go to another dealership to see if you can get a better offer. 

Sell Your Car to Lincoln of Lafayette

After knowing the answer to "How does selling your car to a dealership work?" it's time to put your new knowledge to good use. Come to our Lafayette dealership if you want a hassle-free and smooth process! Get the directions to our showroom whenever you're ready!