Free preview · from the dealership side of the desk
Your trade is often the second biggest number in your deal, and the one most people leave to chance. They roll in with gym bags and fast-food wrappers, no service records and one key, and accept whatever the appraiser says. That missing second key alone is commonly a $200 to $500 deduction. Then they wonder why the “great price” on the new car didn’t feel like a great deal.
From the dealership side, an appraiser decides your car’s value in about 15 minutes, looking for reasons to deduct: reconditioning, missing items and risk. You can’t change the market value, but you can remove the easy deductions and show up with competing numbers. Free tip: get two instant online offers a week out; they’re real, written numbers. Below: the day-by-day checklist, cheap fixes worth doing, what to skip, common deductions to head off, appraisal day, a worked example, and what to say.
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In the full guide
- 7 days before: get your numbers
- 5 days before: paperwork and records
- 3 days before: cheap fixes worth doing
- What to skip
- 1 day before: clean it
- Common deductions to head off
- Appraisal day
- Worked example
- What to say
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