Guides / Loans, leases, trade-ins
Getting a fair trade-in value
Know your car's value before the dealer tells you.
Your trade-in is a separate deal. Knowing what it's worth, and getting a written offer elsewhere, gives you a baseline.
Steps
- Look up values from several pricing guides, for trade-in and private sale.
- Get written offers from other dealers or online buyers.
- Clean the car and gather service records.
- Negotiate the new car's price first, then the trade-in.
- If you owe money on it, get the exact payoff amount from your lender.
General information for car buyers, not financial advice. Costs vary by location, driving and market. Easy Auto Compare isn't a dealer, lender or insurer and takes no referral fees.