Selling your car is often a pretty good time in most people’s lives  – as it usually means that you will also get to buy a new one. If you are in the market for a new car and are not sure what to get, you can get plenty of information including owner reviews on the Car Advice website. However, before you buy a new car you will need to sell your old one, and before you sell it, it is best to make sure that you know just how much it is worth first.

Speak to a Dealer About Your Car

To get the best price for your car from a dealer, make sure that you take your vehicle to a garage that specializes in the make of your car. If you speak to the dealer, you will be able to get an idea of how much your vehicle is worth, although they may offer you a much better deal if you trade your car in. Often a dealer can afford to give you an above-market price for your vehicle if you trade it in for one of the vehicles on their lot, especially if you are buying a brand new model. If you lead the dealer to think that this is the case, then you will not get an accurate valuation of your car. Speak to the dealer and ask them what is the current market value of your car without a trade-in and then you will get a rough idea of its worth.

Use an Online Valuation Service

There are also many websites that offer free car valuations that you can use to get a sense of the current market price of your vehicle. Usually, the process is straightforward and does not take a lot of time at all. You will either enter the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and the year of manufacture. Alternatively, you will enter the make, model, year of manufacture, and engine size into the website. Once you have done this, you will then need to choose a day, time, and also location, and a representative will visit you and inspect your car, making an offer for your vehicle on the spot. Remember that there are also other factors to consider regarding your car’s value such as the mileage, and also the condition of the vehicle. Higher mileage and worse condition cars will often get considerably less than the book value of the car. The book value is for the cars that are in near perfect condition, so dents and scratches, as well as defections and faults, will reduce the car’s value.

Below are some things you can do to get your car as close to book value as possible before selling it so you can get the best possible value.

Shop Around for Prices

Make sure that you get multiple quotes from different companies and showrooms, as you will find that each one will give you a different valuation of your vehicle. You can contact all of your local garages and dealers using the internet, or take a drive around to a few and let them inspect your car. When you have all of your valuations you can then work out a fair price for your vehicle, making sure that it is neither too expensive nor too cheap.

Now all you need to do is sell it and start planning which car you are going to buy!