Trading in your vehicle is a great option for those looking to buy or lease their next vehicle from the dealership. Working with the dealership is a one-stop-shop, making the process quick with minimal legwork or effort for the seller.   

How Does Trade In Work? 

Here’s an overview of the steps for trading in your vehicle: 

Check the value of your vehicle 

If you’re looking for a safe, no-hassle option where you don’t have to worry about advertising, meeting with interested parties and arranging and confirming a payment, this is the way to go. To start, you’ll want to get a ballpark estimate of what your vehicle is worth. Sites like Kelley Blue Book are a good place to start. Keep in mind the dealership will likely need to invest resources to make any needed repairs and certify the vehicle, and will need a margin to sell it as well, so it’s important to be realistic about the condition of your car and the trade-in value.  

Take time to make it nice 

When you bring your vehicle for a trade in, you’ll want it to look its best. Take time to wash the exterior and clean the interior. Remove anything that you want to keep such as any car organization, charging cords or décor that you’ve added.  

Make an appointment and bring all the necessities 

Let the dealership know you’d like them to look at your trade in and make an appointment so a team member can reserve time for you and schedule your car with the service department for inspection. Bring everything needed to complete the transaction such as the title (pink slip), registration and all keys or fobs.  

Get your offer 

The dealership will make you an offer for your vehicle. If you don’t owe money on your vehicle and you like the offer, you can simply accept the offer and apply those dollars toward your new lease or purchase. If you do owe money, you can use the offer to pay down your loan. You’ll need to confirm if the offer will pay off the remainder of your loan, or if you’ll still owe any money. You’ll have to make a decision on if you want to move forward and pay off any remainder or roll the remainder into your new car loan. This will likely depend on how much is left on the original loan. The dealership can help you with all of these options.      

Trade in 

Once you’ve agreed on a price and confirmed that trading in your vehicle is the right step for you, you simply fill out the paperwork with the dealership and they take care of everything on the back end.  

Trade Up 
Now that you know what to expect, you can trade in your vehicle at the dealership with confidence. The only thing left to do is select your next new or certified pre-owned vehicle and contact the dealership for your appointment! 

Trade in your vehicle 

Contact any of our dealerships to learn more about trading in your current vehicle for a new or certified pre-owned vehicle.