How much is my car worth as-is?
Should I invest more money into fixing it up before I sell it?
There is a saying that says there are three types of services. Service that is good, service that is fast, or service that is cheap. The saying continues that you can choose any combination of two of those service types, you CANNOT have all three.
Likewise in figuring out how much your car is worth there is a give and take. You need to decide:
- How fast do you want or need to sell your car?
- If getting top dollar is your highest priority, are you ready and willing to invest the money and fix all of the minor and major issues with your car?
- How much time and brain damage are you willing to deal with in order to sell your car?
It isn’t a perfect analogy but it helps to convey the basic principle of supply and demand. The lower the price, the more buyers you will find willing and able to purchase your car. The higher the price, the fewer buyers you will find that are willing and able to pay what you are asking.
If selling your car for top dollar is at the top of your priority list, you are likely going to have to invest money into fixing any dings and dents your car may have. You will also have to make sure all of the struts, brakes, tires, window switches, timing belts, etc. are all in great mechanical condition. It is a good idea to have a high quality mechanic do a full used car inspection and take care of any needed maintenance and repairs beforehand.
If you are trying to get top dollar for your car, not only will you likely have to invest more money into fixing it up, but the process of selling your car is also not likely going to be very fast. Sometimes, when you are trying to get top dollar for your car, you find the right person right away, but most of the time the process can take weeks or months to find someone who is willing to pay what the online pricing guides suggest the car is worth. You will likely have to post the car online, and message back and forth with a few dozen people(most of which will end up ghosting you mid conversation). You will also need to be prepared to deal with low ball offers, scammers, no show test drives, and hopefully ultimately you will find the right person willing to pay you what the online pricing guides told you it was worth.
On the other hand, If you want to sell your car fast and don’t want to deal with a lot of brain damage, the value the online pricing guides give for how much your car is worth honestly isn’t going to be very helpful. Each case is going to be unique– Let’s say you have a car that isn’t running and needs a new engine. It may only be worth $1,000 as-is. If the cost of the engine is hypothetically $4,000, and after it is replaced you will be able to hypothetically sell it for $8,000– In that scenario it would make sense to fix your car. (Just keep in mind, if you decide to invest money to be able to sell it for more, it will also likely take a significant amount of time to fix the car and once it is fixed, it will take another chunk of time to sell your car at a higher price point.)
If you find yourself either:
- Not having the money to invest into fixing your car up
- Not wanting to spend the time to fix your car up and have it take forever to sell
- In a situation where your car needs more work that what the car is worth
We can help!
We help hundreds of families each month sell their car as-is. We help them figure out how much it is worth, we get them paid a fair price and paid the same day. If you are ready to push the easy button give us a call. Our highly trained car buying experts would love to help you figure out how much your car is worth as-is. We will make getting cash for your car super fast, and selling your car ultra easy.
35+ Years strong and buying cars is still our passion!
We take care of my customers. Let us help you make your next sale an enjoyable experience for a change! To get started, and for a quote over the phone, just give us a call at: