There are many ways to know when it's time to sell your car: expensive repair bills, maintenance costs, safety issues, outdated features and many more.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
There are many ways to know when to sell your car: expensive repair bills, maintenance costs, safety issues, outdated features, etc.
But, parting with a car can be trying. Motorists become noticeably attached to their vehicles over time. Have you named your car yet? Lots of people do this. It's understandable; after all, you probably spend a lot of time in your beloved car daily, right? A vehicle quickly becomes an extension of your personality.
The bonds you have forged with your vehicle can make it challenging to consider parting with it.
If your car is starting to show signs of age but can still carry you, you might be tempted to keep driving it for another year to avoid the cost of a new vehicle. But what you are doing is playing with fire. Every extra mile that appears on your odometer brings you ever closer to potentially costly maintenance and repairs. Eventually, you reach the point where you realize that continuing to put so much money into your car to maintain it doesn't make sense, even if you love it dearly.
There are few answers to the question of when it's time to sell your car. Vehicles last much longer these days than they used to. Most motorists now expect to exceed 100,000 km without encountering significant problems.
However, when you start to have this feeling of neglect, that you are already constantly paying to fix one problem after another, the time has come to determine the criteria that will help you sell your car.
WHAT IS YOUR CAR VALUE?
Parting with your beloved car begins with a process that involves figuring out what it is worth. Luckily, you have some great online tools to help you out. Our South Dale Motorssite allows you to enter, in a few clicks, the main criteria of your car. You can also inform us if repairs are to be expected.
South Dale Motors will then offer you a price range for the value of your car. The first of these sums represent what you can expect to receive when exchanging at a dealership; it is essential to take into consideration that this is always the lower of the figures unless it is a trade-in to buy a new car, in which case the dealer could offer you an attractive trade-in by then catching up on the new vehicle, which you could have purchased much cheaper by separating the two operations.
Many people think they'll fetch a price close to what they spent on the purchase, but that's rarely the case due to how quickly vehicles depreciate.
Another of the sums will be an estimate of what you might receive if you sell it privately. While this rating, Argus or otherwise, is usually the higher of the numbers, it doesn't tell you about the stress and risk you'll encounter in a peer-to-peer sale.
South Dale Motors also gives you a third sum, representing the minimum price you will receive with the promise of a sale.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST TO KEEP YOUR CAR LONGER?
If your car has a lot of miles, you need to take stock of possible expensive repairs that could happen quickly. You probably already have to consider replacing several fluids, tires, brakes, the timing belt and water pump, or parts of your suspension. You can consult your manufacturer's instructions to see which of these operations and repairs are to be expected. If you don't have your user manual, most of them are available with a few clicks on Google.
Then you can take your car to a trusted mechanic and ask for an estimate of what these various repairs and service products will cost you. What you want to avoid at all costs is to ignore his advice and find yourself one day stopped and needing a tow. So ask your mechanic to answer a few questions in detail, including:
What significant repairs do you need to keep your vehicle on the road, and what will they cost?
What repairs are needed but can be put on hold for a few more months?
What is the cost of significant maintenance over the next 12 months based on the number of Km you usually drive?
Also, have your mechanic look for signs that could point to more significant issues, such as blue smoke from the exhaust pipe, which often indicates you're burning oil and should probably consider replacing the engine. . Is there any slippage when the car shifts? This may be an indication of a transmission problem.
NOW TAKE OUT YOUR CALCULATOR.
With all this information, you can now add up the necessary repairs and maintenance costs over the next 12 months and compare that to the trade-in estimate you'll get for your car from a dealership. If the total cost of repairs and maintenance exceeds your car's trade-in price, then it makes sense to consider selling it for a newer model.
ALSO, LOOK AT YOUR PAST REPAIR INVOICES
If the above calculation still tempts you to hang on to your car for another year, you should consider the worst-case scenario. Even your trusted mechanic can't predict the future. So be aware that your car's make and model are to be considered to predict specific problems corresponding to your current or future mileage range. The internet is full of vehicle reliability information, often providing lists of issues that persist as your mileage increases. Add your recent repair bills to those from the previous year. Again, if the final figure exceeds the cash value, it's time to sell your car.
TRUST YOUR INSTINCT
You drive your car every day; you must have developed a sensitivity for how it works mechanically. If your calculations above don't give you enough convincing answers, consider what your intuition tells you. If it tells you it's time to sell your car, then sell it.
