Don’t Do These 4 Things if you Want Retain Your Car Value
Cars are machines and over time every piece of machinery declines the more you use it, and with vehicles used on a daily basis wear and tear can be common. When you first buy a car and drive it away from the dealership it loses at least 10% of its value and can rise up to 25% in the first 5 years of ownership, so it is up to you as the owner of the vehicle to minimise this depreciation. Here are some tips on how you can retain your cars value.
Documentation
One thing you will need to keep in mind is having proper documentation of your vehicle, whether this is service history or history of ownership. This includes all maintenance and even receipts, generally the more accurate this is then the less likely it is the car will lose its value. If these kinds of documents are not properly kept track of, then it may put off a potential buyer from purchasing your car from you.
Not having regular maintenance
Taking your car to get regular maintenance will keep it in top performing shape and help retain its value over time. You want to ensure that your car’s mechanisms are all running smoothly and don’t leave any issue unattended for too long otherwise they may end up costing more. This includes any small fixes as you don’t want them to turn into a bigger issue which would then go on the servicing record of your vehicle, in turn deflate the value of the car.
Driving Everywhere
This may sound confusing because the purpose of a car is to drive it, but instead of driving it for any small task only drive it for necessary journeys. Driving your vehicle less means it will have better mileage, keeping the value of the car higher for when you come to sell it. Furthermore, this also reduces the chances of wear and tear on your vehicle meaning fewer servicing costs, as well as retaining value.
Dirty Car
One easy way to retain your cars value is by having both the inside and outside regularly cleaned. If this is not done regularly then built-up dirt will contribute to wear and tear of your vehicle. Ensure your car gets a regular vacuum to keep the surfaces clean and dust free. A spotless, clean interior is attractive and will give you better chances of a resale.
The appearance of the exterior also matters as this will be the first thing people will notice when looking to purchase your car off you, so ensure the car is regularly cleaned and all scratches and dents are attended to. Here at Hatfields we can take care of this for you, so why noy contact us today to pre-book your service.
