1. Mechanical Condition

You can most simply gauge the mechanical condition by taking it on a test drive. Checking some factors are easier than others when conducting a test drive eg does the vehicle pull to one side, are there any knocking noises when driving over bumps, how’s the braking? By spotting the potential replacement and labour costs involved with detecting such problems early you can factor that into the price.

2. Exterior Condition

The value and saleability will depend a lot on the condition of the exterior, first impressions are crucial. When approaching a car, the first observation will be that of the exterior. This could include scuffed wheels (with an average price of £60 per wheel for restoration, with a suggestion of both wheel on the same side to be painted), other factors include scratches, dents, rust, bumps and scraped paintwork. Sometimes what looks like a mere scratch can turn out to require the whole door being replaced rather than the touching up you thought it owuld, with the average price of a door/panel starting from £100. The same goes for trims and badges which can also start from £100. Visit sell my car site for a more in depth overview.

3. Interior Condition

We see a lot of vehicles with a vast mixture of interior condition, some notable conditions are; a scratched dashboard (which will be reflected in the sale price as it can’t be repaired), hard to replair floor and/or seat fabrics (reupholstering price typically starts at £75 a section). If the car seats need a shampooing from dog smells, a professional interior valet job could cost upwards of £50 easily.

4. Mileage

There is an obvious correlation between the higher the mileage the lower the retail value of the vehicle.

5. Previous Owners

The desirability of the vehicle will descrease as the number of previous owners goes up which will affect the resale price of the vehicle. Being more realistic with a lower vehicle price is the simplest way to deal with this issue.

6. Service History

If the amount of previous owners is high, service history may be a deciding factor; vehicle desirability is lessened with little to no service history. However, one should consider that if a vehicle has been serviced 5 times, it may just be the result of 5 previous owners each servicing it when bought, making this a potentially misleading figure.

7. MOT

{A vehicle with a short MOT will highly affect the ability of a vehicle to be sold and the value|The value and saleability of a vehicle will be highly affected by a short MOT|the ability of a vehicle to be sold at its full value will be high affected if it only has a short MOT). Taking into consideration the actual price of an MOT test first. There is always a fear the repair bill could quickly spiral from the basic £50 to £300+ for anything from eg failed brake discs or pads on any of the 4 tyres. We would recommend getting a new MOT, to help sell your car, and so that the buyer knows they are getting great value for money.

8. Specification

There are different models to consider when buying a vehicle; generally a vehicle with greater specs will prove a better investment as it will likely hold its value for longer.

9. Saleability

The ability of a vehicle to be sold is called its saleability. Factors can include engine size, fuel consumption, fuel type, engine transmission type (automatic or manual), insurance group, tax bracket, whether a vehicle can enter Ultra Low Emission Zone. Although these factors may tick all boxes for one it may not for others, meaning a compromise on the right price might be tricky if one or more of these factors was an issue.

10. Vehicle Colour

Another major way a vehicle’s resale price can be affected is it’s colour, Certain coloured cars have much less of an appeal to the general public.

Conclusion

in order to understand your car’s worth, you need to undertake a full vehicle appraisal. It seems daunting but appraising true value of a car required all these factors to be taken into consideration for a dealers every day. Click on over to this buy my car link if you are looking for an estimation. Get 3 separate valuations relating to different vehicle conditions for greater clarity how a vehicle condition could affect the price.

Infographic Provided by Chrysler Factory Warranty

Bonnie Clemens