Looking to get my 2005 Mazda B3000 pickup appraised for trade-in. I strongly believe in detailing any vehicle prior to a private sale but is it worth the investment if I’m taking it to a dealership? If so, exactly how crazy should I get with the detailing and is it even worth considering getting the engine compartment detailed too?
Thanks for the advice.
I doubt if it would be worth it. The dealer will look past any dirt there. Likely he will not really detail the car before he sells it. Maybe a little cleaning and polish.
Don’t bother. It won’t make a significant difference in trade-in value. Besides, the dealer will detail it before putting on the lot.
It won’t make you so much as a penny. The dealership can wash the car for free. They don’t care if you do it before you bring it in. In fact, unless you bring it in with a missing engine or something, they generally don’t give a damn what condition it’s in. They’ll offer you ultra-lowball on it whether it’s perfect or pathetic.