Yes, it is possible to sell your car “as is.” However, with all the good options out there, it may be hard to sell it, even at a discounted price. But don’t lose hope just yet. There is still something you can do. Pull off these eight vital maintenance tasks and be shocked by how fast and how much your vehicle will go for on the market.

1. Clean Your Car

Even though your car isn’t new, you can make it feel that way with a proper wash. This is a surefire method to entice customers to consider buying your car. If you have enough budget, professional detailing will give you the best results to give your car that shiny finish. However, if you don’t want to spend too much money, a car wash and tidying the insides is often enough. Wipe your windows and mirrors, vacuum the seats and mats, polish the dashboard, and take out all the trash in your car. While you’re at it, check the hood and clear it from debris and grime. Simply cleaning your car will go ways longer than you’d think.

2. Consider Minor Upgrades

Small upgrades can make a huge difference in how little they cost and how easy they are to make. If you have ragged car mats, it may be the perfect time to replace them with a newer one. The same goes for your steering wheel and seat covers. Anything you can think of that has practical use can boost your car’s value. But heads up, modifications that cost 50$ or more can’t be called minor upgrades any longer.

3. Replace Worn Out Tail Lights and Bulbs

Good working lights are a bare minimum for cars. It will be a major turnoff for buyers if they find out your vehicle’s bulbs aren’t working properly, resulting in its value plummeting hard. You wouldn’t want that, would you? To ensure this doesn’t happen, assess your car’s tail lights and headlights ahead of time before letting customers see it. Replace dead and weak bulbs with newer, better ones. You can also clean foggy lamps using white toothpaste and elbow grease to restore their brightness.

4. Remove Personalizations

Remember, your car isn’t yours ánymore once it’s sold off. So why would you still have your stuff in it? Buyers may not appreciate what you put in your car and may not purchase it because of that. They have their own preferences and ideas of what they might do with their new vehicle. So, if you put any stickers or accessories on your car, it’s best to remove them before advertising. In addition, remove all personal items in the auto unless you plan to sell them, too.

5. Check Your Tires

Buyers are careful with their money. That’s why they go over many things when investigating your car. One of those is the tires. They want them to be in good condition. As such, you’ll want to meet this standard if you wish to sell your car at a higher price. Also, make sure that the tire pressure is on point. You can look it up in the car owner’s manual to know the right PSI of your specific vehicle.

6. Make Sure Brakes are Working Properly

Faulty brakes are a significant risk to your safety on the road, and anyone doing a test drive with your car will notice it. So, it’s no question that it’s going to be a deciding factor in the overall worth of your car. Properly maintaining it, ensuring it requires little force and doesn’t make any weird noises will make your prospective buyers happy.

7. Change Your Car’s Engine Oil

Just like tires and brakes, customers also look at your engine oil to see if it has been recently changed or not. If it was, that provides a better chance of selling your car at a sweet price. For this reason, you should get an oil change before putting your auto up for sale on the market. Your customers will love to know that your car’s been recently topped off with brand new oil, as they don’t have to worry about keeping track of when the next oil change will be. All you have to do next is tell them the schedule or hand over the owner’s manual. It’s that simple.

8. Refill Essential Fluids

When having your oil changed in the service center, don’t forget that there are also other essential fluids that need maintenance, such as brake fluid, wiper blade fluid, and coolant. Make sure they’re all refilled and ready to go. Taking care of all these will assure potential customers that your car is as good as new. Isn’t that a great way to rack up your vehicle’s value?

Final Thoughts

Although some maintenance is okay to up the resale value of your car, it’s also not advisable to go overboard and spend too much on upkeep. Because instead of earning more money, you may find that everything you did wasn’t all worth it. Limit yourself to easy and affordable improvements when selling your vehicle.