Are you eyeing a new vehicle in a dealership’s inventory? Have you thought about trading in your current vehicle for a new one? Never done it before, or has it just been a while since you have done it? Here is the vehicle-trading in process and some tips to make the process go as smooth as possible for you!

1. Find out what your car’s trade-in value is– To find out what a reasonable price for your trade-in might be, consult an appraisal tool. Edmunds has one of these, and when you use it look for the trade-in True Market Value (TMV). Write down the TMV and bring it with you to the dealership you visit. Alternatively, if you have a smartphone you can also pull up the results of your TMV on it.

2. It does not hurt to clean up your car’s interior and exterior. Doing these things may make the vehicle more attractive to the dealer, and further bring out all your car’s features that may be hidden by dirt or clutter.

3. Now it’s time to get a quote from the dealership. Give your local dealership a call, and set up an appointment to have them appraise the potential trade-in. Dealerships are concerned about how quickly somebody will purchase this vehicle you are trading in, and as a result you will want to be bringing them a good driving machine. The dealership will take into consideration your car’s engine type, the car’s model age and their current inventory when analyzing the potential trade-in. Sometimes dealers have special events, and that could be a good time to try trading in your vehicle for a new one.

4. Here’s the good part: finally closing the deal and having the whole process finally off your plate. You may have to deal with rolling a loan balance from your current car onto the one you are looking to buy, and a dealership is the best place to do this. Trading in your car will cut down on the cost for your new car, even without a loan. Say you bought your current car for $30,000, and the dealership gives you $12,000 for your trade-in, you will only need a loan for $18,000.

If you choose to trade in through a dealership, you will not have to worry about whether or not a prospective buyer will actually pay for the vehicle. You will not have to meet up with potential buyers from websites or contacts, thus saving you time in that department. You also will not have to put up a for-sale ad anywhere for your vehicle. Overall, going through a dealership and doing a trade-in is faster and more convenient than selling your car and then looking for another car separately and all on your own.

The folks at a local car dealership, Button Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Kokomo, IN, recommend trading into a dealership, as the process can be less chaotic that way then selling it yourself and then getting a new car separately.