Top Ways to Maintain Your Ford's Resale Value

When it comes time to sell back your old Ford, a lot of car owners start to become concerned with the value. Unless your Ford gets into an accident, it won't lose value overnight, so the value of your Ford can be maintained or lost over the years that you own it. How you take care of your Ford has everything to do with the price that it will command when the time comes to sell it or trade it in for a brand-new Ford. Below are five ways to maintain the value of your car from the time you buy the vehicle to the time you sell it.

Keep it in the Garage

Many homeowners tend to use their garage as a second basement. And in households that don't have one, the garage becomes the basement and what ends up happening is the garage serves primarily as a collection point for everything except the car. While this might be good for household storage, it can hurt the value of your vehicle. When your Ford is parked in the garage, it is protected from elements such as cold, heat, bright sunshine, hail, and snowstorms. It's also protected from branches and other debris that fall from nearby trees. If you own a garage, use it to store your car and not for other purposes. You could save thousands of dollars in damages to your Ford in a bad storm.

Get Tune-Ups

Mechanical problems with cars tend to get progressive, which means small issues tend to become larger ones sooner or later. Seeing as how you never know when you may need to sell or trade your car, a good rule of thumb is to undergo regular tune-ups to avoid problems that can bring down the value of your Ford. Additionally, a vehicle that has regular tune-ups tends to run better and quieter, which is something that buyers notice.

Don’t Smoke in your Ford

Cigarette smoke not only gives the interior of your Ford an impacted ashtray smell, but it also causes the interior surfaces to be dull and turn a yellowish-brown. With only 22% of the adult population smoking cigarettes, the smell of your car will be offensive to at least 78% of the people that don't smoke. That cuts the potential market of your vehicle substantially as well as the value.

Keep your Carpet and Upholstery Clean

Though most interiors are designed to resist stains, they work best when you clean up spills as soon as they occur. Allowing spills to stay on the upholstery for weeks or months can go to the point of no return and become permanent scars. If you have small children who tend to have red-colored drinks, this can be a massive problem. For some reason, there is something about the red dye that resists coming out of any material. Should anything red meet any material surfaces in your car, clean it immediately! Stains that you ignore can be a value killer to your Ford.

Keep Mileage to a Minimum

The more mileage you put on your car to more the value will diminish. Keeping the mileage to an absolute minimum is a must if you want to get the most value out of your vehicle. Try to consolidate your trips, carpool when you can, and set aside a few days each month to go car-less. Combining your trips is also better for your engine and gas mileage as your car performs more efficiently with a warm engine. Keeping your mileage low is all about driving habits, and if you get into the habit of driving less, your car will be worth more.

Here at Fullerton Ford, we want to help you keep your car in top shape when it comes time to trade it in. You can schedule service for an oil change and a tune-up right on our website or get a trade-in assist bonus cash which can be used towards the purchase or lease for your next Ford vehicle. We also have deals for our 2020 Fords, so head down to the dealership and learn the value of your Ford today!

Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this site, absolute accuracy cannot be guaranteed. This site, and all information and materials appearing on it, are presented to the user "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. All vehicles are subject to prior sale. Prices include all costs to be paid by a consumer, except for licensing costs, registration fees, and taxes. ‡Vehicles shown at different locations are not currently in our inventory (Not in Stock) but can be made available to you at our location within a reasonable date from the time of your request, not to exceed one week.