A new car is needed – and the old one is gone? You want a new sled with more horsepower under the hood? You have bought a four-legged friend and now you want to buy a car with a separation fence? You realize that you don’t need a big sedan anymore and plan to switch to a small city runabout? Or would you like to invest in the future and buy an electric car?? Whatever purchase you are planning – if you already own a vehicle, you will certainly want to sell it at the best possible price. The question is: what is my car still worth?? Here you can read what is important in connection with the car valuation.
Problem: diesel vehicle
In addition to the above-mentioned "normal" reasons to sell the old vehicle and buy a new one, many owners of diesel cars are in a predicament in times of dieselgate: does it make sense to part with their vehicle?? at least their mobility is endangered, because more and more environmental zones and probable driving bans for (older) diesel lead to uncertainty, whether the own car is still usable in the near future for the own needs at all. Currently, driving bans in the hanseatic city of hamburg are already in the planning or. The implementation.
Should you sell your diesel because driving bans are looming?? © istock/kaptnali
Should you, as the owner of a diesel car, wait and hope that the car industry will come around to the idea of retrofitting diesel vehicles?? Or even invest in the diesel 6 standard? Or should you sell quickly to get a reasonable price for the car?? Of course, the market doesn’t offer much: 87 percent of dealers will only accept diesel cars at lower prices, and 22 percent will no longer accept any at all (source: deutsche automobil treuhand)!
For whatever reason you want to sell your car, you should always have the car value determined so that you know on what basis you can negotiate with the buyer.
Condition of the car
The vehicle valuation depends, this is not new, on the condition of the car. Various factors play a role here:
- Well-maintained vehiclea garage car that has often seen the inside of a car wash and is polished to a high shine on the outside as well as inside always scores points. And the technology and the engine should be in good working order.
- kilometers drivenless mileage means less wear and tear means higher price.
- No damage: scratches, dents, rust etc. Decrease the value of the vehicle significantly.
- Accident-free: even the smallest accidents have a value-reducing effect on the sale (calculation for example according to rohkopf/sahm).
- Optional extrasWhat makes the car attractive and unique may be worth a good price to a potential buyer.
Which cars have the highest depreciation?
The loss of value of a vehicle is individually completely different, however, there are quite generally valid statements to make. In addition to the condition of the car, the image of the brand plays a significant role, and it always depends on the current situation in the used car market. Generally, the value loss is highest in the first year after the new registration with an average of about 25 percent, per further year are approx. add 5 percent. If the car is then at some point already classified as a youngtimer or oldtimer, the price can also shoot up again, depending on how desirable and well preserved the vehicle is.
What is my car still worth? © istock/gopixa
Valuation, appraisal
To determine the specific value of his vehicle, there are several ways:
- The institution is schwacke, the provider with the legendary schwacke-list. For decades schwacke has been valuing cars, motorcycles, caravans and commercial vehicles in germany. The vehicle valuation costs 7.90 euros.
- The valuation is free of charge through the ADAC – but only for members.
- With other providers like passenger cars.You can calculate the value of your used car free of charge on the internet, but sometimes important information such as special equipment is neglected, so that the results can be inaccurate.
- The best results for an exact valuation can be obtained from a local automotive expert or from the TuV (technical inspection agency). Here, however, are called gladly 200 and more euros for the service. However, such an expert appraisal can pay off when you sell your car.
After the car valuation
After the valuation goes to the sale of the used. But beware: the used car market is big and the prices are low. Therefore, read also where and how to sell your car best.