OK, so you haven't planned your used car's sale far in advance. Here's what can be done, even at the last minute to get you extra value.
- Replace the dome light if it's burned out.
- Get under the seats and remove any clutter including dust bunnies, McDonald's receipts and pacifiers not used since Friends was on the air.
- Wash cloth seats.
- Treat leather seats.
- Find all the crumbs.
- Clean the carpets with a strong vacuum (drag your inside vacuum outdoors). Then, wash the carpets.
- Stick your hands between the seats and pull everything out you can. You might get lucky and find loose change.
- Clean the dashboard.
- Get all the glass gleaming on the inside.
- Fix loose door handles.
- Make the cup holders spotless.
- Attack the glove compartment. De-clutter it so only the owner's manual, insurance papers (if required) and the registration are inside.
- Buy a replacement owner's manual if you no longer have the original.
- Remove devices like radar detectors, MP3 players, cell phones, navigational devices and other valuables. They could "innocently" disappear while the car is being inspected.
- Check all the switches to make sure they still function.
- See if the hood release and parking brake release work.
- Blast the A/C and the heat to see how quickly they work.
- Pop CDs and/or cassettes into the audio system, especially if you never use them, to make sure everything works.
- Put the driver's seat all the way back and at the lowest setting. Nobody remembers having too much headroom, but bumping your knees on the steering wheel or brushing your head against the door jamb tend to leave a negative impression.
- Make all the seat belts accessible.
