Dutailier Wooden

You want to get the most you can for your trade-in, right? Well, here's some pointers that will put some extra dollars in your wallet.

Let's dispel a myth right off the bat. Many people seem to believe, and I see this advice given on the internet quite often, that it is best to "fool" the Dealer into thinking they're only semi-interested by bringing in their trade when it is messy and dirty. The idea is that they weren't really planning to buy today, so the Dealer better give them a great deal to get their business.

The fact is, however, that Dealers are smart and they know all about this tactic. After all, they sell cars everyday and have seen it all.

The Dealer's most primary concern is the condition of the vehicle. The Dealer is looking at the trade-in in terms of what he can sell it for on his lot, or what he can sell it for at a Dealer auction. And it's condition is obviously a big factor determining its value.

If you were selling your car on your own and someone came to look at it, they wouldn't be very impressed with a dirty car with coffee and food stains, trash lying around here and there, old oil cans in the trunk and so forth. What would they think? Well, they'd likely think that you really don't care too much about your vehicle. And the most serious conclusion is that you probably didn't maintain it properly as well.

The result is that they will most likely walk away, or make an offer well below what you need to sell it for.

Dealer's have the same reaction. A dirty, cluttered car is telling the Dealer that it probably hasn't been well cared for.

To get the most for your trade-in, you need to think like a "seller" and present your product in its best possibly light.

So clean your car inside and out. Shampoo the carpets and floor mats. Clean stains off the upholstery. Clean out your trunk and glove compartment and only keep what is absolutely necessary in the car.

Now the Dealer will see that you take some pride in your vehicle and will be much more likely to assume you've also taken good care of it. Barring any major mechanical problems, this will have a positive impact on the price given by the Dealer.

The closer to "lot ready" a trade-in is, the higher its value to a Dealer.

Joshua Rose is an Auto Broker who will Buy A Car, at Dealer-Only auctions on behalf of consumers. He also provides tips and information on New And Used Car Buying.

Before 2005, the appeal of donating cars to charity was an idea that a lot of people considered. Old cars, which would not fetch a fair market price, would be donated to charity. In doing so, more valuable tax exemptions are met rather than going through the rigors and tiresome process of having the car appraised, maintained, and sold. Car donors would as get as much as a 100% mark-up value reflected in their tax exemptions compared to the price their beat-up cars would fetch when (and if) sold. Due to this great trade-off, more and more people started donating their old cars to charity since doing so provided a heftier financial benefit to themselves. It is along these lines that the IRS revised the tax benefits that one can take advantage of when donating vehicles.

The New Car Donation Tax Law was made effective on January 1, 2005. It states that only if the claimed value of a donated vehicle, such as a car, a boat or a plane exceeds $500.00 and is then sold by the charitable institution of choice, the taxpayer would be limited only to the gross proceeds of the sale. Furthermore, the charitable organization is given 30 days to issue a receipt of sale of the donated vehicles, if sold by the organization. The said receipt must reflect the amount of gross proceeds.

In the event that the charitable organization uses the vehicle and materially improves it, the charity must also provide receipt of the improvisations undertaken, purpose and duration of vehicle use. In the same way, the charitable institution is given 30 days to accomplish such. In this case, the donor may deduct the vehicle's market value.

Moreover, the new law prohibits donors/taxpayers from estimating the value of their vehicles by themselves for a write-off of over $500. More stringent measures are implemented by the IRS.

Currently, the IRS is working on the degree of ambiguity of the revised car donation law. More clarifications are in order to ensure that fair and equal pay-offs will benefit both the giver and the taker.

Charity Car Donations provides detailed information on Charity Car Donations, Child Charity Car Donations, Catholic Charity Car Donations, Used Car Charity Donations and more. Charity Car Donations is affiliated with Charity Car Donations.