Sell Your Vehicle
Sell Us Your Vehicle in Medicine Hat, Alberta
We will buy your vehicle even if you don’t buy one of ours! Please fill out the form below to receive the estimated value for your vehicle asap!
How Do You Know Your Vehicle’s Value?
Here at Medicine Hat Nissan, we pride ourselves on providing fair market value when purchasing pre-owned vehicles. With that being said, not all pre-owned vehicles are equal. There are a few different factors that determine how much a used vehicle is worth, and they are:
Make
The make, also known as brand or manufacturer, can help determine the value of your trade. For example, Nissan is known for its reliable vehicles, ensuring they retain their value better and for longer. On the other hand, you don’t exactly hear people clamouring for Mercury vehicles anymore, leading to a lower value.
Model
Just like various makes hold different values, so do specific models—even within the same brand. Sometimes the value is lower because it wasn’t a particularly popular design, or began as an economy car, like the Nissan Echo. Sometimes a specific model will gain a cult status or be more valuable thanks to limited production, like the Nissan Supra, which was rereleased as the Nissan Supra GR almost 20 years after being discontinued due to popular demand.
Model Year
Newer models (sometimes referred to as late models) will generally result in a higher price, as dealerships will have better luck selling newer used vehicles. However, this isn’t true in all cases; if your vehicle is only a year off of the current model year, its asking price will be closer to that of the most current model and customers may opt for the newest version as it often has more features.
Mileage
The more you drive (or have driven) your vehicle, the more you drive the price down. Even when you take great care of a vehicle and follow all the recommended maintenance, the more kilometers on the odometer mean the more wear and tear the vehicle has been subject to. The average car will accrue about 20,000 km in a year, and dealerships might have a harder time selling a vehicle that has higher mileage than one with lower mileage.
Vehicle Class
A vehicle’s class will also have a great impact on its value. For example, SUVs are one of the most popular vehicles on the market today, meaning that a dealership will have a better chance of selling it than a different class of vehicle. There may even be different classes within that main class; for example, you may get more for a fuel-efficient crossover SUV than you will for a larger SUV with a lower fuel economy.
Condition
Perhaps the most important factor in the price you’ll receive for your vehicle is its condition. A clean, well-maintained and accident-free vehicle will always net you more than an equivalent vehicle that’s dirty or damaged.
How To Improve Your Vehicle’s Value
While you can’t change some of the factors above—sorry Echo owners—there are several ways that you can improve the value of your vehicle before you bring it down to the dealership. Knowing the value of the vehicle itself is important, but try not to put too much stock into “the blue/black book value” since those values can only take into account things like make and model, but can’t factor in things like the vehicle’s mileage or condition. However, the following list of items are things that you can take control over, and include:
- Keep all of the vehicle’s service records, and any other pertinent information
- Make sure you take proper care of the vehicle, including following all the recommended service intervals
- Keep your vehicle clean, as dirt on the exterior and interior can lead to discolouration, smells, and other forms of damage
- Ensure there are no small problems with the vehicle, whether its a ding on the door or you need to have the windows open for the AC to work (though the latter is both unlikely and not a small problem)
- Ensure you’ve got everything that you purchased or came with the vehicle (e.g. extra tires)
- Make sure your tires are in good shape, as a dealership may dock value for having to replace the current set
Find Fair Market Value at Medicine Hat Nissan
As we mentioned earlier we want to provide quality vehicles for our community, and in order to get the best we make sure we provide fair market value for any used vehicles that we buy. So if you have a used vehicle you’re looking to sell, follow the advice above and then bring it to Medicine Hat Nissan!