6 Signs It’s Time to Sell Your Car

People develop attachments to their vehicles. Your car has probably been with you through all sorts of experiences—good and bad. You’ve sat it in before job interviews or client meetings, pumping yourself up, or after breakups and other tough times when you needed a moment alone. Your car has taken you on all sorts of adventures. It’s transported your loved ones and been your commuter vehicle to your work. For some, their vehicle is like a second home, especially if they spend a lot of time in it. So, deciding to sell your vehicle can be a tough choice. Customers regularly ask us, “When is it time to sell my car?” While we can never tell someone the perfect moment to move onto their next vehicle, we’ve been in this business long enough to know some of the signs.

There are just certain things that start to happen right before someone realizes they’re finally ready for an upgrade. When these things occur, all signs point to the fact that, soon enough, we’ll be handling this customer’s trade-in so that they can start shopping for their next model. Change can be hard, but it’s also exciting. Remember that car you’re saying goodbye to was once new, and remember how excited you were about that? You can have that new car feeling again when you upgrade to another vehicle.

Here are some signs it’s time to sell your car.

You Keep Eyeing Another Vehicle

Sometimes, you just can’t stop thinking about another vehicle. Everywhere you look, you see it. The reality is that there probably aren’t more of those vehicles on the road than others—you’ve just taken a liking to it, and now you’re keeping an eye out for it. Every time you see one, you get a little serotonin boost. You’ve started approaching the owners, asking them questions about the model, like how it drives, if it’s good on gas, if it’s comfortable, and whether or not they are happy they bought it.

One of the signs you’re ready to leave an old car for a new one is very similar to when you know you’re ready to leave an old relationship for a new one: you’ve got your eye on a new prize. If this happens to you, start gathering information about the vehicle you can’t stop staring at. You might find that it’s an excellent replacement for your old vehicle.

You’re Jealous Of Your Friend’s Vehicle’s Features

You’ve found yourself feeling jealous when you’re in your friends’ vehicles. You notice all of the great features their models have that yours doesn’t. Maybe you’re struck by how great the sound system is in one friend’s vehicle. It has speakers all over the place. Now, when you get in your car, you can’t not notice how dinky its little sound system is. Perhaps you love the giant touch screen in your friend’s vehicle. It’s much more intuitive than yours (or maybe you don’t have one at all).

You just feel like there are convenience features everywhere you look in other people’s cars, that you simply don’t get in yours. The more time you spend in other cars, the more you dread going back to yours. You can’t stop comparing it to everything else that’s out there.

Your Vehicle Has a High Resale Value

You keep getting offers from dealerships or even random people passing by to purchase your vehicle. At first, you weren’t interested. But the offers keep increasing—in quantity and in value. At this point, you seem to receive an offer in the mail every week, and the figure keeps growing. So, you look it up and see that your vehicle has a fantastic resale value. It depreciates much less quickly than other vehicles. Maybe, for some reason, your particular model is really popular right now. It could have a specific feature that’s been primarily discontinued but that many drivers love.

If you know you could cash in your vehicle for a large sum, and you’ve been growing tired of it anyway (see above signs), this could be the perfect time to sell your car. One person’s “trash” (we know it’s not trash—it’s your companion on four wheels) is another person’s treasure. If you’re ready to move onto another model, consider selling yours or trading it in.

You Want Better Safety Features

You’ve had a few near mishaps or minor incidents on the road that scared you. You’ve become aware that newer vehicles have driver-assist features that help prevent those very incidents. Maybe you always hate changing lanes on the freeway because it’s hard to see in your blind spot. Drivers have nearly side-swiped you many times during this maneuver. You could be ready for a newer vehicle with a blind spot monitoring system. Perhaps you’ve come too close to rear-ending someone when traffic stopped abruptly ahead of you. You might be ready for a vehicle with automatic enhanced emergency braking.

Accidents are scary. Even near-accidents are scary. Driver-assist features have evolved a lot in recent years. If your vehicle is even just a few years old, you might be missing out on some of the newest and most refined safety features that can help you have fewer panic-stricken moments on the road.

You’re In a New Phase of Life

As your life changes and evolves, so too do your vehicle needs. Maybe you’re raising a family, and the little compact sedan you once had can no longer contain your growing children. You’ve listened to complaints about the backseat being too cramped long enough, and you’re ready for a three-row SUV. Maybe you’ve had the same vehicle since high school. You’re onto your first fancy job, and you are ready to treat yourself to a vehicle you’re proud to pull up to the office in.

Perhaps your kids are out of the nest, you’re soon to retire, and you and your partner want a great adventure vehicle. You’re ready to take all those road trips you’ve put off, and you want a subcompact SUV with configurable cargo space and good fuel economy for your adventures. Maybe you’re starting a business, and it’s becoming clear that you need a pickup truck to transport materials and goods for the services you provide every day. As life changes, the way you use your vehicle might, too. That’s when it’s time to sell your car.

You’re Ready For a Different Powertrain

You’ve had it with gas prices. You’re tired of falling victim to constantly rising fuel costs. Just seeing the prices listed above the pumps makes your blood boil. You are ready to leave gas-engine vehicles behind and move on to a hybrid or an electric vehicle.
In recent years, tons of the top manufacturers have started making more electric vehicles in every body style. From sedans to pickups to SUVs, nearly every type of vehicle has a hybrid or electric version now. As the competition has increased, these vehicles have also become more affordable. It’s a great time to make the switch to a hybrid or electric vehicle.

You might even like the idea of driving a vehicle that’s kinder to the planet and contributes to noise pollution a bit less than gas-engine vehicles. If you want to be less reliant on fuel, it might be time to sell your car.