TRADE UP WHEN YOU TRADE IN

When buying a new car, trading in your current vehicle can easily become something of an after-thought. Don't let it be. This is something you need to sort out well before you do your replacement car deal. We'd recommend the following steps:

1) Check on the value of your car any of the newsagent price guides will help you here. If you know someone in the trade, then borrow one of their guides: they'll be more accurate.

2) Advertise your car in the local paper for a couple of weeks slightly above its value. If you get no response, then you'll know the trade publication value is right and can insist on it with your dealer knowing you couldn't have got any more. If you sell your car, then of course it's a bonus.

3) While you're advertising, find your ideal replacement car and get the dealer's best quote without taking into account any trade-in.

4) If you get no advertising response, introduce the trade-in to the dealer and insist that the market value is subtracted from whatever deal was previously on the table. This way, you know that your trade-in isn't eating into the dealer's discount.

Whether you sell your existing car privately or use it as a dealer trade-in, you'll only get the best valuation if you present the car properly:

1) Make sure that your service records are up-to-date

2) Have all the paperwork ready to hand at valuation or sale time: if you haven't, it will make the deal seem dodgy.

3) Invest in a comprehensive professional valet, inside and out - don't just shove the car though the car wash: dealers know the difference an...