Can You Trade in a Car While Waiting for the Title?

1. Finding the Right Ride

While you wait to get the title to your current car, you can start researching the next ride you want. First, you can start by deciding whether you want to drive an efficient sedan, a comfortable SUV, or a powerful pickup truck.

Then, you can determine which brand is right for you and which model has all the features and amenities you’re looking for. Once you have a great sense of the model you want, you can then go ahead and search for the specific car you’re looking to get after you trade in your current one. All you’ll need to do is browse through our inventory online using AcceleRide®!

2. Research Your Trade-in Value

Before you trade in your car, you’ll want to determine how much your ride is worth. Luckily, there are plenty of value your trade-in tools to help you do just that.

For a quick and convenient valuation process, you’ll want to check out our Express Trade^® feature or a third-party tool, such as Kelley Blue Book^® Value Your Trade. This will let you know how much value you can look forward to and what to consider a fair offer when you’re ready to trade in your car.

When using the trade-in tool, be sure to have information about your car on hand. That includes the model year, trim level, and mileage since these are all key factors in determining the value of your car.

3. Start Your Financing Process

In the meantime, you can kick-start the financing process by filling out a secure online application. This will get the ball rolling and help you work toward getting approved for financing before you even trade in your current vehicle. That’s because filling out this application lets the finance team at the dealership start to get your deal organized.

They can begin to explore your loan options with the various lenders they work with and already have a few steps of the process handled before you even stop by their finance center. Then, once you get the title to your car, you can work with your local finance team to complete the remaining steps of the financing process.

4. Try to Boost Your Trade-in Value

Another factor that will determine your car’s trade-in value is the overall condition of the vehicle. Fortunately, there are also plenty of ways to improve your vehicle’s overall condition and its trade-in value while you wait for the title.

First and foremost, you’ll likely want to have your car inspected by your local dealership’s service team. This will ensure the car you want to trade in is up to date on all its maintenance and you catch any repairs your vehicle still needs.

You may find it beneficial to get these services completed since it could be a quick fix and boost the trade-in value at the same time. Also, simply cleaning the interior and the exterior of the vehicle will have it looking its best when you’re ready to complete your trade-in. This will also let you see if there are any dents or stains worth fixing in order to potentially boost the value of your car even more.

5. Have Your Paperwork in Order

Finally, you’ll want to have all the documentation for the vehicle ready by the time you want to trade it in. While you’ll need the title of the car when it comes time to finalize your trade-in, there are a few other items worth gathering while you wait to get the title. That includes the car’s maintenance record and any other notable automotive history documents.

Having the services records can show how well you’ve taken care of your car and that it has gotten all the routine maintenance it needs to improve its overall value. An easy way to get this all together is by requesting a CARFAX^® Vehicle History Report^™.

When the day comes to trade in your car, there are a few items in addition to your title that you’ll want to bring with you to the dealership. That includes both your driver’s license and proof of insurance. This documentation will be needed when you finish your trade-in and start to work on the financing plan for your new vehicle.