CAR	VALUE
		CALCULATOR

Top 7 ways to calculate your car value

1. Car Trading Magazines - There are many magazines such as Exchange & Mart available from supermarkets and high street news agents dedicated to selling new and used cars. Individual sellers are able to create a listing that is printed and published within a certain timeframe, either monthly or even weekly. To help you calculate your car value, take a look at an advertisement selling a similar car to yours.
2. Car Trading Websites - Sites such as PistonHeads are great ways of finding the perfect car in an area that's local to you. Websites like this are also useful in helping you come up with a rough car value estimation, whilst seeing how popular certain models are and which cars are in demand.
3. Contact your local dealership - Research a list of local car garages and contact them directly to see what value they calculate for your car. A general rule of thumb is that dealerships often offer lower than the true car value. More often than not, you're more likely to get more selling privately.
4. Browse private classified ads - Sites such as Gumtree offer a classified section for used cars being sold privately. See if you can find your car model being sold by somebody else to help you attain an accurate car value for your vehicle. The same applies for local newspapers and free publications.
5. Online Auction sites - Sites such as ebid and eBay offer car selling services through the format of an online auction. Calculate your own cars value by browsing various "live" auctions to see what people are prepared to pay.
6. Online Car Value Calculators - There are many online sites that have their own free car value calculator available for you to use at your leisure. Simply visit a site such as WhatCar or Autotrader to take advantage of these great tools - All you need is your car registration.
7. Have a guess! - OK. We're not suggesting that you just pull a figure out of thin air, but if you have an idea of your cars value, it can be a good place to start. If you're selling the car, you may well have bought it or at least been involved in the first place. This should help you settle on a figure without the need for a professional car value calculator.

Top 7 factors that affect your car value

When deciding on a price for your used car, there are numerous factors that you need to take into account. Car value is directly affected by certain aspects more than others, but in order to gain an approximate calculation it's important to bear in mind the following:

1. Age - Although this is not the case for genuinely sought after classic cars, older cars tend to have a lower value when compared to newer models. Cars tend to represent the current trends and fashions around during the time of production. If the car doesn't hold a timeless design, it won't be appealing to buyers, lowering the potential selling price.
2. Mileage - Along with age, a higher mileage can reduce the appeal of the car to most buyers negatively effecting car value. High mileage means the car has been used regularly - Regular use without proper servicing and maintenance can results in disaster.
3. Maintenance History - High mileage can often be surpassed by proving that the car was regularly maintained by recognised, professional mechanical outfits. If you have a service book demonstrating regular servicing along with receipts and proof of labour, your car value should increase.
4. Brand - You don't need a magic car value calculator to realise that certain brands are worth more than others. Some manufacturers such as Skoda have managed to transform themselves in the eyes of the general public from being unreliable to solid examples of efficient motoring. Luxury brands such as Mercedes or BMW tend to hold value better than cheaper brands such as Kia.
5. Style & Colour - Practical, less outrageous colours and styles tend to appeal to a wider audience. A larger group increases the number of potential buyers, which can certainly affect your overall car value in a positive manner.
6. Modifications - Whether your car has been modified for performance increase, or just to turn a few heads, the overall car value can be directly affected. Certain buyers will welcome the modifications, whilst others will steer clear. "Extra performance" can create a negative picture of how the car has been previously driven.
7. Entertainment Extras - One common upgrade carried out by car owners involves in car entertainment systems. Even a simple radio & CD player upgrade or perhaps an inbuilt DVD and satellite navigation system - All such upgrades can affect the value of your car.