Before You Spend $500, $1,000 or More on Glass, Ask Yourself One Question: Are You Actually Getting That Money Back?
Dang! There IT is! That crack crawling across your windshield like it pays rent.
Maybe it started as a tiny rock chip. Maybe a temperature change turned six inches into two feet overnight. Or maybe you've been staring through it for months thinking, I'll deal with it eventually. Now you're selling the car, and "eventually" has arrived, so should you replace the windshield before selling?
Not necessarily. Throwing money at a vehicle you're about to sell before knowing what it's worth can be an expensive mistake.
A New Windshield Doesn't Automatically Pay You Back
Suppose replacing the windshield costs $700. It's tempting to assume spending $700 will make the vehicle worth $700 more. That's not how vehicle values work.
A windshield in good condition is generally expected. Replacing a damaged one may eliminate a deduction, but that doesn't mean every dollar you spend comes back in the sale price. Spend $700 and get only $300 more for the vehicle?
Congratulations. You just repaired part of the buyer's car with your own money.
Modern windshields can make the decision even more expensive. Many newer vehicles have cameras and sensors associated with driver-assistance features. Depending on the vehicle, replacing the glass may also require system recalibration.
Suddenly "just replace the windshield" isn't so cheap.
Before You Replace It, Do the Math
Situation |
Repair First? |
Why |
|---|---|---|
Tiny repairable chip |
Possibly |
A cheap repair could prevent spreading |
Small crack on valuable
vehicle |
Maybe |
Compare replacement cost against potential
value increase |
Large windshield crack |
Value the car first |
Replacement may cost more than it returns |
Windshield with
cameras/sensors |
Be cautious |
Glass and calibration can get expensive |
Car has other major damage |
Usually not |
The windshield may be one item on a much
larger repair bill |
Selling to a damaged-car
buyer |
Often
unnecessary |
Damage can be accounted for in the offer |
The Windshield May Not Be Your Biggest Problem
This is especially important with damaged vehicles. If the car also has a crushed bumper, bent fender, deployed airbag, mechanical problems or significant collision damage, why are you spending hundreds fixing the windshield?
Sellers can fall into the trap of repairing damaged vehicles piece by piece. Windshield this week. Headlight next week. Bumper after payday. Before long, they've spent thousands trying to make a damaged vehicle "sellable" without determining whether they'll ever recover that money.
Stop repairing first and calculating later.
Get the vehicle valued as-is first.
That's Where DamageMAX Comes In
We buy damaged vehicles. You don't have to transform yours back into a showroom princess before you can sell it.
- Cracked windshield? Fine.
- Collision damage? Fine.
- Mechanical problems, dents, busted bumpers or ugly accident history?
That's literally why we're here.
You're not trying to win a beauty contest. You're trying to walk away from a damaged vehicle with the most money possible.
And spending $800, $1,000 or more fixing a car you're about to sell makes absolutely no sense unless that repair puts at least that much money back in your pocket.
Talk to DamageMAX Before You Repair Anything
Don't repair the car for us. Don't replace expensive glass because you assume you have to. And don't dump another thousand dollars into a damaged vehicle you're already trying to get rid of.
Get the damaged vehicle valued first.If repairing it makes financial sense afterward, you'll know. If it doesn't, you may have just saved yourself hundreds, potentially thousands, of dollars.
Your damaged car doesn't need to be fixed before it can be sold.
Sell it damaged. Sell it as-is. Sell it to DamageMAX.com — and keep your repair money where it belongs: in your pocket.
|