Calculate Your Car's Trade in Value

To take the guesswork out of calculating your vehicle trade-in value and test drive these smart strategies. Certain car owners will pay for a professional appraisal to assess the value of their trade in. The cost of a professional vehicle appraisal ranges between $30 to $300 dollars. To save money and acquire a feel for the used car market, take your car to a minimum of three dealerships with used car lots. State that you are trying to sell your car. After each dealer provides you with an offer, tally up the total of the offers, and divide the sum of each offer by the number or dealerships that looked at your car. Take the final average and add ten percent to the amount. The total should provide an approximation of the wholesale value of your used car.