You’re ready to sell your vehicle. It did its time carting you around, but you need something different. Maybe you’re tired of repairs. Maybe you just want an upgrade. Whatever your motivation, you have to make some important decisions. What should you spend the time and money on before you sell the car? Every repair is a unique value judgment, and one that many people wonder about is repairing or replacing their windshield. Chips and cracks are virtually inevitable when a car lives long enough. Should you get them fixed or just sell the car as is? It can feel like a tough call, but when you really consider the circumstances, this question should answer itself.
Reasons to Replace Your Windshield
There are compelling reasons to get your windshield fixed before you try to sell the car, and most of them come down to money. A cracked or chipped windshield will lower the value of the car. Whoever buys it from you is going to have to take on that repair, and they’re going to subtract that cost from whatever you’re asking for the vehicle.
In a private sale, it’s going to complicate the negotiation and ultimately make it harder to sell the car. With a dealership, it’s going to lower what they offer for a trade-in or cash offer.
Insurance presents another compelling reason to fix the windshield. Every policy is different, so there are no guarantees, but there are plenty of cases where insurance will cover all or some of the cost of the repair or replacement service. This is absolutely worth doing. As soon as you take even a little of the cost out of the repair, it will become a profitable choice to make.
Overall, fixing the windshield will make it easier to sell the car, and you will typically recoup that cost at least one to one in the final sale price of the vehicle. This is especially true if the damage is extensive and easy to notice.
Reasons Not to Replace Your Windshield
There are many cases where replacement is the obvious choice, but there are exceptions to every rule. These are some of the times when replacement is harder to justify.
The first is when money is tight. If you just plain don’t have the cash to cover the service and there are no warranties or insurance claims to help, then you can take the loss on the final sale price. That’s plenty reasonable.
Another case is if the damage is very minor. Before you run away with this idea, keep in mind that you are responsible for disclosing issues with the vehicle before you sell it. You should never try to hide windshield chips or other problems, but if the damage is minor and you’re not selling to a dealership, there’s a fair chance that you can find a buyer who won’t really care. They might push you to take some money off of the final price, but it’s not going to prevent you from selling the car.
It is also important to consider the value of the car. If you’re selling a three-year-old supercar with low mileage, any chip in the windshield is unacceptable to most buyers. They are looking for performance, and fixing the windshield will more than pay for itself in the long run.
If you’re selling a clunker that is barely running for $500, a chip in the windshield is unlikely to be a deal-breaker. Most likely, your car sits between these extremes, so you have a judgment call to make.
The Bottom Line
In most cases, you’re better off getting the windshield fixed — especially if it can be repaired rather than replaced. Even when a full replacement is necessary, you will get more money for the car when the sale is complete. Taking care of the issue makes it easier to sell the car, and if you can get a deal on the repair service, everything is even more in your favor.
The main exception is when the car is worth so little that the windshield damage doesn’t matter. Outside of that and a handful of other fringe cases, go ahead and fix the windshield.
When you want professionals who can perform windshield replacements or repairs quickly and easily, you want to contact Advanced Auto Glass. We can take care of any windshield repair, and we can come to you to do the work. Give us a call and see what it will take to repair your windshield today. You’ll know exactly whether or not it’s worth the time and money.
