How much is my car worth?

What actually moves the number, why online calculators disagree, and how to get a real figure.

The five things that move the number

Age and kilometres set the starting range — buyers and dealers both price off what cars of the same year and mileage have actually sold for. Service history is the next biggest lever: a full, stamped history can be worth more than the cost of the services that created it. Condition matters more than people expect, and so does colour and specification on some models.

The one people forget is local demand. A diesel ute sells differently in Launceston than a small hatch does, and the same car can be worth more in one season than another. That is why a national online estimate is only a starting point.

Why online calculators disagree

Most instant valuation tools are built on national averages and asking prices, not Tasmanian sales. Asking prices are what sellers hoped for, not what buyers paid. Two calculators fed the same car will often land a couple of thousand dollars apart, and both can be wrong for this market.

Treat any online number as a range, not a verdict. A real offer from a dealer who is actually going to write the cheque is the only figure that is not hypothetical.

How to get a real figure

Send the details to a local dealer — make, model, year, kilometres, condition, history and a few photos — and ask for an offer. It costs nothing, there is no obligation, and you will have a real number the same day to compare against whatever the calculators said.

If you want to hold out for a private sale, that offer is still useful: it is the floor you should never go below, and the number you can negotiate a private buyer against.

Keep reading

• How to get the best price for your used car →Cheap, honest things that move an offer up — and the expensive things that do not.
• Should I sell my car privately or to a dealer? →An honest comparison — money, time, risk and effort — so you can pick the route that suits you.