Value your trade
Get a number on your current vehicle before you start shopping. It changes what you can afford, and we confirm it once we have seen the vehicle.
Get your trade offer
This is Accu-Trade’s instant offer tool. You will need your vehicle’s details and an honest account of its condition — the more accurate you are, the closer the number will be to what we can do.
Handled by Accu-Trade on their own secure site.
If the form does not appear, use the button above or call (847) 669-6060 and we will take it from there.
An instant offer is based on what you tell it. We confirm it once we have seen the vehicle.
What moves the number
- Mileage, more than almost anything else.
- Condition, and specifically the things a buyer sees first — tires, glass, paint, the interior.
- Service history, if you have it. A folder of receipts is worth real money on an older vehicle.
- Whether it is a model this market wants. Demand is regional, and it moves.
What you still owe is a different number
A valuation says what the vehicle is worth. It says nothing about what you owe on it, and the two are settled separately. Subtract the payoff from the offer: what is left is your equity. Positive, and it goes toward the next vehicle. Negative, and the difference has to be dealt with: settled, or financed as part of the new agreement if the lender approves it, which raises both what you borrow and what the finance costs. Negative equity does not stop a trade — it changes the deal, which is why the payoff figure is worth getting from your lender before you come in.
| What the vehicle is worth | What you still owe | What it puts toward the next one |
|---|---|---|
| $18,000 | Nothing, you own it outright | $18,000 |
| $18,000 | $12,000 | $6,000 |
| $18,000 | $21,000 | Nothing, and $3,000 still to deal with |
Bring these with the vehicle
- Both keys, if you have both. A missing second key costs more than people expect.
- The title, or the details of who holds the finance.
- Your driver’s license.
- Service records, and the owner’s manual if it is still in the glovebox.
Trade-in questions
Do I have to buy something to sell you my vehicle?
No. Ask for a purchase rather than a trade and we will quote it that way. The tax treatment is different — in Illinois a trade against a purchase can reduce what you are taxed on — so it is worth asking which way works out better for you.
Is the online number what I will get?
It is a starting point built from what you entered. We confirm it once we have physically seen the vehicle, and the two usually agree when the condition was described honestly.
What if I owe more than it is worth?
That is common and there are usually options. You can settle the difference, or it may be possible to finance it as part of the new agreement — that depends on the lender and on approval, and it raises both what you borrow and what the finance costs you overall. Ask to see the arithmetic written down before you commit.
Does trading in save me sales tax?
Yes, and more than it used to. Illinois takes the full value of your trade off the taxable price, with no cap — the old $10,000 ceiling was removed on 1 January 2022, though plenty of advice online still repeats it. On a $40,000 vehicle with a $25,000 trade, you are taxed on $15,000. That saving is part of what the trade is worth, so it belongs in any comparison with selling privately.