Every car you own is on a clock. Maintenance costs rise. Depreciation slows. Customer comments turn from "smells new" to "the AC isn't cold." Resale value drops faster than revenue grows.
The question isn't whether to sell. It's when.
The two curves
Plot two things over the life of a car:
- Net profit per month — revenue minus maintenance, financing, insurance — trending down.
- Resale value — what you'd get if you sold it today — also trending down.
They cross. The crossing point is the month where keeping the car costs you more than selling it would yield. Selling before that point leaves money on the table. Selling after that point loses money you'll never see again.
The signals before the crossing
You don't need a chart to know — the signals show up at the counter:
- Maintenance month becomes two maintenance months. Service interval halves.
- Customer ratings drop. Two stars instead of four on the same vehicle.
- Time on lot rises. The car gets picked last, sits an extra day every cycle.
Each of those is your fleet telling you the crossing is close.
What to do six months before
- Stop putting it on long contracts. Long contracts on an old car are how engines die mid-rental.
- Stop discounting it. You don't want the next 30 days; you want the resale value.
- Get it inspected — fix the small stuff that drops resale, ignore the big stuff that doesn't.
Then list it. Quietly, while it's still running clean.
Selling a working car is boring. Selling a broken car is a loss. Boring is the goal.
