Car Dealer Simulator from Garage Monkeys released on 29 May 2025 and drops you into the used car trade with a character called Little Sam teaching the basics. The loop is buy low, scan, clean, photograph, list, haggle, repeat, with tow trucks for the cars that refuse to start. Cleaning alone can add up to 12 percent to a car's value, which tells you how much of the profit lives in presentation rather than mechanics.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Scanning and market valuation
Scanning a car before you talk numbers reports its current market value based on condition. Skipping the scan means negotiating blind, which is the most expensive habit a new dealer can pick up.
Buying and selling negotiation
Haggling gives you a limited number of attempts. Candy and cigarettes from the fuel shop each buy one extra attempt for a trivial price and typically shift the final number by 1,000 to 3,000 dollars.
Diagnostics and part replacement
Every car needs diagnostics before sale, covering mechanical faults, bodywork, painting and small touch ups. In the current build the value a repair returns is usually less than it costs, so repairs mostly pay only when they turn a non runner into a runner.
Washing, polish and detailing
Thorough cleaning can add up to 12 percent of a car's value. Move the nozzle slowly and sideways, and remember wheels and the roofs of vans. A level 2 wash station unlocks polish and wax on top of the basic wash.
Listings, photos and pricing zones
Photos are taken with the T key and every shot can go into the listing. Price placement matters as much as the pictures, because listings in the red zone sell slower but for noticeably more than the safe green zone.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Car Dealer Simulator combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non runner flipper | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Detail and photograph specialist | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Red zone pricing dealer | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Consumable bargain hunter | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Staffed volume dealership | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Car Dealer Simulator builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Scanner | Reads a car's current market value from its condition. | Every purchase without exception, especially at private seller pickups. |
| Tow Truck | Two types are available for moving vehicles that will not start. | Buying non drivable cars far below their market value. |
| Wash Station | Upgrading it to level 2 unlocks polish and wax. | Every car you intend to list, particularly filthy but mechanically sound stock. |
| Odometer Tool | Adjusts the mileage reading. | High mileage cars where the reading is the main drag on the asking price. |
| Camera | Bound to the T key. | Finished cars, after washing and before you set the price. |
Vehicle Scanner: Reads a car's current market value from its condition. It is the only honest number in a negotiation and it should be the first thing you use on every vehicle you consider.
Tow Truck: Two types are available for moving vehicles that will not start. Non runners are where the cheapest stock lives, so a tow truck is the gate on the highest margin build in the game.
Wash Station: Upgrading it to level 2 unlocks polish and wax. Cleaning is worth up to 12 percent of a car's value, which makes this the strongest value upgrade in the early game.
Odometer Tool: Adjusts the mileage reading. Start with the highest digit and move slowly, and stop the moment the tool makes a cracking sound rather than pushing into the red zone.
Camera: Bound to the T key. Shots go straight into the listing and including every angle makes a listing more attractive to buyers, at zero cost.
Full breakdowns in our Car Dealer Simulator weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Dealership Lot | From the first hour onward | Listing slots, customer footfall, room for parallel stock |
| Repair Zone | Unlocked early, upgraded through the mid game | Drivable non runners, diagnostic reports |
| Wash Station | Upgrade as early as you can afford it | Up to 12 percent added value, better listing photographs |
| Fuel Shop | Useful at every stage of the game | Extra bargain attempts, fuel for your own vehicles |
| Garage Computer | Available from the start | Vehicle recall, listing management, business overview |
Dealership Lot: Your display space and the constraint on everything else. Cars sitting in slow red zone listings occupy lot slots, so expanding it is what allows a patient pricing strategy to work at all.
Repair Zone: Where diagnostics and part replacement happen, covering mechanical work, bodywork, painting and small touch ups. Worth upgrading only as far as your actual repair habits demand.
Wash Station: The highest return per dollar of any facility on the property. Level 2 adds polish and wax on top of the basic wash, and thorough cleaning is worth up to 12 percent of value.
Fuel Shop: Sells the candy and cigarettes that grant extra bargaining attempts. They cost a rounding error and typically return 1,000 to 3,000 dollars per negotiation they are used in.
Garage Computer: The management terminal for your business. The vehicles menu holds a reset option that drops every purchased car straight into your lot, which saves a great deal of driving around.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Scan before you speak. The scan reports market value from the car's condition, and without it your opening offer is a guess dressed up as a strategy.
- Open your buying offer 5,000 to 8,000 below the asking price. Sellers expect a haggle and the first counter is almost never the last word.
- Keep candy and cigarettes from the fuel shop in your pocket permanently. Each grants an extra bargaining attempt and the typical gain is 1,000 to 3,000 dollars per negotiation.
- Repairs currently cost more than they add. Fix only what makes a car drivable, such as a missing brake disc, and let the price absorb the cosmetic faults.
- Non drivable cars are the cheapest stock available and often need one small component. Buy, tow, fix the single fault, and the markup dwarfs anything a running car returns.
- Wash slowly with sideways nozzle passes. Wheels and the roofs of vans are the two spots players routinely skip, and a rushed wash gives away most of the 12 percent bonus.
- Upgrade the wash station to level 2 before nearly anything else. Polish and wax are pure margin with no parts cost attached.
- Photograph with the T key from every angle and put all of the shots into the listing. Presentation is the cheapest lever on final sale price in this game.
- List in the red price zone rather than green whenever you have spare lot space. Cars move slower but for more, with reported jumps such as 25,000 up to 32,000 on the same vehicle.
- If your purchases are scattered across the map, open the garage computer, pick the vehicles menu and hit reset. Every purchased car appears in your lot immediately.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Negotiating without scanning first, then discovering the car was worth less than the offer you just made.
- Replacing every faulty part on principle. In the current build most repairs subtract more value than they add.
- Rushing the wash and leaving wheels and van roofs dirty, throwing away most of the 12 percent cleaning bonus.
- Listing everything in the green zone for a quick sale and leaving thousands of dollars on the table per car.
- Pushing the odometer tool into the red zone. The cracking sound is the warning and there is no undo afterwards.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Car Dealer Simulator release?
29 May 2025 on Steam, developed and published by Garage Monkeys. It is a full release rather than Early Access and is also sold on Xbox.
Are repairs worth doing?
Mostly not in the current build. The value returned for a replaced part is usually less than the cost, so repairs pay off mainly when a cheap component turns a non runner into a drivable car.
How much does cleaning actually add?
Up to 12 percent of the car's value. A level 2 wash station adds polish and wax on top of the basic wash, and the spots players most often miss are wheels and van roofs.
What do candy and cigarettes do?
Bought at the fuel shop, each grants one extra bargaining attempt during a negotiation. Players report 1,000 to 3,000 dollars of extra profit per use, which makes them the best value items in the game.
How do I move cars I bought across the map?
Use a tow truck for anything that will not start, or open the garage computer, select vehicles and use the reset option, which drops every purchased car straight into your lot.
More Car Dealer Simulator Guides
- Car Dealer Simulator Best Builds
- Car Dealer Simulator Tier List
- Car Dealer Simulator Walkthrough
- Car Dealer Simulator Beginner's Guide
- Car Dealer Simulator Tips & Tricks
- Car Dealer Simulator Weapons Guide
- Car Dealer Simulator Combat Guide
- Car Dealer Simulator Boss Guide
- Car Dealer Simulator Maps & Locations
- Car Dealer Simulator Crafting Guide
- Car Dealer Simulator Classes & Characters
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