Would altering a car reduce its resale value?

Question

for example: adding a sound system, adding body kit, adding a turbo, changing the paint, adding a spolier.......do any of these change the blue book value of the car...like does the price ever go down? what can make it go down?

Answer 1

it decreases trade in value, but ups the price on the street. Dealers don't that stuff because it increases the chance of theft, and it is more hassle for them to take all the stuf out. they especially hate aftermarket body kits, exhaust, and turbos.

Answer 2

actually depending on the car, in most cases the resale would go up, unless it's a classic.  the price can go down if there are paint finish flaws, scratches, cracked body parts, engine trouble, ect.

I gutta cutlas baby

Answer 3

Changing The Appearence Of The Car Will Not Make The Book Value Drop, Unless It Is A Bad Thing. Like A Dent Or Scratches.

The Most Common Thing That Makes The Book Value Drop Is If You Alter The Moter. Puting A Different Exaust Will Drop The Value Too.

Answer 4

Before you make any changes to a car, find out if they void the manufacturers warranty or effect the crash safety(for insurance purposes).  Both of these can significantly impact the resale value of your car.

Answer 5

It will not reduce the trade value if there is no dent & scratches on the body and engine is doing well.

To find out the exact value of your car, you may get a free Car Quote from reliable online sources.

Answer 6

a vehicle is worth what ever a person will pay for it...

This being said... if you ask a dealer, then yes, the value would go down..  Trade in value would suffer..

But on the other hand, if you were the buyer, and you looked at 2 or more different cars, and one had all the extras, but cost little more than the others, would you pay more?

I would... so in that case, yes you would increase the value.

Do what you like, since you will end up loosing money in the long run... enjoy your ride.

What ever you do, keep the old parts, and DO NOT let anyone alter the frame... this is the one thing you can do to destroy your value...

Dealerships will not even let you trade it in, if the frame is altered, such as when lowering a vehicle, the frame must be notched out to allow the suspension room to drop.

Hope this helps

Answer 7

Adding a body kit will reduce resale value

Adding a sound system, will increase resale if you do it well

Adding a turbo, increase value IF DONE RIGHT. must have all receipts for your turbo build and use quality parts and have labor done at a reputable place.

Paint...increase value (but its probably not gonna increase value more than what you spend on paint)

If your selling it to a dealer, any modification is pretty much a downfall in price. However some private buyers will pay more for a good turbo build, or a car that comes with a nice sound system already. Body kits tend to reduce value most of the time. Spoilers, not really doing anything for the value, especially if you have a non-factory one (or one of those big ones that looks out of place and ugly)

Keeping the car bone stock keeps the best value. Don't add anything to it and you'll be better off when its time to resale then if you ever changed anything. The only time most people get money for their modding, is when the car is a show car and has been done in a show car status way.

Answer 8

Depends on the age of the car.  If it's a newer model then no it's generally not recommended that you modify anything other than the stereo system and that's only if the warranty has expired.  One of the worst things you can do is add after market parts when there is still any type of warranty on the vehicle as the warranty will be come null and void should you have to take it in for a repair.

As for older cars you can pretty much do as you want.  It all depends on whether you plan on reselling or trading it in it in the future.  Keeping those in mind you have to consider whether or not a more mature person who could actually afford to purchase it for cash may not want a car that's been slicked... if ya know what I mean :)

Answer 9

it depends on the quality of the modification, the quality of the materials used, and the buyer you plan on trying to attract. some mods add value, some detract from the value. poor workmanship always detracts from the value.