How Window Sticker Can Increase the Resale Value of the Rebuilt Car?
Last edit: July 26 2024 • 361 view
When you buy a dream car, you might start thinking about adding mods to make it look good (body kits, carbon fiber accents), adding a sport exhaust to make it sound good, doing a chip tuning to make it faster, etc. But do these modifications really increase the value of the car? You’d be surprised to learn that checking a window sticker might be a smarter investment before purchasing the car at salvage auto auctions, like Copart and IAAI.
I am against it. Unless you are building a project car for car shows or sport competitions, mods are useless and do not increase the value of the car at all. I prefer to buy a trim I like from the factory.
The Benefits of Factory Trims
Factory trims keep their value really well. Lots of engineers spent hours making it perfect, so they can provide a warranty on their product. For example, the Chevrolet Camaro I recently purchased comes with an amazing 2SS package. There is no need to mod it to make it cooler than the ZL1 because I will never recoup the invested money.
Researching Trims
If you are looking for a car, spend some time researching trims. Read forums, see which ones are rarer, and which ones are more desirable amongst the community. There is also no need to go for the top trim. For example, Hellcats in Dodge Charger/Challenger are expensive. Instead, I always preferred a trim below the top, like Scat Pack, Daytona, or SRT. They are great values, amazing cars to own and drive, and they keep their value really well.
Ordering a Window Sticker
I also recommend ordering a window sticker. It shows the original build sheet for the car (useless for Teslas, by the way). The same cars with the same trim might have vastly different prices, especially true for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and other premium cars. When I was hunting for a GLE for my wife, there were cars with a $20,000 price difference when they were new. This, my friends, increases the value of your car.
The Value of Factory Options
Recently, I purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro at CARS4.BID with theft recovery damage for just $12,725. This car retails for over $41,586 as of the time of writing. It has minor damages, but you cannot go wrong with a such a huge discount.
The car comes with a 2SS package, but by running the window sticker, I found that it had some tasty mods from the factory. It added the Redline Edition package, which is worth $2,345 from the factory, Magnetic Ride Control for $1,695 (which makes the quality of the ride amazing), Performance Dual Exhaust for $895, 8-speed transmission with an oil cooler and remote vehicle starter for $1,495, and other tasteful mods totaling $1,030. This results in a car with over $8,000 in additional options compared to the regular 2SS package. This is an advantage when marketing your car for sale and will become a competitive edge among similar cars with similar trims.
Conclusion about Window Sticker
You can run a window sticker for some makes at VIN.DOCTOR. Make sure you create account first though. For a small cost, it provides better insight into the options your car has. Some cars, like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW, can have substantial price differences from the factory despite being the same make, model, and trim. Make sure you research these options and understand which ones are valuable.
In conclusion, while mods may seem appealing for personalization and performance enhancement, they do not necessarily increase the value of the car. Instead, investing in a desirable factory trim and understanding its build options can provide a better return on investment.
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