Car Options that are worth it
So, I found an article on cars.com that breaks down the different car options available and which ones are worth the money in terms of resale and which ones are not. According to Automotive Lease Guide, ”any non-practical standard feature that you add as an option to a new car will improve its resale value.” Here’s a disturbing statistic….you ready?…..on average a five-year old car is worth only 28.5% of its original value. Yuck! So, here are some of the best options to add and then some not-so-good ones as well.
Highest Return Options:
Cruise Control -89.2% return on resale - most cars have it so if you don’t, you are really driving an outdated car.
Power Windows & Power Locks - 77.1% and 74% return respectively. Yet again, if you buy a car without these options you are driving an outdated car and tougher resale.
Air Conditioning - 68.2% or 76.6% if you have the rear air conditioning as well. This is another pretty standard feature, but now the better air conditioners have the dual controls and for the front and rear. You need these for resale I think.
Some good options for resale:
Power Seats - 59.6% - people like convenience
Automatic Transmission - 55.8% - if the car comes with stick, you may want to upgrade to automatic.
Tilt Steering - 50% - this is becoming more and more standard, so once again, if you don’t have it and don’t buy it, you will be behind the times!
Options not worth it:
Rear Entertainment Systems - 27.7% - every year there are new, better systems coming out. In five years, DVD players might not even be in existence (that may be an exaggeration, but you know what I mean.) Not worth the money.
Navigation Systems - 26.1% - for years, these systems have been depreciating faster than the cars they are in. You need to update the systems with current map discs, and even if you do this, the technology becomes outdated and you are stuck with the system since its in your dash. Skip it.
A couple of other options were mentioned in the article, but for the most part, you will lose at least half of the money it costs for the options due to depreciation. That’s hard for me to swallow, and I will remember this next time I’m asked at a dealership if I want to upgrade. Hopefully you will as well.