What influences resale value?

[Mike Nel]

It cannot be a long thread because you can only have so many answers. Forget about the badge on the bonnet.

- low kilometers
- vehicle in good condition

What else?

[Mad Manny]

What influences resale value?

My top 5 would be:

After No 1. mileage (2 identical vehicles one with 68000km & one with 308000km, the high miler will be worth a lot less), I'd say;
No 2. The Brand
No 3. Popularity (vehicles that sell poorly have poor resale values).
No 4. Perceived Cost of 2nd ownership (no one wants an expensive luxobarge out of maintenance plan)
No 5. Reliability (perceived or not).

[Mad Manny]

One night, about a year ago, during a WhatsApp argument with some know-it-all twats from the Western Cape, I dug out a 5 year old Car magazine and compared resale values of two vehicles.
In July 2014 you paid just over R1million for a LC200 VX
In July 2014 you paid just over R1million for a ML500.

That night, last year, on Autotrader, I compared the above two vehicle's selling price.

On average the LC200's had double the mileage (in fact, I could not find am ML with over 100 000km or a LC200 with less than 80 000km) yet the LC200's were going for nearly twice the price of the Mercs.

[Mike Nel]

- Services up to date?
- Smokers vehicle

What else?

[LesseW]

- where it’s from (i.e. a LC bought from GP vs a LC bought from a farm in the NC)
- 4x4 accessories installed on a vehicle less than 100k, a vehicle with less than 100k that is fully kitted will have a lower value in my eyes unless I know the owner was a knob doing it for show only
- Lower value if the dealerships are in Marabastad or Hammanskraal.....

[HenriSteyn]

If the vehicle has a quality check carried out by a reputable organization other than the dealership.

And the vehicle is sold by the same brand dealership.

[Wave]

Maintenance history

[Ricof4e]

- Services up to date?
- Smokers vehicle

What else?

Why does it matter if it was a smoker's vehicle?

[Mad Manny]

The stench...

[johnoosthuizen]

- Services up to date?
- Smokers vehicle

What else?

Why does it matter if it was a smoker's vehicle?

The cigarette smoke discoloures the interior of the car with a yellowish sued... Especially light colour interiors and the sigarette smoke smell lingers for quite some time....

[Wave]

The stench...

This....

100% agreed, smokers cars stink, and there are often burn marks on seats and on the window rubbers when they attempt to ash outside the car while driving, inevitably the red hot cherry touches the rubbers and leaves little burn marks

[Ricof4e]

The fact that I smoke never influenced my vehicle's resale values.

In 2011 I bought a jimny for 170k. In 2014 I sold it for 140k.

In 2014 I bought a Nissan NP300 for 301k. In 2017 I sold it for 245k

[Mad Manny]

You could have gotten more if it wasn't for that disgusting addiction...

[Ricof4e]

You could have gotten more if it wasn't for that disgusting addiction...

I smoke for religious reasons. Each cigarette brings me closer to God.

[HenriSteyn]

I once test drove a Jeep Wrangler (Manny cringes!).

It smelt so bad inside I decide it was not worth a decent test, could not wait to get out.

No idea what they did inside there, but it must have been 60 Camels per day.