It's not only bad for your health, but also reduces the resale value of your car by hundreds of dollars.
Dealers recommend motorists repair smoke and burn damage and professionally deodorise their car before putting it on the market or attempting to trade it in.
The same goes for pet odour. Obtaining a high resale value starts when you buy the vehicle. Buy German or Japanese, light or small, diesel engine and a plain colour.
White, silver or grey are the best resale performers, but if you do buy something bright, sell it quickly before it goes out of fashion.
Other tips for motorists to retain high trade-in prices are:
1. Try to keep mileage low and especially short of major services such as timing belt replacement.
2. Dealers will often look at logbooks, so it is important the vehicle has all of its services performed on time and stamped in the book by a reputable mechanic.
3. While aftermarket and factory fitted accessories such as stereo systems, bull-bars and upmarket wheels can make your vehicle appear and feel more valuable, dealers often disregard them, so it can be money wasted when the time comes to sell.
4. Your vehicle should be clean and undamaged when it comes time to trade in. A good dealer can usually find damage, even if it has been repaired by the most professional panel beater.
TOP 10 RE-SELLERS
| MODEL |
DEPRECIATE/WEEK |
3 YEARS |
5 YEARS |
| Holden Commodore Omega |
$108.82 |
51.3% |
33% |
| Mazda3 Neo |
$52.22 |
62.6% |
51.8% |
| HiLux SR and 4WD Diesel |
$71.64-$104.96 |
64.7% |
47.3% |
| Corolla Ascent |
$51.46 |
61.5% |
55.6% |
| Holden Cruze CD |
$52.39-$60.42 |
61% |
61.5% |
| Hyundai i30 SX |
$51.48-$57.18 |
59.9-61.7% |
51.9-53.1% |
| Toyota Camry Altise |
$82.97 |
51.6% |
38.7% |
| VW Golf 77(TSI and TDI) |
$54.82-$64.71 |
59.3-60.9% |
53.9-54.8% |
| Ford Falcon XT |
$117.69 |
37.3% |
26.9% |
| Mitsubishi Lancer ES |
$53.70 |
60.8% |
52.4% |
(Weekly depreciation based on RACQ running costs survey, 3 and 5 year depreciation percentage based on Glass's Guide).
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