LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.—Consumers driving off the lot with a fully loaded vehicle may not feel as great about their purchase in a few years.
Black Book research indicates that all the new sophisticated vehicle features and technology are adding significantly to the purchase price of new cars but not much to the resale value.
“These fully loaded vehicles are experiencing more depreciation than their base model counterparts, said Black Book. “One reason for this is that the typical used car buyer is still shopping for value rather than technology, which means the fully loaded model is often found near the similar price of a base model.”
For example, a fully loaded model may have a new car premium of $8,000, but three years later that premium may return only $1,500 on some vehicles, Black Book said.
The following features/technologies are having the heaviest impact on vehicle depreciation, according to Back Book:
- Navigation
- Power sunroof
- Leather
- Oversized wheels
- Power seats
- Heated seats
- Rear seat entertainment (DVD) system
- Packages – technology, touring, sport.
- Optional power trains – diesel, turbo, super charged.