Here Are the Biggest Ways You’re Damaging Your Car’s Trade-In Value (2024)

Buying a new vehicle is a whole lot easier when you come to the negotiating table with a high-value trade-in car. And the little things you do to maintain your car every day go a long way in determining its worth.

You can take steps right now — including adjusting your personal and driving habits — to save yourself hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Here’s what to avoid if you want to be able toswap your old car for a new one.

It’s no secret that smoke stinks up your car. The problem, however, goes beyond smell. The contaminants in cigarettes bond with the materials in the car, making the smell and discoloration almost impossible to erase. Kelley Blue Book confirms that smoking inside of your car can affect the overall value of it over time.

If you can’t give up the habit, you’re better off leaning on alternatives like patches, gum, lozenges or e-cigarettes when you drive — or you could always just pull over to smoke.

One of the first things used-car buyers are cautioned to do is request a service history report for any vehicle they’re considering. Well-maintained vehicles are far more reliable and have much longer lifespans, making them more coveted by buyers who want the best deal.

Your car’s manufacturer dictates a suggested maintenance schedule, with recommended servicing at a specific mile or time intervals. If you’re not sure, use an app such as My Firestone to determine your vehicle’s recommended maintenance schedule.

Each mileage milestone you pass can dramatically reduce the value of your car. The first one is 30,000 to 40,000 miles, which is when the first routine services are usually scheduled, according to Edmunds. The next milestone is 60,000 to 70,000 miles when more expensive car components tend to start failing. The final turning point is the 100,000-mile mark.

If you plan to sell your car, do it before you hit 30,000, 60,000 or 100,000 miles. Once you drive a single mile beyond those landmarks, you’re likely to receive an offer that’s the same as it would have been if you had driven all the way up to the doorstep of the following milestone. To reduce mileage, consider renting a car when you travel.

According to Autotrader, a car’s age matters a lot, too.If you work from home or otherwise don’t drive a lot, don’t expect a 7-year-old car with 34,000 miles to fetch the same price as a 3-year-old car with 34,000 miles.

Not only do cars deteriorate with age even when they’re driven lightly, but they can also fail without “exercise,” according to Autotrader. Don’t make the mistake of thinking low mileage means thetrade-in value of your caris high.

Tinted windows can reduce glare and heat, but they can also reduce the value of your car.Tinting — specifically dark tints — can lowerthe value of your car and ward off some potential buyers. Another consideration is legality. Laws regarding tinting vary considerably by state, so what’s legal where you live might not be legal where a prospective buyer lives.

If you decide to tint your windows, have a professional do it. Tints often bubble and blister over time — which can affect yourcar’s value, too.

You should buy the car you love, but you should also keep in mind that the color you choose will play a large role in determining the vehicle’s trade-in value.The color of a vehicle can help boost or bust its selling price, according to a study by iSeeCars.com, which analyzed car sales that took place between September 2016 and August 2017.

The study of over 2.1 million used car sales found that vehicles in certain colors retain their valuebetter than others. ISeeCars found that the average car depreciates by 33.1% in the first three years of ownership, but yellow cars only depreciate by about 27%. Gold cars depreciate the most —by37.1%.Other colors that take a hard hit inused-car value are purple, beige, silver and black.

You might love that new spoiler or glowing neon light bar around your license plate. In reality, however, each aftermarket modification you make personalizes your car a little bit more and therefore makes it less attractive to any used-car buyer.Even aftermarket modifications that are expensive and add short-term value, such as new alloy wheels or an upgraded sound system, can diminish what you’re offered when it’s trade-in time.

The personal preference associated with each upgrade makes modified vehicles hard to sell. Dealerships offer trim packages for a reason. So, try to stick with what you bought.

Obnoxious paint jobs go hand-in-hand with obnoxious aftermarket modifications, said auto journalist Ryan McElroy ofCarKeys, a car consumer information site. And in case you’re wondering, flame paint jobs count. “Yes, they look awesome on old-school hot rods, but on your dad’s old Camry, not so much,” McElroy said.

Barazi added that it will likely hurt resale value. “If you don’t ever plan on selling your car, then feel free to paint it hot pink or matte black. But if you do end up selling your car, expect to get much less than KBB [value],” Barazi said.

Your trade-in value will benefit from having matching tires in good condition. If you’ve replaced some tires and now have a mix of brands and ages, this can indicate to prospective buyers that you’ve taken haphazard care of your vehicle, according to How Stuff Works. The site recommends buying four new tires when they’re on sale to get the best trade-in value for your car.

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Andrew Lisa andTerrence Loose contributed to the reporting for this article.