Customers Try To Trade In Their Car. Then The Saleswoman Realizes What Type Of Vehicle It Is: ‘One Thing That Hurts My Soul'

When trading in a vehicle, the seller will always be trying to maximize the amount of money it can be traded in for. However, certain decisions over the span of ownership can potentially hurt the value of the vehicle when reselling. 

Emma Newman (@emma16newman) reveals what type of vehicle is typically a no-go to trade in at her dealership, which she says hurts her soul. She documented this story in a TikTok that generated over 3,750 views as of this writing. 

“One thing that hurts my soul in the car sales industry as a car enthusiast is modified cars,” she begins. 

You would think that putting more money into the car should increase resale value, right? Well, generally not the case for most car mod enthusiasts. 

“Whenever someone trades in a modified car or attempts to trade in a modified car, they’re like, ‘I did $20,000 of work to this car. I'm kinda expecting more for the retail.’ It’s like, dude, banks won’t even loan on that,” she shares. 

Newman believes the worst part of the experience is having to be the bearer of bad news to these potential sellers that the car isn’t worth what they are expecting. She clarifies she isn’t talking about V6s or modified Ford Focuses either.

“I’m talking about actual cool modified cars and explaining that to them it’s not worth anything,” she says.

Newman does understand the frustration of not getting more money for the car when thousands were spent to improve the vehicle. 

“Honestly, there is a market for them. We just can’t sell them. It’s kinda the hard truth of it. Because with those cars, basically, you are looking for a cash buyer. Because the loan-to-value is not there. But it hurts my soul as a car enthusiast,” Newman concludes. 

‘When You Modify A Car You Become Married To It’

Fellow car enthusiasts went to the comments section to confirm what Newman shared was true. 

“I’ve been modifying for years and no, they’re not worth more,” one TikTok commenter shared. 

“This is BIG FACTS!!!!” another commented. 

“When you modify a car you become married to it unless some random rich car guy decides he wants to buy it and offers you something,” a third added. 

Some viewers are irritated by the fact that the dealerships can charge more for modifications, but everyday car enthusiasts get penalized for it.

“But if y’all mod it we have to pay crazy up charge,” one commented. 

“But yet a new car dealer will put lift, wheels and tires on a truck and tack 20k on to the price,” another shared. 

While others shared how they found dealerships selling modified vehicles for more than double the price they purchased them for.

“No no. The hard truth is yall saying ‘oh you know, mods don’t count towards anything. I literally have to discount it because of them…’ and then selling it for triple if not quadruple what you paid and telling the buyer all about the mods,” one shared. 

How Much Are Modified Cars Worth?

Getting your vehicle customized is certainly a fun experience for car enthusiasts. 

Car modification can be simple, like adding an LED steering wheel cover or adding stickers to try to convince others that the car is nicer than it is. While other modifications can be more intensive and improve performance and overall design. 

Generally speaking, adding custom modifications will most likely decrease the value of the vehicle. Completing a modification is a personal preference suited to the driver's taste, which will typically come at a cost when reselling.

“You'll never recoup your spending. modifying is personal taste, so you'll have to find the person with the same exact taste [who] want[s] to buy it,” one Reddit user posted. 

When trying to resell a modified vehicle, dealerships will have a smaller client pool that the modified vehicle will appeal to. It’ll take a particular customer to like all the changes that were made, which may not come around too often, so they will offer a lower trade-in value for this. While getting a pink paint job is certainly fun, it requires another pink lover for the vehicle to be considered for purchase.

Most aesthetic modifications can decrease the car's resale value. This includes cheap paint jobs, window tinting, low-quality audio systems, body kits, spoilers, and poor engine modifications. Doing cosmetic modifications will narrow down the potential pool of clients. 

However, some modifications can increase the resale value. These modifications include upgrades in the suspension, brakes, performance exhaust systems, air intake systems, wheels, and tires. When the modification is practical, there’s a case to increase the resale value. 

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Circling back to the question of how much a modified vehicle is worth, it truly depends on what modifications took place. In most cases, modifications will tend to hurt the car’s resale value, no matter the amount of money that was put into the vehicle. 

Motor1 has contacted Newman via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. This post will be updated if she responds.

 

 

 

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