Accurately Evaluating Your Vehicles Value

[rhann87]

i know a lot of you have a ton of custom work on some of your RAM's and i am wondering if there is an accurate way of determining a value of the vehicle with all of the mods taken into consideration?

KBB only goes so far on this and there isn't a whole lot you can add.

 

[mohemipar]

If you are planning on trading in, remove the mods for the best value. Dealers are looking for vehicles that are as close to factory condition as possible. They can sell these for top dollar and not be questioned. You may find a dealer who would work with you on a modded truck, but it's rare. So to sum up, best case scenario you should go in expecting nothing extra for your mods. The mods could also very well hurt your trade value.

Selling privately you can ask for whatever you want, and there would probably be some one out there who would be interested.

 

[damnimcooltom]

Yeah, as mohemipar said, trading in with mods can easily lose you money, in two ways. The dealer may offer you less, or just the value without the mods. And then you don't have the parts to sell afterwards.

If you're looking to sell yourself, you rarely get your money back for upgrades you make. A lot of buyers will wonder how hard to drove the vehicle after modded.

If you're looking for an insurance valuation, I'd suggest starting with the KBB value, plus the cost of the mods. Have it all well documented, with pictures and receipts, and get the insurance company to agree to the value, in writing.

 

[Txhemirt]

Mods are worth nothing if trading in and I believe a lot of people who have customized vehicles know this all to well

 

[Clever]

I only have cosmetic mods such as an aftermarket bed cover, bed liner, aftermarket side steps and aftermarket wheels. So when I traded my truck, it was with the condition that I keep my wheels and bed cover and that they swap it to the new truck. I still had my factory tires that were pretty much brand new and they took that as well, so I got to keep the new tires from the new truck. I don’t think my “mods” added any more value, maybe the bed liner, moreso as a selling feature but not necessarily something that increased the trade in value.

 

[BWL]

Anybody have an opinion what I should ask for my 2011 laramie crew cab when I finally list it. 250000 km newer brakes. New goodyear SRAS on factory tires and largely dealer maintained. It's my baby, but I need to let go as it makes no sense insuring 2 similar vehicles. Thinking 15K cdn, but not sure. Haven't even tried to sell it yet. Still trying to accept losing it lol.

 

[GsRAM]

Anybody have an opinion what I should ask for my 2011 laramie crew cab when I finally list it. 250000 km newer brakes. New goodyear SRAS on factory tires and largely dealer maintained. It's my baby, but I need to let go as it makes no sense insuring 2 similar vehicles. Thinking 15K cdn, but not sure. Haven't even tried to sell it yet. Still trying to accept losing it lol.

For the cost of insurance and registration, keep it! It' always good to have a spare, especially a pickup truck

 

[zogg]

My son sells chryslers and Rams....he told me that they love to get a modded truck if it is done well because they can add $$$ to the selling price....things like aftermarket leather, tonneau covers, nice wheels, oversize or off road tires, etc. Lift kits are a no-no, as well as engine mods like programmers....buyers shy away from those.

However, as the trade comes into the dealership, they always denounce the mods (even the good ones) and generally ignore KBB or NADA pricing...they typically use ACH (actual cash value) which takes into consideration the local market and what the vehicles are going for at auction. Hence, we see the trade-in numbers below KBB listings....again, they always value your trade-in as if there were no mods and then scam you for dents, scratches, or higher mileage!!!

It's all a big game....the dealer he works for expects to make AT LEAST $4,000 over what he pays for a trade-in....amazing!!

 

[bryan28]

My son sells chryslers and Rams....he told me that they love to get a modded truck if it is done well because they can add $$$ to the selling price....things like aftermarket leather, tonneau covers, nice wheels, oversize or off road tires, etc. Lift kits are a no-no, as well as engine mods like programmers....buyers shy away from those.

However, as the trade comes into the dealership, they always denounce the mods (even the good ones) and generally ignore KBB or NADA pricing...they typically use ACH (actual cash value) which takes into consideration the local market and what the vehicles are going for at auction. Hence, we see the trade-in numbers below KBB listings....again, they always value your trade-in as if there were no mods and then scam you for dents, scratches, or higher mileage!!!

It's all a big game....the dealer he works for expects to make AT LEAST $4,000 over what he pays for a trade-in....amazing!!

You mention lifts are a no-no. What about a dealer installed factory Mopar lift? Plus, I still have all the original stuff they removed when they installed it including wheels and tires with less than 500 miles on them.. Not considering trading it in. I'm just curious.

 

[Ravjay12]

Apparently a modified vehicle from the factory doesn’t add value as well. I owned a Roush Stage 3 F150 off the lot with a Ford approved Supercharger and it even had a build number plate inside the engine bay. When I went to trade it back to Ford, they only saw a basic Lariat model. When I asked how they would sell it, as a Roush or a Lariat, they just smiled. This was three different dealerships. I ended up in a Ram because they gave me more value as Roush on my trade in. I’ll never buy a vehicle with “special factory endorsed packages” again.