These were the types of cars that I sold to consumers for over 33 years. I could sell them cheap, and still make a small profit. People loved their “beaters”, as they affectionately called them. They served a needed purpose.

Sadly, these cars have faded into sunset like daily newspapers and home milk delivery. These vehicles do not exist. At auto auctions, where most cars are procured, prices for just about any vehicle start at over $1000. This makes it very difficult for dealers to sell these vehicles for less than $2500 after paying fees and upgrading them for inspection. If there is a “check engine light” activated on any of these cars, it could mean the abandonment of those vehicles from ever reaching the customer at a price that makes sense. As an aside, most of the time these lights mean little or nothing to the vehicle’s overall road-worthiness and level of performance. Most of these lights are triggered by insanely rigorous emission requirements that are not easily diagnosed or repaired thus making their resale almost impossible. That is the new reality that auto dealers like me have to deal with. Every purchase that I make has to be tempered by the fact that the acquisition has to be scrutinized and painstakingly evaluated for emission inspection. Don’t get me wrong, every vehicle should have a minimum level of road-worthiness. Brakes should function, tires should have adequate tread, and exhausts shouldn’t leak. The problem comes in when requirements break through these thresholds and become petty and EXPENSIVE.

The cost has to be passed on the the consumer. Like a lot of good intentions, many times they do not prove to be beneficial at all; leaving the consumer holding the bag.

Reasons for this can be attributed to the general economic malaise brought on by this current administration in Washington. Stifling regulations regarding lending have damaged the new car and late model used car dealer. Money just doesn’t flow to the consumer the way it should. Banks are afraid to lend. This impacts the small guy like me becuase, when fewer people trade in a vehicle, there is less to pick from.

Also contributing to the higher cost of used vehicles, was the so called “cash for clunkers” program. The U.S. government subsidized consumers as much as $4000 if they traded in an older car for a new “energy efficient” one. The catch here was the requirement that these “clunkers” had to be junked. Tens of thousands of usefull cars had to be scraped. This further depleted inventories of older cars that were perfectly sound and could be resold. This was a misguided program for a used car dealer like me.

We need a government that is responsive to business. A government that will listen to business concerns as well as the consumers’. I will paraphrase the old adage because it is so appropriate here; the road to ruin is paved by good intentions.

First off, the type of customization can dictate whether your car’s value goes up or down. For example, a custom paint job will only increase your car’s value if the buyer likes the paint job. In these cases, it’s best to opt for the more universally-accepted paint job, rather than the esoteric hand-painted lifelike rendition of Elvis. As well, if you’re giving an antique or classic car a customized paint job, there’s a good chance that the vehicle will lose value if the method that you’re customizing isn’t consistent with the original equipment. While we’re on the subject of paint jobs, it’s best to go in the direction of cheaper paint jobs rather than overpriced ones; if you shoot too high, there’s a good chance that you won’t break even.

And what do the experts say? Coming straight from the mouths of Kelley Blue Book executives, customizing a vehicle more often than not reduces the car’s resale value. Why? Most people customize in a way that’s too personal, too niche, when may not necessarily appeal to a wider population. A niche used car is always going to be harder to sell, simply because it’ll now be a car that a smaller demographic is going to want to buy.
Don’t let that sway you: here are five standard customizations that you can do that can actually increase the resale value of your car:

1. Adding a custom sound system. Sure, it costs money, but according to Kelley Blue Book, it’ll be worth it. Not only that, you can actually enjoy this customization while you’re still driving your car.
2. Install custom spoilers and alloy wheels. Again, according to KBB, these custom parts can increase your vehicle’s value. These are the kind of parts that car buyers absolutely love, especially since they can be worth a mint on the used parts market.
3. It’s a fact that adding a moon or sun roof can oftentimes add value to your car.
4. Back to point number one, with a twist: installing a stereo with multidisc and / or mp3 capabilities can do wonders, and it can be a relatively cheap customization.
5. One last tip / trick: if your car has any broken or exceedingly old parts, swap ‘em out for some refurbished ones. A private used car buyer will pay more for a car with all working parts.