Truck Value Enhanced By The Right Accessories

Homes and trucks have a lot in common. More trucks are purchased by individuals in the construction industry the world over than any other industry.   Changes in building materials, especially their weights or sizes, and new construction tools, etc. that may be hauled frequently can drive completely new truck designs. So too can the same desire to customize a house drive small or large truck customizations.   If the level of customization is the criteria being judged, it can be argued that Australians, not north Americans, are the biggest fans of their trucks. In Australia, more coupe utilitiy vehicles, or utes as they are called, are bought by non-tradespeople for everyday use in cities and rural areas alike. Custom paint and body businesses flourish as do truck accessory dealers of all types to keep up with the demand.  Truck value can be enhanced with the right customizations and accessories the same way houses can. Customizations can also cause truck value to decrease the same way they can with houses.  So how do you know which accessories will add value to your truck? There are no hard and fast rules or standard lists, but again, the same rules of thumb that work for houses work for trucks. The more personal the customization is, the less likely it is to retain or return it's value.

Custom paint jobs, for example are probably the worst investment you can make from a resale standpoint. When checking out the potential resale value of your truck, you'll need to subtract the entire cost of your custom paint job. Those airbrushed flames may be the coolest piece of truck art you've ever seen, but you should assume that any buyer will immediately want to repaint the truck. The flames will also limit the number of people who would potentially buy your truck, so you should expect it to take you longer to sell your custom pickup. 

On the other hand, customizations and accessories that add a practical capability to your truck help potential buyers see even more use for your vehicle. There are a few customizations and accessories that may pay for themselves or add to the resale value of your truck. They can either add hard dollars to any offer you receive, or be the reason your truck sells while your neighbor's doesn't.

Tops on that list are truck covers. People are naturally curious and nearly everyone will peek to see what's inside and open truck bed. Unfortunately, that openness can encourage some to help themselves to what's inside as well. Truck covers safeguard your load, protect your truck bed from the elements and can even boost your gas mileage by reducing drag.

There are many different kinds of truck covers you can buy. Some, like simple tarps, can be saved and used with future trucks you purchase. Others, like hinged tonneau covers will probably only fit thta vehicle correctly and should be sold with the truck. There are also retracktable, hard shell, soft, or roll-up covers available both through local stores and many online outlets. Soft covers will obviously be the least expensive while hardshell covers with locks will cost the most initially.

Next to covers, grill protectors and some chrome addons will add both visual appeal and protective value to your truck. Running boards and step bars can easily cost you hundreds of dollars. On the other hand, they may only show a resale value in NADA closer to a tenth of that cost.

In this instance, the resale value of chrome should be measured by how much it can help you secure a fast sale. Your custom chrome will really pop in classified ad pictures of your truck for sale. If your picture is next to an identical truck that doesn't have the additional chrome, which one do you think a buyer will choose? A potential buyer seeing that will naturally think that if you thought of such a little thing, you must have been as careful to take good care of big maintenance items as well.

Inside Accessories Matter Too

Inside your cab is another story and another chance to increase your resale value with the right accessories. Seat and wheel covers not only hold their values well, but help to protect and maintain your truck as well. Buyers may or may not notice the custom seat covers you put in, but they will note and deduct value points for stains, rips and tears or even permanent indents in the steering wheel made by hours and hours of driving.

Seat covers usually aren't something you can pick up at a local flea market. Good quality, waterproof seat covers are sold to fit the exact make and model of each truck. There are a wide variety of fabric choices, and even waterproof fabrics today are soft and comfortable. Seat covers have the added advantage of being removable. If you installed them soon after buying your truck and now your potential buyer says he hates the look of them, they're easily removed to reveal a nearly new showroom interior.

Whether they add dollar value or speed value to your pickup at time of resale, all accessories and customizations can also be used another way. They are negotiating tools. You could choose to accept a lower offer after removing an accessory or convince a buyer to add to his offer because the accessory is there.

However, you should be extremely careful to avoid the trap of buying and adding accessories to your truck right before you plan to put it on the market. Just as there are some home fix ups that should be done to help sell a house, overspending on fixups rarely works to your advantage. It's better to mentally write off the value of accessories you have added and enjoyed throughout the time you've owned your truck than risk losing the sale over their cost. In the end, you want your buyer to feel he has gotten a good truck value too.