I'm planning on modifying my Lancer...some headers, an intake, exhaust, head/tail lights etc...does this decrease the trade-in value, because I've recently been thinking of trading it in?

 

if your planning on trading it in I wouldnt spend money hopping it up. doesnt realy decrease value (correct me if im wrong), but you wont get your money back out of your parts unless you replace them with the stockers and sell them.

 

correct me if im wrong, but doesnt the trade in value suck for our cars ne ways? it is almost pointless to trade it in. its almost better off just keeping it as an extra car. and to answer ur question, it wont decrease the trade in value, but u wont get nearly as much as u put into it. unless u part it out at the end.

 

+1, if you already have the parts then part out the car and you will get a lot more money, if you havn't bought them and want to. Wait till you trade in your car and either get something faster or mod what you get in the future.

 

Trade-in on a Lancer sucks. I was offered $4500 for my 02 w/ 55k miles.

Trade-in WITH mods is actually lower. Dealers don't want to deal with it. They offered me $500 less with the RRM axleback still on.

So if you do trade in, save your stock parts and go back to stock. Then have a partout sale.

 

i was thinking of trading in my 05 es for a 2006 mustang and they offered me 11,000 and i have intake, exhaust, chrome tails that came off a 2006 Ralliart lancer, and rims which was included with the trade in. but with stock parts only 10,000.00 which blows....

 

I don't think it is just lancers that have ****ty trade ins. The are very nice cars for the money IMO. You can't get many other cars with all the features of a lancer and the good looks of a lancer for that price. I had a car that showed KBB of $12,500 and I was offered $4500 on trade it. Just try to sell it yourself. I know that in the NW part of the country an 03 Lancer OZ with a clean title and 30-50K miles sells for 9K-11K depending on miles and condition. My G/F paid $8,888 from a dealer for her car and couldn't find a private party lancer for cheaper and hers is an ES.

 

No, Mitsu cars in general have terrible trade-in values compared to other imports especially. I like my Lancer, but many people don't hold Mitsubishi in high regards like Honda or Toyota. Mitsu depeciation is on par with most domestic cars, not imports.

If you are planning to trade your car at some point but still want to do mods, keep the OEM stuff as someone else suggested so you can put it back on. But also realize you won't get nearly the money you put into the mods. If that doesn't bother you, go ahead.

Dealers don't want a modded car because,generally speaking, there is only one person who wants the car EXACTLY they way you have it: YOU. Mechanical mods are one thing (especially if they are nearly invisible to most people, like brakes, tasteful exhaust,etc.) but body kits and wings, pounding audio systems, coffee can mufflers will make most people run away. So unless someone you know wants your car when you are done and want or need to trade it, don't go crazy.

 

That was the dealers way of saying they didn't want your car or business. They totally low-balled you. Thats one of the most absurd low-***** I've ever heard.

 

Yeah, it was rediculous, and oddly enough the very next day I went to a dealer who gave me 9K for my car (after I took out 1K in stereo stuff and another $500 in other things) and bought the same exact car I wanted from the other dealer, but in blue instead of black. Granted KBB seemed to be a little high on my old car, it was probably still worth around 11K but i got $1500 for the stereo so it made it worth my while to get the car of my dreams.

 

I was gonna trade my lan in for a truck but decided against it when the stealership offered 7k for my 2003 oz rally with 15k miles in dec 2004. keep the lan. hehe

 

^wow, that's horrible. I was looking at an S2K a couple months back. Was offered 7.5K for my 03' w/ ~60K miles on it. Course then they wanted a 7K down for the S2K