Buying rather than selling...
Looking to buy a relatively high value (in its day) German car - but 5 or 6 years old. Do the masses think optional extras added to the spec of the car when new make the car worth more than the book price by this age, or do they just make it more desirable and easier to sell?
Cars I'm looking at have metallic paint, full rather than standard partial leather, uprated stereos.
ta.
Depends a bit on the car - some options are seen as "essential" in a car of their class - e.g. mine has to have full leather or it'll be hard to move on. Some can get away without it.
Some options are just a PITA - early i-drive in BMWs, some of the really cr4p satnav systems, etc.
If the car was high value, I'd expect full leather and metallic paint TBH and not expect to pay more. I'd say options depreciate far quicker than the actual car.
Flip side, more to go wrong on a second hand car.
Wot he said^.
Most optional extras are money down the drain when it comes to selling a car on, unless they are 'essential' upgrades that are inexplicably missing from the standard spec (eg. air con on anything but a cheap supermini).
The cost of the optional extras specced when the car was new will never be fully added onto its second hand value and won't really increase the value much over the book price. Any 'extras' will make some difference but only if you think they're worth paying for - and don't forget that a lot of 'extras' become standard fit in later years.
Overall condition and history is the most important thing rather than a load of toys but metallic paint etc will make it a better buy when you come to sell it again exactly because they're seen as desirable. Just don't believe someone who expects to pass on the cost of the extras to the next purchaser.
Options are taken account of by Glass's guide. Full leather on a £5k or so BMW might be worth £250-£500.
It really depends on the car though - BMWs are famed for coming with very little as standard, and so they really need the options to be at the standard that sort of car should be.
A Fiesta with full leather and cruise control on the other hand, is unlikely to be worth much more the the boggo Zetec.
Stuff like auto or larger wheels maybe, dunno. Personally, extras really sell a car to me but I'm weird.
Air-con tends to add value on things like Type-Rs and stripped out fast things (where it was taken off the standard car to save weight). Gadgets don't.
Extras generally don't add to a car's second hand value but they do make them easier to sell on.
what Basil said
also, some colours are harder to shift than others - green, gold, brown especially (can you still get brown cars?). Personally I wouldn't be seen dead in yellow or purple either, but some people like to be a little bit loud
Glad you all have similar opinions to me. I am in no rush, am not stretching us financially us so can afford to be choosy and don't mind paying a little extra for a minter - just don't want to pay crazy money.You want to feel you are getting good value for money. Some fun car shopping over the next couple of days for me I hope!
Not sure what the market is like for old, high value 5 or 6 year German cars at the moment, but I know that prices for 8 or 9 year old big engined German cars are very soft at the moment.
It really is a buyer's market at the moment.
Happy hunting 
Some options are seen as essential, such as the navigation, winter pack & auto transmission on an XC90, for example, and are definitely add to the value of the car.
Others (in-car DVD, different alloys, fitted towbar), even if expensive, often add little or no value. Might make it easier to sell the car, mind you.
OK - so not wanting to start yet another car thread on a bike forum....
What is the most you have chipped off the starting price of a privately advertised car?
I'm looking at 2 cars at the moment and paid out for online Glass's guide prices for both of them which adjusts for mileage and extras, just to get a feel for the market. Both are being offered at around £11K but glass's private sale price for both is around £9.5K. Parker's prices are similar. That seems a big difference.
Convert - check Autotrader too for actual prices advertised. Print a few off and use them to negotiate.
£1.5 over list/Parkers price is a fair bit though - sounds like the sellers might be having a laugh. Don't be afraid to play two sellers off each other. At the moment, I'd be offering £8.5k for that sort of car.
Convert - check Autotrader too for actual prices advertised. Print a few off and use them to negotiate.
Note that lots of stuff on Autotrader is pretty ambitious in its pricing, so may not always help in your negotations. If you can find something similar that goes at auction on eBay, or through an automotive auction house, then you would get a better idea of actual value (i.e. what people are willing to pay) for a private sale. If the two you're looking at are close and you're in no rush then there's no harm in making an offer, leaving your details with the seller(s) then walking away (politely...) - they can always call you if/when they're ready to sell.
Look at the Glass's and Parker's "trade-in valuation price. This is likely to be around what the dealer bought the car for. He will aim to make 10% margin, so your target is to pay no more than that. Do the research so you know what is going for what price, and make sure the dealers know you are looking at other similar vehicles
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