Auto Trends

M Sport wheels, BMW 135i, originally uploaded by Eric Flexyourhead

Cars.com recently offered some great input on the overall worth of certain car add-ons when it came time to trading or reselling a vehicle in for a new one. What they found was certainly surprising. Some add-ons are actually worth their weight in gold when it comes to their resale value (especially if you desired the add-on in the first place).

Here is a summary of the results:

The Must Have Bunch (60% to 90% Return on Investment)
America seems to be a nation of much more “want” than “need”. With that said, there certainly does appear to be a group of convenience add-ons that seems to be on just about everybody’s need list. Having a vehicle without this standard list of features could cost you big in the end when it comes time to selling your vehicle off.

• Cruise Control- An All-American standard
• Power Windows- Today’s generation probably wouldn’t even know what to do with an ancient window crank.
• Power Door Locks- Who can even remember the last time they had to place a key in a car door lock to open a door?
• Air-Conditioning- In cities like Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas, it should be a crime to sell a vehicle without air conditioning.

The If You Want It, Go For It Bunch (40% to 60% Return on Investment)
While these features are not considered important to the majority of all car buyers, they are popular enough to be split 50/50 amongst most buyers. This means that whether you decide to spring for these or not, there are enough buyers that are willing to pay extra for their convenience, that not only will your vehicle be worth more, it may sell quicker for having it.

• Power Seats- nice comfort feature by most consumers standards.
• CD Changer- American’s have to have their tunes. In the not so distant future, new infotainment features should take the place of this ancient dinosaur add-on.
• Automatic Transmission- The only caveat is certain sport cars, such as the Mustang or Camaro, which may become worth more to the enthusiast who prefers a standard manual transmission.
• Tilt Steering- You never even think about it until you really need it!
• Alloy Wheels- American’s like their bling, baby!

The Noteworthy Bunch (30% to 40% Return on Investment)
These are the add-on features that may be worthy to some, but are not worthy to the majority. These are the kind of features that you certainly shouldn’t allow yourself to be pushed into by the salesperson, unless it is something you really want.

• Anti-lock Brakes- Here is an important option put surprisingly low on this list. The reason that it is only currently at a 37% return on investment, is it is quickly becoming standard equipment in many vehicles. One day this won’t even be considered an add-on, but that should be considered a good thing.
• Performance Model (Engine Upgrade)- While the smaller engines are usually the bread and butter of manufacturers, the upgraded models are certainly sought after by enthusiasts who crave performance. If you yourself prefers performance to gas mileage, this is still a worthwhile investment over the long haul.
• Leather Seats- While not a favorite for everybody, it is still considered a luxury item.
• Premium Stereo- You would think this add-on would be worth more to consumers, but to the ultimate audiophile, the best systems are custom-built, not a manufacturer upgrade!

The Loser Add-Ons (0% to 30% Return on Investment)
Here is the saddest group of add-ons of all. These will actually depreciate faster than the vehicle itself. The moment you drive off the lot, you might as well kiss the money spent on any of these goodbye!

• Rear Entertainment Systems- Who really watches these things anyway!
• Navigation Systems- The problem here is that the integrated equipment becomes outdated so quickly, it is obsolete by the time the car is barely a year old. The better bet is to purchase a portable GPS unit that can be upgraded anytime, moved from vehicle to vehicle, and purchased at a reasonable cost.
• The Sport Package- Opinions take their toll on sport packages. One consumers race stripes, is another consumers eye-sore. For this reason, the sport package should be purchased on a need to have basis, because your “gotta have,” just might be someone else’s “gotta get rid-of”.

2009 Ford Focus RS, originally uploaded by mrZEE32

We haven’t seen the likes of a Ford Focus hatchback in quite a few years. Disappointingly, the newer Focus models have lost some of the sporty pizazz they once had. There has been no SVT Focus or Roush models set loose to help put some zip back into its name. But wait, there does happen to be a rather beastly version of the Focus out there. Problem is… it is out there, and not here in the US where we could get our mitts on it. So why would I speak so highly of an economy class vehicle, such as the Ford Focus? Well, let me lay it down for you like this…

It is called the 2009 Ford Focus RS (Rallye Sport), it is built in Germany, and it makes the Mazdaspeed 3 and Volkswagen GTI look like crackerjack toys. Now, before we go any further, you should know that this is no pipe dream to imagine the RS actually coming to American soil. Ford is actually seriously considering bringing it into their lineup in the next two to three years. So what makes the RS so special?

To begin with, the RS has been German engineered to feature a revised suspension which eliminates nearly all traces of torque steer, quite common in front wheel drive performance vehicles. The engine itself is a rather elegant 2.5 liter, 20-valve, inline 5-cylinder pumped up with an intercooled K16 turbocharger. This engine combo is able to achieve around 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft or torque. The power is then put to the ground through a strengthened 6-speed manual transmission (your only option).

From a standing start, the Focus RS is able to pull itself to 60 mph in a respectable 5.4 seconds, launch itself through the quarter mile in 13.8 seconds, and hit a top speed of around 163 mph. With all this newly induced performance you can’t quite expect the RS to follow up with a 35 mpg rating. No, the 2.5 liter turbo can only muster around 18 City and 23 highway. Not exactly what would be called economical, but the Ford Focus RS is anything but a designated daily driver.

The 223 horsepower Focus ST would be much more suited for daily trips to and from work, considering its got somewhere between 2 and 3 extra mpg to offer, but to be honest, the Ford RS is no less smooth in low speed maneuvering as any other base model Focus hatchback. While you might expect to pay offer $30 grand for such a performance mock-up, it is believed that the U.S. version would cost no more than around $28,000 for the consumer. That is about $6,000 less than the models being offered in Europe at the moment.

Looks great, peels out straight, but whether or not the U.S. is in its fate… we can only debate!

Corbeau Racing Seats, originally uploaded by bmw328driver

People decide on getting new seats for a number of reasons. One, maybe they spilled some alcohol on their red leather (been there, done that). Two, maybe the seats are old and need replaced. Three, they just don’t like the looks of their current seats.

When either of these occurrences strike, you are given a variety of choices. You can take it to the dealer and hand over your wallet and tell them to leave whats left of your bank account on a McD’s gift card. You can have your old seats recovered by a local professional (or do it yourself), or finally you could purchase a universal sport seat.

Dealer Installed Sport Seats

While from my experiences, many dealers do in fact have a great product (if you have the funds to spare), so that is not a bad way to go. However, if you are looking to get the most for your buck, covering your existing seats can make a nice custom accent, while retaining the overall original feel and look of the interior.

Reupholstering Your Existing Seats

Many reupholster cover kits are actually not too bad for the do-it-yourselfer. You do have to make sure that you get the right kit however, as if your vehicle has side air bags, that is usually an entire different design which allows the airbags to function unrestricted. Upholstery can run anywhere from the $200’s and up depending on the year of your vehicle, the fabric, and the overall quality of the skins.

Universal Sport Seats

If you are looking for a complete change to your interior, a new set of sport seats might be more to your liking, and in many cases, it is actually a comparable price to the nicer recover kits. Sport seats come in all shapes and sizes. Some enthusiasts prefer “racing seats”, but unless you are looking to go out on a sanctioned track, sport seats are usually more than any daily driver would ever need.

Sport seats can go anywhere from around $150 a seat to well into the $1,000’s range. Recarro and Sparco are two top named brands. Many of these applications offer universal seats that will have to be fabricated in order to bolt to your interior. Some seats offer universal seats with custom brackets that can be purchased separately to make the whole job go much more smoothly.

Corbeau is probably one of the highest quality, inexpensive sport seats around. For a fixed seat (non-tilting), they have a line of Forza’s that generally cost in the range of the low $200’s. They have plenty of reclining seats that range in the $300’s on up.

While the seats themselves are a major factor of the cost of this project, the “easy install custom brackets” will add an additional $100 per seat, so don’t forget to factor that in while you are setting up your budget. Many people claim that it is quite easy to fabricate a bracket using simple tools and the existing hardware from your old seats, but one person’s “easy”, is often another person’s headache.

Side Airbag Considerations

There is another subject that goes along with installing a universal seat in your vehicle… safety. If your vehicle is fitted with airbags, your options are limited to retain these same safety devices. Recaro has a line of airbag race seats, but in general most will not.

To disconnect any safety equipment on a vehicle is generally considered illegal. This is why many dealers will sell you a seat and not be able to install it or tell you how to install it in order to bypass the system. The problem you will run into is once the electric airbag is unplugged, is that you will forever get a warning light telling you that the system is unable to locate the side airbags.

A resistor could be devised to trick the system into thinking the side airbag was still in place, although this is a dangerous project in the wrong hands, as a wrong amount of electricity sent through the system could release the airbag, causing substantial injury. For this reason, if you have side airbags it may not be to your best advantage to replace the seats.

New seats can make quite a substantial improvement in your ride, just make sure that you take all those little things into consideration, before you actually pull the trigger!