Everybody knows that the moment you drive a brand new car off the dealer lot, the value drops when those tires hit the street. Still, there's a certain appeal to buying a brand new car. There's an agent in my office who trades in her car and buys a new car every year. She just gets tired of her vehicle. She doesn't lease; she pays cash.
I took my car to Tom Stephens Mercedes in East Sacramento last week for its annual service. Stephens is the best Mercedes auto shop in Sacramento; he used to be a manager at Mercedes, and he intimately knows these cars because that's all he does.
That's when I realized that my car is 9 years old this month. I wondered if I should buy a new car. Not because I need a new car because I don't; it has less than 40,000 miles. But I also realize that real estate clients expect their agents to drive newer cars. It's perception, in part. It's why I wear suits and not cut-offs to work.
I love my car because it's fun to drive and because it's a convertible. The drawback is it has only one passenger seat, but I either drive with my buyers or I borrow my husband's Prius when I show property. If I bought another car, I'd probably get the same model; that's how much I enjoy it.
The service manager suggested I spruce it up by buying sportier rims, which now has me wondering about remodeling it. Hey, I know I won't get the money back out of it, but it's a lot less expensive than forking out $50,000 for a new Mercedes. I could use new leather seats, I suppose. Maybe buff out the paint or paint it a different color. Then replace the tires so they're all the same size and I can rotate them, which would give the tires a longer life expectancy.
I could easily drive this car another 10 years and it still won't turnover 100,000 miles. What do you think? Is remodeling a car a bad idea?
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, coming soon to a bookstore near you.
Photo: Big Stock Photo
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
