Manheim Auctions in the UK claims that heavy smokers who puff away in their car could see hundreds of pounds wiped off its value when they come to sell it.
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Of the professional used car buyers interviewed for a survey on the auctioneer’s behalf, almost 75% believed it would be highly unlikely or even impossible to completely eliminate the effects of smoking during pre-resale preparation.
79% of respondents said the price they would be prepared to pay for the car would be adjusted to reflect the work needed to ‘decontaminate’ the vehicle, some by as much as £200.
Apparently it’s not just the lingering stale smell – discoloured roof linings, burnt carpets and upholstery are also a massive turn off for potential buyers, with the cost of repair set at hundreds of pounds.
In addition, 48% of buyers surveyed said they would not even consider buying a car which has been used by a heavy smoker.
A Manheim spokesman said: “We knew that smoke contamination negatively affected a buyer’s interest, but this research actually puts a cost on it for the first time.
“With the used car market currently toughening up and many drivers desperately searching for a buyer for their used car, the difference between selling it quickly or having to drop the price by a few hundred pounds could be the fact that you have not smoked in it,” he added.
