When you buy a vehicle, there will always be a little voice in the back of your head wondering if you made the right decision and if the purchase of that vehicle will retain its value for longer than what you originally thought. You have questions swimming around in your head like, “Will I be able to sell it for a decent price several years from now?” or “Will it be popular enough as a used vehicle to use as collateral for my next vehicle?” or “What is the best configuration to get the most value out of my purchase?” or “What’s the long term value like for this purchase?”
Well, there is some good news when it comes to those of you looking for a Chevy Trailblazer for sale because, as a subcompact SUV, you have both an affordable and unique purchase. Why? Because of a few key design decisions that Chevy has made for the vehicle. So how do you get the most value from a 2024 Chevy Trailblazer? Well, there are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind, not only in terms of what you buy but also how you drive.
Off-Road Value Vs. Daily Driving Value
The 2024 Chevy Trailblazer is available across four trims, with the ACTIV trim considered the rough and rowdy model. It sports a suspension that has been tuned specifically for taking the Trailblazer off-road and is paired up with 17-inch wheels on unique sport terrain tires designed for dirt and gravel roads. For those who like to get more out of their subcompact than just the typical daily driving, the ACTIV features a lot of great functionality specifically for those who want to be adventurous in their SUV. However, this can work against the overall long-term value of the vehicle.
When you regularly take your SUV off-road, even with a specially tuned suspension, it will put a lot of wear and tear on your vehicle. The bumps, rocks, dirt, and extra work that the vehicle has to do to travel off-road means that it will be harsher on your vehicle in the long run. Even a well-maintained off-road vehicle will see and require a lot more maintenance than a standard daily driver, so that’s definitely something to consider.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t go off-roading in your Chevy Trailblazer at all; however, if you want to get more long-term value out of it and potentially trade it in or sell it down the road, then you’re likely going to want to consider limiting the amount of wear and tear you put on it. If you’re planning on keeping it for a while and want a great all-around vehicle, then off-road as much as you like. But if you’re thinking about long-term value, limiting the off-roading to more daily driving tasks will help you preserve the components and the value of the vehicle long term.
The Right Packages at the Right Price
Several different packages are available for the 2024 Chevy Trailblazer that can drastically change its value, both in terms of how you view the vehicle for ownership and the long-term value in case you plan on trading it in down the road. The packages include the Standard Chevy Safety Assist Package, the Driver Confidence Package, and the Driver Confidence and Cruise Package. Some packages may or may not increase your personal value, but they can add additional value to those who might consider buying them at some point.
For instance, the Standard Chevy Safety Assist suite can add value to those looking to buy a subcompact SUV for their teen driver or as a secondary family vehicle. It adds active driving assists such as Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning and IntelliBeam Auto High Beam Assist. You also get additional features like Front Pedestrian Braking, Automatic Emergency Braking, as well as Forward Collision Alert, and a Following Distance Indicator.
There’s also Adaptive Cruise Control; this is an available add-on for LT, ACTIV, and RS trims, and it’s certainly something a lot of people love from their vehicles, and whether you plan on keeping your Trailblazer or switching it up down the road, having Adaptive Cruise Control packaged in is a bonus feature that adds lots of long-term value. In fact, Adaptive Cruise Control, in particular, is expected to consistently grow at a rate of 6.6%, according to market reports, so that it will add a lot of long-term value to your Trailblazer.
The Driver Confidence Package is available for the LT, ACTIV, and RS trims and comes with Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Rear Parking Assist. Much like the Safety Assist Package, the Driver Confidence package could be seen as a useful and added valuation to the vehicle long-term for drivers looking for something safe and small.
The Driver Confidence and Cruise Package is only available on the LS trim, and it includes everything from the Driver Confidence Package but with the added cruise control functionality. Once again, for those looking for a fully-featured model, this adds value to the LS trim and is great for a potential turnaround in the future where a buyer might be interested in a fully-featured Trailblazer but feel as if the ACTIV and RS might be out of their price range. A properly packaged LS trim makes it look much more attractive for those buyers if you plan on trading the vehicle in or selling it at some point.
Future-Proof Colors
One of the key ingredients to value retention on a vehicle is its color scheme. You may not think it, but colors determine certain vehicles’ value. While white, gray, and black may be the most popular and generic colors available, when it comes time to buy or pay more for a used vehicle, people often are willing to shell out slightly more for rare or unique colors, as noted by an iSeeCars report. Not every vehicle comes with a unique slate of colors, so their long-term value is automatically cut short by that limitation. That is not a limitation that the Chevy Trailblazer suffers from, especially the 2024 model year.
The Trailblazer comes in a great selection of unique colors, and the 2024 Chevy Trailblazer has added two more colors to the palette. You now have the option of decking out the subcompact SUV in Copper Harbor Metallic or Cacti Green. This is in addition to the other colors available for the Trailblazer, such as Mosaic Black Metallic, Summit White, Sterling Gray Metallic, Iridescent Pearl Tricoat, Fountain Blue, and Nitro Yellow Metallic.
What’s more, is that the Trailblazer is available in two-tone color schemes. So it adds some extra flavor to the vehicle. If you want the most value and least depreciation out of the 2024 Trailblazer, the report on vehicle depreciation value puts yellow as the top color with the least amount of depreciation. So if you want to retain as much value as possible from your Trailblazer, Nitro Yellow Metallic wouldn’t be a bad way to go.
The Most Important Thing Is Buying What You Like
While opting for a specific trim, color, and package combination may look good on paper for thinking ahead about the long-term value of the Trailblazer, it’s still important to remember that if you’re searching for a Chevy Trailblazer, then you’re likely looking to buy something that you like. That, above all else, should be your top priority. If you can squeeze in features or accommodate a trim or paint scheme that also raises its long-term value, it’s all a bonus.
But otherwise, it’s important to shop for what you want rather than simply thinking about future trade-in value. Because you never really know how things turn out, and if you plan on keeping the vehicle or using it for specific travel purposes, it’s important that it’s still configured to your liking rather than what will give you the best return value if you opt to trade it in or sell it. Because, after all, you’re still buying the vehicle to drive it and enjoy the experience.
