According to the latest research from an Economics professor based in Europe, you may want to skip checking off "Security System" in the options box and X a ridiculously bright exterior color.
Why?
Apparently, thieves are deterred from stealing a bright colored vehicle. And, the reason is simple; resale value.
Unless your like 001, who constantly in and out of vehicles, resale value has not really meant much to the ordinary buyer.
But do these latest findings make you think otherwise?
Students in the Netherlands have been found painting their bicycle pink or yellow. The bright colours are thought to reduce the risk of theft as it is easier to spot the thief and may make the bike less easy to sell. As only a few students are willing to take the effort and want to be seen riding a yellow or pink bicycle, these paint jobs have been stable practice for at least a couple of decades. How much of a deterrence effect it has is yet unknown.
Similarly, a car thief interested in making money can be expected to go for cars with the highest resale value, i.e. cars in the most popular exterior colours. Colour is key in the car market. A car in silver or yellow goes for the same price at the dealership, but the resale value greatly differs between the two. The National Auto Auction Association estimates that on average a used car in a popular colour sells for $1,000 more than the same car with a less desirable colour. The preference for common colours may be strengthened by the fact that a stolen car with a common colour is less easy to spot by police officers that have been alerted a car theft has occurred. That may be particularly important for those using a stolen car to commit another crime such as a robbery.
In other words, economically inspired models of criminal behaviour predict relatively low theft rates for cars in uncommon, bright colours. Currently, most car thieves are in it for the money. Joyriding and other temporary theft have become almost extinct with the rise of the highly effective electronic engine immobiliser that prevents hotwiring, a popular technique of stealing a car...
[Source: The Huffington Post VIA VOX]
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