Gobbling on the Go Could Cost You

Are you a dashboard diner?

I'll confess: I eat in my car. So do my kids. We spend so much time going from here to there that it's hard not to munch on the road.

However, my husband and I recently bought new vehicles for the first time in more than a decade, and we have pledged to dramatically cut down on our meals on wheels.

Good thing, too, since eating less in your car is a smart financial move.

Vehicles in excellent condition -- both inside and outside -- can be valued thousands of dollars higher than those in good or fair condition, according to the results of a national survey conducted by Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research and Taco Bell Corp.

The random survey of more than 1,200 drivers who own or lease a car was conducted on http://kbb.com from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.

Nearly 60 percent of vehicle owners eat or allow someone to eat in their vehicles, according to the survey.

But does a food-stained seat or carpet matter as much as a car's exterior or engine when it comes time to resell a car?

Many of the survey respondents didn't think so.

More than 90 percent of vehicle owners believe exterior attributes have more impact than interior condition on a car's long-term value. Only 3 percent thought that the seats matter, and only 1 percent ranked carpet condition as important. When given a choice of 13 attributes to rank in importance with regard to eventual resale value, stained seats and carpets ranked as numbers 10 and 11.

Yet while it's true that keeping your car looking good on the outside can help increase its resale value, a nasty interior has as much impact on its long-term value as the exterior.

"I was surprised people put relatively little emphasis on the value of the interior of their car," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "What we find is a lot of people are losing a lot of money by not paying attention to resale value."