Quote:
Originally Posted by nbostaph
I think myold88 made a great point in that it depends on the mod, and also on your target demographic.
When I was looking for my new Camaro in Nov/Dec, I really didn't want a stock car for instance.
Any car with appearance mods that I wanted (ground effects, yellow seats, VDI, etc) I would have paid an additional 90% the price of the mod for, just to avoid having to go through the hassle of installing it myself.
Any car with bolt-on performance mods that couldn't really be screwed up too badly (CAI, performance exhaust, etc). I would have paid an additional 65% the price of the mod for. But I'd only pay less for these because my previous car was very fast, and I never expect my Camaro to come close, so performance just didn't matter as much to me. But in other circumstances, and for others like me, I may have paid the 90% extra that I would have for aesthetic mods.
But when you start talking about more serious engine mods, or even just less well known ones, and I see phrases like "rebuilt motor" or "BTR cryo-treated rockers". Well, you know exactly what that is, how it's done, and maybe even how to know if it's done right. But to the majority of us, especially the younger ones who didn't grow up working on their car, you might as well have said "zigamorphed drive makegoer". I have no idea what it is, no confidence in my ability to understand it due to my underlying lack of context, and in one nanosecond have recalled every horror story friends and family have ever told me about heavily modded cars turning into expensive paperweights. I think "man, that sounds awesome!", but wouldn't buy the car for 20% under bluebook, just due to my own ignorance.
So I think it ends up depending on your audience and target demographic, and the more serious the mods, and closer they are to mechanical elements, the smaller your customer pool becomes. And if you're looking to trade it to a dealer; your mods are just killing your value. So think about where and how you think you can market it, and make the decision about how much to revert from there. Or maybe include a portion in your ad that says "will install the following for the following prices" and then list every mod you've done and what it's worth for you to not remove it before sale.
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A Perfect example of how buyers want one thing, and if you modify the car you appeal to a narrower demographic.
I for one would not buy a yellow car, and will never buy anything with holes drilled in it for a body kit. That kills value for me, I'll turn and go elsewhere.
On the other hand, I have been wrenching for years and still would not buy a modified car unless it was extremely low mileage, has well used but not abused tires (tires never lie), and the same price or less than a stock one.
That being said, I spent a few months hunting down a low mileage 1SS with no options because I don't want someone else's used toy.