Myardor

iTrader: (7)

So we do so many MODs, exhaust, turbo, lowering, wheels, etc
Do we get our monies back when we sell or do we get our monies back
when we sell the mods or what?

I see where one dude wants what he paid or more for his led tail lights
I have also seen some say, they have over 15K in mods.

I see many ppl buy mods, only to sell them a few months saying they need the money.
So why spend on the mods if one will sell a bit later

Is it a form of savings account?

What do you think?

Razz1

It's not what we think, its what you think!

That is what counts.

JinDesu

iTrader: (2)

The bolded statement confused the hell out of me.

With regards to the rest of the post, people don't know what they want. They buy it, find out it doesn't really suit them (exhaust, intake, lights, body kits, etc) and want to get something else. So they sell. People aren't that easily satisfied, and they tend to buy things without thinking it through completely.

Hoss

It is a poor decision to invest into something that is going to continuously decrease in value...

You get personal enjoyment out of the parts, but I would say it is nearly impossible to expect the parts not to lose value, or to gain in value. Unless you are buying at extremely low prices.

tubingchamp

iTrader: (3)

Answer:

You lose money on mods.

You lose money on cars.

Unless you mod it, never drive your car, and keep it in a garage for 45 years I don't see you making ANY gains on an automotive investment.

Hoss

You could make money on restoring a car. But that would be more along the lines of sweat equity...

CarAndDriver

Agree with the posters above that mods just decrease in value just like the rest of the car. You do mods b/c they bring personal enjoyment not for some "investment" delusion.

The Reverend

iTrader: (1)

They decrease overall value of the car, but perhaps increase personal value. That special feeling when you own something that no one else has.

I guess I just repeated what CaD just said

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

I don't think you should consider mod's as an investment, as you're not likely to get your money back. An automobile is a depreciating investment in general.

Mod for the hobby-enjoyment of it, much as you would spend entertainment dollars. You can even consider the self-improvement automotive education benefits, but again not fiscal investment worthy.

I guess I just repeated others as well. The OP should see the trend tho'.

mike[piston eater]

iTrader: (3)

value? our car has value?

RedRocket8

^^agree...Especially for our cars mods do nearly nothing, unless you go FI, even then sometimes can't compete with other cars. Members on this forum do mods to make the 8 look good and to have a sense of pride, that they transformed something into their pride and joy. It really depends on the owner.

Myardor

iTrader: (7)

Do we get our monies back when we sell or do we get our monies back
when we sell the mods or what?
I meant:
1. When we sell the car modded
2. When we sell the mod themselves but not the car

I tend to keep my cars a long time and do not remove my mods
Once on the car, they stay there.
Kept Nissan King Cab truck for 12 years then gave it away when engine died.
Still have the 95 MX-3. A few mods, exhaust, tail lights, clear corners, etc
Just bought the RX-8 in 07 so just starting and only a few mods

tubingchamp

iTrader: (3)

Better off parting out, but still will not recoup the cost of mods or anywhere near it. You'll get more than you would having them installed still.

lilring

iTrader: (11)

You will ALMOST never make money on a car.. Just like tubingChamp said, If you want to try to get back what you spent on mods. You need to partout the whole car. That is my plan when it comes time for a new car

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

As has been stated, mods add nothing to a car's value unless you find that one-in-a-hundred buyer who just HAS to have your particular configuration.

Parting-out is the only way to recoup your investment for short-term ownership, say ten years or less. But be careful because modded parts wear out and lose value, too. Sometimes quickly.

If you plan on keeping the car for the long-term, say more than 20 years, then keeping it purely stock is the best way to maintain value. After 20 years, the collector's market will snap it up if still in good shape and straight stock, and often pay top dollar. Unfortunately that is not an option for most people.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

car = depreciating asset, no matter what mods you put on it.

if you sell the parts used, expect to recover 50% or LESS depending on the part.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Exactly. I put over 20k in mods (turbo, built motor, paint, etc.) into a car I owned previously and it sold for less than 10k.

Locally there is an RX8 with very low miles and a Greddy kit that is very nicely done (wheel, etc.) for sale and it has been on the market for a year at least. No one wants to buy anyone elses problem. Personally I would never buy a modded car unless I knew the owner personally or if he had all the service/install records.

blackenedwings

Modifying a car is almost guaranteed to lower it's value regardless of what has been done unless there is a detailed professional installation history documented and the buyer is looking for the specific setup you have. The RX-8 is especially bad for this as the car depreciates massively stock. Start adding modifications, especially "high risk" mods like turbo/sc kits and you limit your potential customers significantly.

Hoss

From what I have seen, they have held their values slightly better than some of its competitors (mainly the 350z), but that is just something to take with a grain of salt as a lot of factors come in to play.

More often than not you will get the largest return on investment (or rather the least loss) by uninstalling whatever mod you can and selling it that way. Items such as aesthetic mods, not so much, but performance mods, yes, since if you go back to stock it will not influence the sales price at all, and you can sell the used equipment. But selling a modified car as is will do nothing but limit your market that you are selling to.

Chronisseur

It's good to see some sensible people in the RX-8 community. I laugh anytime someone uses the words "investment" and "car" in the same sentence. Others have already explained the problem with that thinking, except in some rare cases. When I was in the used car market, I saw a lot of people holding out for some sucker to pay an extra couple thousand more than what their car was worth because of the mods on there.

User24

iTrader: (1)

It may not be an investment, but hell what is? Name it I've lost money on it. Gold, real estate, stocks, IRA, all bigtime money losers. Nothing is an investment, everything is a money hole. The only lasting value is primary function.

Hoss

Hey, you never know when you will find the sucker gullible enough not to care who installed the mod or to what quality it was installed, and assume the mod increases the value...

But then again, like I said before, you can install or uninstall a lot of mods yourself, and anyone with the tools is qualified, right? And all of that will be documented... You buy used, you take these risks.

ferg

invest in to saving your money, their will always be a new rx car one day that you will want or others

tubingchamp

iTrader: (3)

Ouch, captain negativity to save the day!

Hoss

But it seems to work backwards for rotary cars...

Used FD's sell for the same price, if not more(for cars in worse shape), than SE3p's...

And even old FC's sell for more money (comparatively) than our cars...