What is the general consensus on this? I've seen guys go fully built TT motors and also guys who leave everything bone stock. I know GM built a bunch of them so any chance of them being "collectible" down the road?

 

Mod away, ..., Save the components you remove, 'just in case' someday you wanna sell it & put it back to stock.

If you're using it as an investment in hopes of it being a 'collectible' someday, ..., You've put your money in the wrong department already.

Drive it, mod it if you want, ..., & enjoy it!



http://35thle.com/phpBB3/index.php?s...c43e4e6bf5a973

 

The only ones that will be collectible will be the 100% stock with less than 10k miles (some people say less than 1k miles).

 

Agree, even though some sweet one owner cars with mileage in the teens will fetch good $$ too as time passes. Many 'collectors' have different perspectives but as a rule, 'the less miles the better'. That 5th digit on the odometer is a deal breaker for some.

One other thing to consider. 'Stock' cars are easier to sell when that time comes. A 40,000 miles stock anniversary car will have many potential buyers in the market, from young to old and both male and female. Once you start the modding process the market thins to mainly just young males, a market that has the least amount of $$ to spend. You have in effect eliminated 75% of the market. When you mod, you have to keep your mind open to the possibility of having a tough sale down the road. The "What's It Worth' section has been full of owners posting over the years about the inability to get good money for their heavily modded rides, even the ones with low mileage. As long as you know that in advance, you can make the right decision.

 

Most I would probably do would be headers/lid and lowering it. I guess that would rule out weld in subframe connectors.

 

It's up to you naturally. Simple mods that can easily be reversed is usually no problem. If welding or heavier modding is really something you always wanted to do, don't worry about it. Don't save the car for someone else to enjoy. It's yours to enjoy now.
Having said that, and since you were concerned about it enough to post here, what is the mileage on your car? Is it a one or two owner in pristine condition? If you do own a 10,000 or 15,000 miles one owner garage kept example I would personally leave it alone, but again, it's your car! How important is re-sale value at this point? Is it ultra important? A very personal decision that no one can make for you. I'm just laying out the scenarios for the way most collectors and buyers think and then you can decide. Having as much info as possible is a good thing. Good luck!

** Just an example for you: My Aerocoupe is all original and in pristine condition, possibly one of the finest 50 Aeros left in existence from what I've seen over the years. It is worth in the high teens. If for sale I would ask $20,000 and let it go for $17,000 or $18,000. That's real world pricing over the past 6 years or so using both private sales and major auction pricing. If I modded the Aero with welds, or a cam, or something more than just a bolt-on, the value would be seriously decreased, possibly right down to $12,000 or $13,000. That's just the way it is. If modding the Aero was something I always dreamed of doing, then I would say to screw the $6,000 price difference and just enjoy the car. I personally like the original showroom car so it isn't a concern for me.

 

Thanks for the insight. This is theoretical for now.

 

heavily modded here.Im the type of person to keep my cars.

 

My advice coming from a guy a guy who had his Firehawk modifed, Build a nasty, all motor car. that way unless someone has xray vision and doesn't already know gives it a 100% visual appearance of stock with a little bit more punch. So when that blown modern muscle car beats you you can say, " congrats! you beet a stock decade + old car!!" (really wish that's the route I had gone.. not to mention keeping it emissions friendly).. BUT! it's your car! don't worry about what others think and enjoy your car!

 

I own a 35thle came with the cme exhaust. I have a torquer v2 long tubes, ory, slp lm2, k&n fipk, 30lbs injectors waiting for me to install. Gonna add a stall and a nitrous kit as well. Im never going to sell the car people offer me money all the time and every time I say HELL NAW! lol. I want my 35thle to be the fastest car I will ever own

 

Mod it. I mostly tried to keep my appearance stock but I have full slp exhaust, air lid, coil overs and internally I have a MS3 cam.

 

I say mod it to the point where you can easily reverse it. Overall mileage is more important to collectors rather than reversible bolt on mods.

I've got the itch to heavily mod my CETA with a complete LS3 motor and drivetrain swap but would be satisfied with heads, cam, longtubes and some suspension mods.

IMO When you start cutting up, drilling or welding extra stuff on the car you've pretty much diminished any appreciated value for collector status.