I'd like to get some opinions from other folks. I have a 2002 WS6 Red/Beige A4 immaculate condition. 22xxx Miles. Right now the car only has 3 modifications, TT2's, BMR springs, GMMG axle back. I still have the factory ws6 springs and factory ws6 wheels. Is this car too nice/rare to modify? If I were to modify it would it still be desirable in the long run? My plans are anywhere from leave it the hell alone up to 600-700rwhp via turbo. I've never had a car nice enough to make this decision a hard one. So what are everyone else's opinions?

 

Just my opinion here.. The collector car market is finicky at best and even though a car might be rare that doesn't always equate to value. Then you have to look at the future of collector cars, Compared to when I was younger the younger generation don't seem to be into older cars, They want the latest and greatest and the market is starting to show that. Collector car values have leveled off and many think they bubble has burst and values will fall rather than increase. I know people who have invested a lot of money into cars and planned on using them for retirement, They are now getting worried and thinking they may need to sell sooner rather than later.

As far as your car is concerned, Rare means little if it's not something people care about. There are cars that are one of one but not valuable because the very options that make it in a class of it's own aren't desirable. You can have the only factory purple and yellow polka dot WS6 but unless a large group of people want such a car it adds no value. The one thing I see right away that hurts the value of your car is the A4, Unless something changed everyone wants the manual trans.

 

Sounds like you have a nice WS6 however, to be quite frank, it's simply not a top tier collector example. The primary options (exterior color, trans type) are not at all rare, nor in higher demand than available supply (red is quite common, second only to black and less desirable than black). The taupe interior is a less common option, but not highly desirable in a niche nor general market sense as to add any real value. The A4 trans is generally not desirable at all (on a personal note, I'm an automatic guy to the core and I would never buy one of these with an M6, but I'm a rare enthusiast in this aspect). At 22k miles, it's well past the point of premium collector status for a special interest type of car that is only 17 years old (many WS6s have been tucked away, examples with 4-digit mileage or less still pop up with some regularity).

Now, if some key details about your specimen were different, such as being the highly desirable SOM exterior, the very rare camel interior, and an M6 transmission, then I would say that even at 22k miles you'd have an example which may appeal to some higher end collectors. But, based on the optional content listed, I'd say to enjoy the car as you wish - mod away or leave it stock - whatever gives you the most pleasure. Whether or not it is "too nice" to modify, that's strictly up to you. Some folks will do extensive builds on examples with only 3-5k miles, while others feel that even at 50k miles they are "too nice" to be messed with. Many of us used to modify these cars right off the showroom floor while we still had temp plates - so it's all just a matter of personal preference.

FWIW, other than some very minor bolt-ons, I've preserved my 18k mile '98 Z28 as close to stock as possible. My reasons for doing so have nothing to do with current nor future value as this model falls at the bottom of all 4th gens in terms of collectibility; it's purely for personal reasons/personal pleasure regarding the "time capsule" experience as it relates to my first brand new car.

Also, just an FYI, there were no factory "WS6" springs issued on your model. Some of the early WS6 cars (1998-'99) may have received 1LE springs from the factory, but by model year 2000 and beyond these cars received the same springs as any other V8 model. I purchased my '00 WS6 brand new in July of 2000, and the only suspension "upgrade" it received from my various Z28 models was a 32mm (vs. 30mm) front sway bar (even the shocks were listed under the same part number at the time).

 

Once you get outside the space of the firehawks, gmmg blackbirds, or a very few examples of the ws6 Formulas these cars are just not really collector materials. Yes they made far fewer birds then Camaros but gm still made lots of trans ams.

The poster above nailed the points on your car very well. Do what you want with the car.

 

There were at least* 554 '02 Red WS6 coupes w/ A4 built. Depending on your definition of "beige", at least* 548 '02 WS6 A4s were built with "Taupe Leather" (RPO 522/523) interior, but only at least* 86 built w/ "Lt.Camel Leather" (RPO 672/673) interior.

* I say "at least" because for the '02 MY, CompNine's database from which these numbers came appear to be missing about 2000 A4 WS6 coupes compared to another data source. So these numbers are likely (much) higher. Anyway you slice it, your car can't be considered "rare" relative to other combinations or MYs. On the other hand, many cars like yours have already been trashed or totaled, so its definitely worth taking good care of it.

Also worth noting, while M6 cars are generally more desirable, in a '02 WS6 coupe, they are more common than the A4 (its the other way around in a '02 WS6 'vert).

 

I wouldn't be afraid to go all out with yours. About 13 years ago I bought a perfect '97 Formula WS6 with 8,000 miles on it. Of the 473 of them made, I have traced it to be 1 of 1 given the bizarre way the car is optioned. I didn't at the time consider it to be a very special car and still don't and so I did what I wanted with it. It it was a true 1LE I may have considered keeping it relatively stock but mine is a non 1LE stripper. Outside of the factory LT4 '97s and the GMMG built cars and perhaps a very few select others, I would go nuts. Just my .02

 

mod away and have fun with it

 

Mod it to all hell !
If you see something on it that you don't know what it is or does, pull it off and throw it in the garbage !

 

Dredging a necro thread, but I own a Firehawk. I bought it with 95k on it. All of my mods are in my sig. It has 125k on it now and I just got through modding 92 C4 seats into the car. I modded this car so I could enjoy it. And believe me, I do. I am not concerned with a resale on this one due to the miles on the car when I bought it.