Sensible Mods Adding Value to FR-S/BRZ?
 

I'm curious if adding a factory SC (TRD), exhaust, and better tires/wheels will add to the value of this car if I consider selling it in 3 years. Not looking to track the car ..... only used as a daily driver. Can I recoop some of the cost of the mods?

You can never look at a car as a investment. You will never get out what you put into it.

Better way to do it is keep stock parts, replace them when it's time to sell, then sell parts separately. Has always worked for me over many years/cars...

Agreed. If you spend 8k for supercharging, tuning, and bolt on's it will raise the aftermarket value of the car by 3 or 4K . That's just how it is. Built the car the way you want it. The money will never be returned.

You may get back some, but not all. The more 'popular' the mod is to the masses, the more likely you are to get some money back.

E.g. if you had very OEM looking leather seats, shark fin antennae, better speakers, head unit with navigation, etc.

Bodykits, wheels, exhaust, etc. are more likely to lower the value of the car unless you find a very specific buyer for two reasons, one, they're very taste specific and most people buying a used car want OEM, and two, these sort of mods cause people to believe you drove the car much harder.

Don't count on getting a good value for add ons.

Always save the OEM stuff and swap it back on when selling unless you happen to have someone that specifically wants the car as-is. Its fairly easy with stuff like intake/exhaust. Some stuff not as easy to swap out (ie:body kits, FI)

Apparently a lot of guys sell all the parts separately to get the best value.

They won't add anything to trade in value but you if you sell it privately you may get some of it back, or keep your take off parts and sell your mods seperately when you get a new car.

The only way ANY mod will add value is if you happen to get just the right buyer who would have done that exact mod to the car anyway. For the most part, every mod that you do decreases the value of the car or at best is money thrown away upon resale. To the everyday buyer who would look at your car second hand modded=abused.

The Spyder community has been modding our cars for 13 years now. It is common to see a "part out" right before anyone sells a MR-S as the owner puts the car back to stock and gets what he can out of the removed mods. That is usually a much more effective selling strategy.

Modify for your own enjoyment of the vehicle but do not expect to be able to recoup the cost of the mods........ever.

I bought my evo x for 32k and spent a total of 25k in mods. I started asking 43k and ended up selling for 38k so they will increase the value of your car but not by much, you will spend more on parts than what you will actually get back. BTW i bought the car with 3k miles in 2008 and sold it in 2010 when it had 18k miles.

I work at a dealership and about the only thing that might add a VERY VERY little is maybe leather but to be honest everything is done by trim level so a Camry LE that has leather added in 99.9% of the time will not be worth more then the Camry LE without leather.

Now private party sale is a different animal

I don't think you would ever be able to recoup what you put into the car. It's really for you .... just like how you upgrade a house to your own taste. Others may or may not like it.

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Best value is to keep 100% stock and keep all service receipts, preferably from dealer.

IMO that is retarded tho, if I wanted a car as best investment I'd have got a used yaris or something similar.

The more mods you have to your car the smaller the group of people that could be considered interested buyers. You will get the most interest from potential buyers if the car is stock. If you do any mods, put it back to original before you try to sell it.

Thanks for everyone's comments. I totally understand that I will never get the money back from the mods. Doing the mods adds to the smile that is already on my face from driving the car. If I do sell the car ... I may need to find that unique person looking for a well maintained, DD, properly modded car.

Thanks again for the comments.

There is no properly modded car because everyone has a different preference. The most common approach to modifying is to start with a stock car and modify to your taste. Selling a modified car is like looking for your soulmate

Modifications, for the most part, do not add value to a car. Whatever you do, make sure they are reversible. Reverse it back to stock when it is time to trade/sell, and sell the mods separately. The only non-reversible mods that don't detract (or necessarily add) value might be leather/alcantara trim in the interior (replace something vinyl or plastic with leather/alcantara; i.e. speaker covers/knee pads, shift/e-brake boot).

My ability to revert back to stock went out the window when I hacked my fenders off and put flares on the car. Buuuut it's an 87 MR2, so it wasn't worth crap to begin with ;)

you know that once you sign that contract the value of the car has already depreciated ....

The only mod that would add value to a car is the hot-girl-passenger mod. Its the one where she'll give you bjs, handjobs, and all the likes anytime you step into the car and want it. There are a lot of guys who'd pay over market cost just for a mod like that.



But, seriously though, don't think that adding mods will add actual monetary value to the car. It won't. Maybe sentimental value. The only way a mod can add value is if your car is RARE and has RARE factory options, etc. (ie CLASSIC CARS).

If you do the mods for you then you're thinking in the right direction...for trade in a lot of stearlerships will argue that they have to return the vehicle to stock...for private party the right mod could help differentiate your car.

For instance, I don't think anyone here really likes the OEM tires...if you switched out to high-end shoes and they're are plenty of miles left when you list the car it could help your car stand out from 5 others and get you the sale over similarly priced vehicles. Performance parts (aftermarket exhaust, brake kits, etc.) could actually make it harder to sell your car b/c people might think you raced it, even if you never went anywhere other than your commute.

If you add pure gold and silver to the car, they will increase the value.

Rules of the road... Buy, mod, enjoy...........de-mod, sell....... rinse/repeat

pretty much agree with what everyone has said. with that being said, how hard would it be to de-SC a car?

This is really what I am curious about.:thanks:

Well the biggest factor I think it if it was a TRD SC (if they ever make one) or an aftermarket one since aftermarket has a better chance of needing to cut/modify in ways that can't be as reversible