Used mod free car or used modded car?
 

I'm wondering what you think.

(1) used car that has the mods you would do anyway

(2) used with no mods.

I recently saw a car with an injen cold air intake and borla cat back exhaust. Those would be the first two mods I would do anyway. Would you still buy a used unmodded car? If so, why?

(Same price pretty much. My concern with the car was not knowing who did the mods and what else was modded that I couldn't see)

Depends on the mods..
Major mods you don't know the quality
My 2c is no mods

Have you ever heard a Borla? I think they're pretty loud.
Maybe buy a mod free one so you can choose what you want.
Also most aftermarket parts have a shorter life span than a OEM part so you dont know if those parts are nearing the end of there life span.
(ps; i'm not saying the parts are bad qualityor borla in paticular doesnt last)

I have a borla exhaust on my 1987 corvette that's been on it for a very long time. I bought the car 13 years ago and it was already on the car, no problems with it (the car on the other hand- everything went wrong with it, I can't believe I bought another one but I love Chevy)

The exhaust on my '87 is headache inducing, exhaust on the car I'm talking about was mild.

You don't get your money back out of modding a car. Maybe some, but not even 75%... you'd be lucky to get 50%.

If the work was done correctly, and if you know what you're looking for, there is no reason to be cautious about mods that were done. You save money and time that way. I bought a turbo FRS with 33k miles, so I am speaking from experience.

Most CAIs are less functional than the OEM intake, so my first mod would be to remove that. And I don't care for the Borla exhaust. If it was a Perrin exhaust I'd be tempted. I would still buy the unmodded one, because I don't trust other people's projects to work right. If it was a company's demo car, that'd be different.

I personally like a blank canvas. It can go 50/50 most car enthusiasts that mod cars will drive the piss out of them, but yet still take care of them vs non-car enthusiasts. not drive the crap out of them but don't know how to take care of the car.






w/ that being said. I am selling my car. :)

Depends on the deal. I like seeing the changes mods make and wrenching myself, so all else being equal I'd like to start closer to stock.

I wouldn't pay a dime more for a car with an intake as a $50 drop-in filter seems to add roughly the same WHP to the car (give or take margin of error). An exhaust is worth about $300-$500. The larger question is whether or not the original owner had more than just those mods on the car. If you can find a "blank canvas" car, I'd go that route. It's generally safer.

Honestly, I'd only buy a modded car if I knew its owner well and the car's history/use.

In 20 years I have owned 5 cars. Two of them had been previously modded and I will most likely never buy another modded car again. Especially any car with any sort of suspension or stereo/electrical work.

You don't know who did the mods, was it a professional shop or a complete moron. If it was the moron how long are the mods going to hold up? What corners did they cut to do stuff on the cheap?

You don't know how far they modded. Have they put stuff in and ripped it out? Other than what you can see what else have they "fixed"?

You always run the risk of this stuff when buying a used car but if you buy a car that appears to be bone stock I think you have a better chance of the car holding up better over time and you will have less headaches when you go to mod the car for yourself.

Buy the stock car. Once you mod a lot of minor bits and pieces are one use and should be replaced during installation, you wouldn't know if the previous owner was that meticulous.

depends on the car condition, i would not care mod or not mod. Some modded car are actually more well taken care of because the owner take pride of their car. Some stock car are beat up like a rental car because the owner knows they gonna get rid off it soon. Or a stock car you are seeing, might possibly have extensively mod and put back stock for sell or trade in. It's hard to say, i would check the car condition and history to make judgement.

Yeah, car was on a used car lot, no idea who did the mods. Thanks!

Think of it this way.. if it's the same price get the modded one since you could just buy used oem part if you want revert to stock, rather than buying new aftermarket which would cost lots more in parts and labor, or worst buy used aftermarket parts that might have issue already and are sold under "1k miles" just because they don't want it or its some how unseemly broken already from that "over 1k miles." Than you'll end up buy new part to replace broken aftermarket part if you're unlucky..

Either way I'd rather buy it modded if it's not overly old ride it than once it break (if it does down the road) it'll be much better to spend money than,vs a fine running stock, buying more aftermarket just to leave oem parts to rust.

If you do want stock might as well get a 2017? Warrenty,clean,new history :D than you'll learn to love xD

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My policy on buying used, modded cars is that it's ok to do so if:

1) They are mods you would've done anyway.
2) They were done correctly.

Obviously number 2 is way more important for things like FI or anything to do with the drivetrain.

If the mods were done by a hackjob, then I steer clear. Otherwise, a properly modded car that moves along your intended upgrade path is a superb value.

He speaks the TRUTH!!! LET HIM SPEAK! ! XD
Agree most on the #2 especially force induction, if it's done by an idiot things could go wrong real bad real quick like... 0-100 real quick lol. Turbo failure, engine failure and other.. like accidents.
Bring a reputable mechanic to check and test drive first, better they check
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What's your thoughts on buying a modded car that the owner (me) worked on, keeps detailed records on (small example below), and how much would the car even go for? I'm always curious if people would be more inclined to buy or stay away from such a modded car, even with good records?

definitely used with no mods..better to have an untouched car otherwise you never know what the previous owner might have screwed up and put a band-aid over...getting a car fax and all the service records is very important in this case when buying used.

If the car had mods I wanted then I would buy something like yours in a heartbeat. I would take a well maintained, documented, modded car over an unknown used one at any time. Yours has obviously been kept up and I have little doubt that you would be upfront and honest about any issues with a potential buyer. There are probably a dozen or so cars (some heavily modded) on here that I would buy without hesitation.
Buying one used but with zero real history or documentation you really have no clue what you are getting. Even buying one from a dealer is no assurance. There have been many on here where the owner beat the living crap out of it, did mods or work without a clue what they were doing and then just threw the stock parts back on to trade it in. Buying a used "stock" vehicle does not assure anybody it was always stock. There have been a few reports on here about guys having serious issues with the car they bought being stock and then finding out it had been modded and then put back. I personally would be very nervous buying used unless I knew exactly what the history of the car was.

I say don't buy the one with mods. While it may seem like a good deal since for the same price you are getting 2 mods you already want, the risk of potential future repairs from badly done modifications erases this gain.

As I said just above I will take a car with know mods that are functioning over one with unknowns any day. The only exception would be if there was some way to know without a doubt that the "stock" car had always been that way.

Stock car.

So how do you know it was always stock?

Depends on the mods. I picked up mine with Red TOM's, Perrin Intake, Overpipe, Catted Frontpipe, and Catback. I figured since the owner didn't cheap out on the parts they didn't cheap out maintaining the car. I haven't had any issues in the past 9 months since I got it. I really wanted a Galaxy Blue one though, if color didn't matter to me I most likely would've found a stock one

:word:
Exactly how would you know indeed? Considering most on this site revert to stock before selling.
@CarzCarzCarz that's what I do as well. I have lots of maintenance records. Usually I've had buyers look at that and how clean I keep my vehicles and they have no worries after that.

so if the owner of the modded one bought a dodge mini van because of a growing family. i should also buy a mini van. air tight logic.

Get a qualified mechanic to inspect the car. Nothing else matters.

Most people go back to stock when selling, so you'll never know if the car was modified. Even if it was modded, it could have had great care, and a stock car could have had awful care. High or low mileage doesn't matter. Some people get low mileage cars, and they don't change the oil because the car hasn't hit the miles yet. I, on the other hand, drive low miles and change oil every 9 months. So it depends.

Those mods arent too serious but I would have someone look at it to make sure its ok. If its what you really are going to do in the end I would say to get it but not pay more for the mods.

Buy the modded if those were the mods you were going to do anyways.
Those two mods aren't something you could really fuck up, or fuck up the car by installing wrong.

If it was a supercharger, suspension mods, or anything else that could fuck up the car if installed wrong

Personally, I never buy modded cars. It's an instant tip-off that the car more that likely hasn't been treated gently. That's a stereotype of course - but all stereotypes are rooted in a little bit of truth.

I could be probably be OK with something like a cat-back if I had a good sense of who the previous owner was. But not a Borla cat-back. That's a step below stock in my opinion. It would have to be something like a Perrin.

I'll wait for the '17. My husband took over the WRX, so I need a new DD. The vette wont be doing 600 miles/week.

If I already had a Vette, I wouldn't be getting a twin. Too much overlap. I want cars that serve different functions. Two EVs for commuting. FR-S for fun and track. Forester for transport and long haul. I want a rocket ship right now, an acceleration car. I don't think I can make myself get a Tesla, but maybe.

This is for a DD. I drive 120 miles/day. I could get another WRX or another.....Prius!

I'm sure he meant which mods were bought,not which car that replaced it.

Entirely dependent on the mods and previous owner.

I was happy that I found a brz with a spring setup I would have chosen if buying springs. It also had wheels that although not my preferred color were a nice modest style, good sized, lightweight, quality wheels with good tires. Then the cat back exhaust was not my preferred choice but I also got the stock cat back and sold the aftermarket one.

I was not going to compromise on engine mods or a slammed car. This car had zero engine mods and a quality service history.

The springs were 1" drop and the car was just well cared for. Being that I got the car for a good price irrespective of the aftermarket mods, and I was able to sell the exhaust and enjoy the mods already installed. I am happier I went that route.

I'd just buy the modded one if those mods were the ones you wanted.

Just get it inspected to make sure everything is okay with the setup and the car.

If purchasing a modded car from a dealer, make sure they are aware of said modifications. You don't want to have warranty issues because of non oem parts that were on the car when they sold it to you.