I'm shopping around for upgrades (like coilovers), and I see that a lot of used upgrades come from people who are bringing their cars back to stock right before they sell the car. Or else they are purchasing stock parts (like 17" oem wheels) in order to bring them back to stock.

Why do people bring the cars back to stock before selling them? Why not just sell them at a higher price with the upgrades? I realize that some upgrades might not be for everyone. So if you have like 22 inch wheels with spinners then you might want to take those off just for mass appeal. But something like a better exhaust, lowered 1", etc. Why take those off?

Seems like a lot of extra work.

Thanks for any explanation on that.

Later.

 

most of the time if you trade your car in the dealer will not give you any extra money for the aftermarket parts, it usually devalues the car, but when they sell the car they will use that at a huge selling point and jack up the price of the car. So they put the car back to stock to get the most trade in out of it and then sell the parts to someone who doesnt want to spend a lot of money on new parts. Seller gets some extra cash and they buyer gets a break. Kinda a win win. Hope that answers your question.

 

Thanks. It does answer my question. But it kind of makes me not want to modify my car at all. All that labor to put stuff in, and then double that when you take it back out. Suddenly unappealing.

 

I feel the same way but i still do it. When i sell my car i will probably leave everything on it only because i will probably keep it so long that either way it wont matter for the value of the car. Also depending on what you do to the car and who you know you could probably get things removed and put stock for little to nothing. If i remember right car toys will install factory stereo stuff for free when you go to sell it. Dont let all of that discourage you from making your car your own. Our cars stand out as it is, making it yours only makes it that much better and more enjoyable.

 

If you think reselling your car to the general public with mods that you spent a bunch of time and money on will increase the value of your car, you're in for a very rude awakening. Almost as a rule, it NEVER works out that way; you usually always lose value selling a modded car. Just look at classified ads anywhere and you'll see comment like "over $40K invested, asking price 29K". It's just the nature of the beast. DON"T mod your car because you think it's an investment, mod it because you love to do it and are willing to take the hit, otherwise you WILL be disappointed come selling time. Many people pull the mods and resell them separately to try and recoup their costs that way. Apparently, the public doesn't trust, nor want to buy, your personal version of what the car "should" be, they prefer the manufacturer on both counts.

 

I made most of my money back from reselling my mods.

One of the best mods I bought that kept its value was a good set of wheels. My first set was some cheap knockoffs, but paid full retail for.... and sold for 500
Second set of wheels was the real deal, WORKS T1S' ... These wheels I think I even made a hundred or two off of... It really kept its value.

 

Make more $$ that way

 

Many people's reason for going back to stock is because you are then able to sell to a larger market. For example, a grandma is more likely to buy a stock g35 over a fully built one. Another reason is that not everyone has the same taste, so one may be turned off by the setup of a persons car and will cause them to lose interest in purchasing it.

 

idk about you guys...but i would never buy a modded car. 9 times out of 10 it's been beaten on pretty bad...always buy stock

 

Every single mod I've done is 100% reversible and all stock parts sit on a shelf in my garage.

 

I have never taken anything off a car when i trade it in, except once I had a system in it. The explanation is BS. If you know what your car is worth on a trade, that's what you'll get for it, or a little more with negotiations with or without aftermarket upgrades. I'm not sure who came up with that "devalues the car" statement but it's been around for a long time, and the many cars I've traded over the years, all being modified, that statement has never held true.

 

Depends on what you call a "mod" though.
Window tint or a diiferent brand of tire is different than a drop, intakes, HFC's, exhaust, tune, etc.

 

^ Ok, don't look at my current mods to justify what i call a mod. This is the least modded car I've ever had. Actually I don't plan on doing anything to this besides maybe get some 19"

 

because Blue Book Black Book and NADA dont care if your car is modded. when I sold my G I hade 2k coilovers 4krims with out tires all the susp bars you can think of BBK, exhaust all in all it was still an 03 g35 and unless you sell it cash most banks wont finance a car over its value you cant say to your loan officer, " but mr. man this one has coilovers and rims. thats why i need 21grand for it", when you can but the same car with out the mods for 13+/-

if you sell it sparate you make more of your money back.

 

When trading in, some dealers complain about the aftermarket stuff and say that they have to bring it to stock to sell it again, so it might actually hurt your trade in value. Then they either sell it as is with mods as an extra price point, or sell the parts themselves after going back to stock. Either way the dealership makes money off your mods without you seeing a penny for it. Enthusiasts might be willing to shell up a little more to buy a car with mods, but the vast majority wants stock.