Will upgrades decrease value ?

orph · 01-20-2003, 04:00 PM

Except for going with a K-27 Turbo a few months ago, my '86 930 remains totally stock. I've been considering going with headers, but several people feel that by doing so, I'll decrease the value of the car, the thought being that if I had headers on the car, then surely I did so to drive the liv'in hell out of the car.

That I valid argument not to "upgrade" ?

Dana_Drury · 01-20-2003, 04:12 PM

I think it depends a great deal. For instance, I feel that replacing the Trombone cooler with a Carrera cooler and fan can only be a good thing on my car and increase its value.

Same with SSI headers and a back dated exhaust system.

I would argue that any modification that adheres to the quality of the original Porsche OEM parts, and either extends the performance with out reducing the life of the car, or at least extends the life of the car can only be a good thing and a value add.

Eric Mckenna · 01-20-2003, 04:13 PM

I'd have to say it depends on who is buying it,,, they would make me HAPPY! but a guy looking for clean stock car may dislike it.. i like the idea of mods being done.

Eric

dougcl · 01-20-2003, 04:52 PM

Mods on a 930 are scary in my opinion. Unmolested examples are going to be hard to come by in the long run, and are going to command a premium as a result, I'd wager. Regarding upgrades... the term has become a euphemism.

Doug
75 911S

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

is it your car, or does it belong to the next owner?

By and large mods drop the value unless you find a buyer that is specifically looking for those changes. The safest bet for resale is to have a totally unmolested car, preferable with very few miles. Every turn of the odometer is dropping your resale value. You optimize your value by not driving it....maybe start it up every so often to keep the mechanicals working and lubed.

But what the heck kind of fun is that?

9XI · 9XI's Garage

No, upgrades don't hurt value. Just think of upgrades that EVERYONE would want.

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

Don't think so. Upgrades that are known improvements (SS exhaust for example) should be OK - what kills resale is not having pride of ownership!

rjp

rstoll · 01-20-2003, 05:55 PM

Are you thinking of saving it for someone else??? Mod it, drive it, enjoy it!

Mike Feinstein · Mike Feinstein's Garage

Most "bolt-on" mods can be "bolted-off" come resale time if it concerns you. You can then sell your mods seperately if you don't have a need for them.

Sean Hamilton · Sean Hamilton's Garage

Be it mechanical, trim or body - scrupulous maintenance (audited, recorded and proof receipts) is what keeps the value up on any classic.

It's been my experience that "Mod's", unless they were a genuine factory OEM option or known and proven genuine bug fix, will generally detract from the value of a stock classic.

But the car must a "desirable", a "collectable" to warrant such restraint. I'd reckon any 930 probably falls into THAT category.

Still, life is short .......so yeah, what Robert said.

Big Ed · 01-20-2003, 07:53 PM

Have to agree with the masses, modification will increase your enjoyment, likely increase miles driven, and will often detract from resale.

So the question is, did you buy this to have fun or as an investment? If the latter, then I have some real estate deals that you need to get in on....

I live in MA, and on Saturday I took out my 930 Cab (top up! -- 15 degrees) after I read an old post where Nostatic asked another member "are you saving it for the next owner?" I decided that I was not, and had a blast.

And BTW, mine is heavily modified, no regrets!

ischmitz · ischmitz's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Feinstein
Most "bolt-on" mods can be "bolted-off" come resale time if it concerns you. You can then sell your mods seperately if you don't have a need for them.

Reading this brings up a whole other point of view: Recently, it seems more profitable for even the the average guy next door to chop up the car and sell the parts rather than selling the whole car. I think that is something really sad. We should create an interest group for endangered species.

I saw one guy on Ebay who claimed in his add that he decided to go that route....

Ingo

dean · 01-21-2003, 05:09 AM

I read that mods will reduce the value of a car. Bunk I think this myth comes from if you have a matching #'s car and you change the motor. That will reduce the value for a collector, but not an enthusiate.

So what headers are you gettin?

01-21-2003, 05:19 AM

Keep the original parts and put them on when you decide to sell the car. That way the mods won't scare off any potential costumer.

I still have my original radio, steering wheel, airbox and wheels. The only thing I can't undo is the paint job (from white to silver). Oh yeah and the Bilstein shocks, but they can't possibly be considered a bad thing.

As long as you can undo the things go ahead and have fun.

Embs · Embs's Garage

I think it's completely subjective. Some folks shy away from a vehicle with a long list of upgrades especially performance mods
because they know if you have 300HP, you more than likely use all 300 of them on occasion.

In other situations it may be just the opposite, a car from Andial or RUF, is of course going to bring more.

I would never modify a classic, but I had a plain jane 1984 targa to work with so I figured what the heck. I categorized my mods as improvements!

Groesbeck Hurricane · 01-21-2003, 05:51 AM

IMHO updates, upgrades do not negatively effect resale value. Putting things on the vehicle that have NOTHING to do with the basic vehicle will limit your margetability. What comes to mind is the idiot somewhere around Waco who has a Chevy 4X4 Diesel Dually. He has a gooseneck hitch and a towbar on the truck and has changed out (read coffee can) the exhaust system and lowered the truck to the ride level of a stock Honda Civic.

thrown_hammer · 01-21-2003, 06:21 AM

Who do you want to make happy? You or the next owner? Answer this question honestly and get on it!!!

01-21-2003, 06:41 AM

I think it totally depends on what the upgrades are and how well they are performed. Personally, I would not have looked at a car with any upgrades except tensioners, pop off etc. My experience has been that while upgrades may increase performance, they may decrease drivability or sacrifice cormfort. I want to make the decisions where those compromises occur. That being said, I'm making my car what I want it to be and enjoying it.
Mark

Dougster · 01-21-2003, 09:42 AM

I think it depends on the situation...One person might want the mods and feel it increases the value for the car while others might see it as a sure sign its been run hard & put away wet...So to speak...

roGERK · 01-21-2003, 10:13 AM

Within the world of classic cars there's actually no debate on this issue - originality (preferably with a very low milage) is what buyers want.

As a car ages, the number of unmodified and low milage examples diminishes, to the point when silly money is involved on the rare occasions when such a vehicle comes onto the market.

Unfortunately, there's very little way of enjoying any car if this is your primary goal.

What's the best compromise? To make modifications that can be easily "Undone" and/or keep the original parts so you can restore the car back to its original state.

The choice is yours!

- roGER