Take a 10,000$ car, add 10,000$ mods, and what do you have? There's a reason highest value cars are original. Mods equal personalization, equal less buyers, equal less value. This is true with almost any vehicle. I only buy original. I don't want a car someone has wrenched on. People trying to get the $$$ back they've put in mods are not being realistic. Great for personal satisfaction, but not for resale. Just mentioned this because all of the "one of a kind" cars being listed here for unrealistic prices.

 

It's worth $10,000 to most people. A problem a potential buyer might have is who did the work. I've had to redo a couple of jobs done by "race shops" myself. My car has been raced since new but also maintained and tested constantly. I've replaced parts that never wear out on a street driven car. Wear items fail real fast. But your on the money. If I was to try and sell her now I don't know if I could unless it was at a give away price. The value of the mods, to me, is in the memories. Priceless.

Les

 

I'm not concerned because I promised my car to my daughter, with no plans of ever selling. If I did though, I would not expect to recover the 8 g's in mods which doesn't include labor, since I do all my own work.

 

Maybe I'm just an old cruiser. I'm looking at a motorcycle right now, and saw the one I want. The add said just had it up to 150mph last night. It had mods. No thanks. I just relate all the performance mods to a hard used vehicle. That's really the point. Cars are built for the masses. After modifications your potential buyers drop drastically, so trying to sell a one of a kind, to me it actually reduces the value, or at least eliminates myself as a buyer.
On the lighter side, one of my best friends nickname from high school is modified.

 

I was thinking about this very subject while walking around a car show yesterday. They only had two classes pre 1980 and post 1980. I took my stock original Daytona Turbo Z and most if not all the cars in my class had numerous modifications and many were highly modified. While I agree with triplmmm about original cars having the highest value, in a show setting it's the modifications that get the attention of the judges and spectators. I personally would not expect to get a dollar for dollar return on mods but, there are those people that think what they created is now a piece of rolling art and as such it is now worth every penny they spent and then some. I prefer factory original when it comes to my cars but, I do like seeing what other people do to their cars to set them apart. There were 25 post 1980 Mustangs at the show yesterday and only one (2008 Shelby GT 500) was stock. I have spent a grand total of maybe $250 on little things to personalize my Crossfire, all of which can be removed in about 20 minutes to return her to stock. $10,000 in modifications, I could buy a nice matching coupe for that kind of money. Different strokes for different folks.

 

Mines 99% stock. Save for K&N drop ins which isn't a mod in my book. I'd like an exhaust system, radio with Bluetooth, and maybe some SRT wheels or something similar. I daily drive mine til the snow hits then it sits. I've trolled the forum long enough that if I was ready to buy a car from a forum member, I know which ones I'd spring for. I promise I'm not a creep. Lol

 

Like most people, I chose to modify my car to please one person, the owner, maybe that sounds selfish. But one thing I've discovered (after owning over 100 cars) is that the cars I personalize tend to be the cars that I want to keep a lot longer than the cars that I leave perfectly stock.
I never make a modification that can't be undone in hours, and returned to stock. But the enjoyment factor out weighs any monetary loss or gain I may or may not see, by making my car look exactly the way I want it to. Thus, it's priceless to me.
I will agree, that most untouched "original" classics do bring more $$$'s at collector auctions, and are easier to sell. But there are always exceptions to that rule, what with the crazy prices that some "restomods" are commanding these days. All it takes is finding that one buyer who's willing to pay a premium for your idea.