While I was trying to order a spare key for my new corvette I had an extensive conversation with the sales manager where I traded my XF. Basically, I was told that people turn away from cars that have been tampered with. Any modification you make that alters the looks of the car will probable not appeal to the masses and might even throw up a red flag as to say this car may be trouble. As beautiful as all your modifications may seem you will be better off to remove the mods before you sell it. Something as simple as a K&N air filter says performance is important and you probably have run the car harder than normal. Also, if you plan on trading your XF in on another car and your XF has been modified the sales manager is going to look harder at your car for signs of trouble. De badging is a definite NO NO. As resale values are somewhat low it doesn't take much to just wreck the value.

 

Wayne, that's really great advice. I once had a used car lot for about 5 years, and during that time I went to dealer auctions about twice a week. While there, I witnessed dealers turning their noses up on cars that had even the mildest of "mods" for just the reasons you mentioned.
There have been many times that I've read about people modifying their cars one way or another and just "cringed" when I thought about how they were ruining their cars resale value.
Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with "personalizing" your car anyway that you want. But when it comes time to trade it in, or sell it out right, just put it back to as close to "stock" as possible. Even after market wheels can lower the resale value of your car, no matter how nice they make your car look.

 

That's why I only do tasteful mods that you really can't notice unless you're paying attention.

Chrome mirrors, door inserts and gills along with Startech front spoiler.

 

Right on! I thought I was the only one who felt this way, especially after the beating I took on this related thread:

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...nse+bone+stock

 

agreed... subtle is the way to go... not over kill... and all of my mods are reversible.

 

I really don't see it that way. So your saying don't do any personalization to you're car because your worried about selling it to the next owner? Where's the fun in that? It's like when people tell you not to get a type of hardwood floor or cabinet color in a house because it's trendy...well maybe you like it that color...stop worrying about the next owner.

I would never buy an item and not do what I wanted to it because I was afraid that the next owner wouldn't like it or it would be harder to sell. You might as well just lease your cars then.

 

Veto, just to be clear, I don't think anyone here is saying "don't make mods" to your car (or house as you pointed out), just simply that you should be aware of what those changes may do to the resale of your vehicle. I can understand completely why a dealer may be weary of a car with mods...how do they know that they were done properly? Does the mod limit their ability to sell to a wide audience (performance mods will likely rule out a large portion of potential buyers)? So mod away my friend...

Ah, but MAYAman brings up the difficult "tasteful" word into the mix. It's impossible to judge what exactly is tasteful. Elegant vs tacky...I used to think I knew, but I'm seemingly losing touch with the meaning of tasteful. For example, I'm really not a big fan of the "chrome everything, oversized wheels, spinners (are we done with this yet?), outrageous sound systems"...but I think that's the taste of a different generation. So are these mods distasteful? Apparently not to the younger car gen. One thing that will not change however is a well crafted job.

While driving to the in laws for Xmas, I stopped for some coffee along the highway and parked next to this young guy with a Honda, painted up in bright orange flake. It had all the skirts, bumpers, and wing "additions" that are so typical of tuners today. But on closer inspection, I have to admit, it was very well done, and well crafted and I had to admire it for that. It wasn't my taste, but it was a beautifully done piece of work.

In the end though, the point is right, if you want to resell your car, and you are concerned about your resale value, mods can be a negative factor.

 

I would NEVER buy a used car that had even the slightest hint of modding.

 

I see what you're saying. I guess I am just from the world of imports, where modding is a big part of it. I think that one of the funniest parts of getting car, modding it.

Also, not buying a car with a hint of modding...well, I will advise you to never buy a used import than...

 

I would agree for resale value, stock is the way to go. I do appreciate looking at other people's modifications, and some are very good at it. A lot of what people do to their vehicles isn't to my taste, but I do enjoy seeing how other people modify their cars. Personally, I like the way my car looks just the way it came over on the boat, but having said that, even I have contemplated the new grill. I will say this, my wife and I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow "Crossfire Couple" for Dinner a couple of nights ago, which was great by the way, and as we got on the freeway and ran together for a little while I couldn't help but be amazed by what a work of art the "Bone stock" Crossfire really is going down the road.

 

I Think The Engine Mod Is A Definite Red Flag On Buying Used, But If Your Selling, Not Trading In, You May Get More From A Person Who Might Like The Visual Mods Imo.

 

I see the point here for sure but I can't leave my car alone, even if it’s a lease. I don't have K&N filters, but those aren't just for performance, they're a service life extender as well. Now as far as de-badging goes, well, once I bought Andrews decals I had the car saying "Crossfire" twice in the rear, so I removed the chrome letters, giving the car a smooth look IMO. One thing that may work against me when trying to sell the car outright in March is my Magnaflow muffler, but I don't care because the car was waaaaaay too quiet and it needed some attitude and its got it for sure! I'm just going to roll the dice and see what happens. In closing I've found that if you keep your car clean, I mean CLEAN and you carry yourself well, you need not worry.

 

I like to think of my "mods" as subtle, yet tasteful.

 

Modding or personalizing your car is an excellent way of making it "YOURS", but since the Crossfire is such a beautiful design to begin with, some will say, "Why mess with perfection?" While others would say, "It's a great place to start". No matter which side of the fence you're on, nobody is saying don't mod your car because it might turn off the next buyer. We're just saying it will be more desirable to the most potential buyers in the future, if it's stock.
Blame it on any number of reasons, but personally I think it simply boils down to a new owner wants to start with a clean "canvas", and if your car has too many of your personal mods still on it, then they will probably never feel like it's truly "THEIRS".
The other night my Wife and I had the genuine pleasure of meeting RickZ and his lovely Wife for dinner. When we walked out to the restaurant's parking lot, there sat his beautiful "stock" black coupe glistening under the lights, looking very menacing, (in a Darth Vadarish sort of way) by that I mean if I pulled up next to it at a light, I'd think twice before challenging it. His car simply looked "righteous" just the way it came off the assembly line.
That being said, and since my car is neither black, nor menacing, there is a very good chance it will cease to be completely stock for much longer. Only because I have a few "ideas" that I would like to try out for myself. But you can be sure that all the original parts will continue to be close at hand if there ever comes a time I may want to trade it in.

 

I suppose it all depends on how you get rid of your vehicle. As a trade in, stock is probably the way to go. So keeping original parts would be a must. However, if you're selling, chances are good mods will attract a buyer. Personally, I bought the XF to keep, not to sell.

 

I agree with the resale value by modding it, but more often than not when you eventually sell any modified car you're going to sell it to someone who will pay for the added work (EX: Cyril's XFIREX). Granted, you don't get all of your money back with it, but you make it unique. I'm about to install an SRT6 bumper on my Limited which are few and far between in my color (making it more unique).

Being a part of the younger crowd in the tuner age I have to say that I hate chrome, spinners, crazy paint jobs (bright colors and the like). I would really like to re-paint my car in a nice two-tone, "clean" look. I also never plan on selling my car unless something happens to it like my previous car.

All in all I say, don't worry about the resale value because once you buy new, the car loses value as soon as you drive it off the lot unless it's a in demand car without a mod put on it.

 

I don't think that's it. When buying a used car, one has to be aware of it's condition. And since we can't see the engine or transmission internals, we must pick up on clues that we can see to determine if a car is a good investment or not. A major clue is the previous owner. Would you rather buy a used car from a middle aged lawyer or a teenage male? It has been my experience - and probably the experience of others - that most teenage males do not take proper care of their vehicles. Because of this, I would not purchase a car that I know belonged to a teenage male.

Similarly, it's undesirable to purchase a car that has been consistently driven hard or on the track. One surefire signal that a car has been driven hard is the addition of mods. If someone is willing to spend $$$ on a custom exhaust to increase noise and maybe squeeze out an extra 10 HP, then it's reasonable to assume that the driver also revs the engine to the redline at every shift. No one in their right mind should buy a used car with that kind of red flag.

 

You got it. That's exactly what I'm talking about.

 

That's a huge generalization since you really do not know the person you are dealing with no matter what age. Me and most of my friends took care of our cars when it came to driving when we started. If the car was pristine would you still not buy it? Also, a middle-age lawyer can be just as bad of a driver as a teenage male, trust me I've seen my fair share, not just lawyers but older males. I've been driving for close to 7 years and have never been pulled over due to reckless driving (which usually means you're pushing the car anyway or being a retard on the road). Yes it is more common for younger males (heck, even females) to be harsher with their rides but not all young people drive nuts (my insurance is $98 a month because of my stellar record of 0 tickets or wrecks).

I think you have to evaluate the car more, not the person when buying a used car. Any person should allow a shop to look over the car prior to when you buy it, if they don't want you too, don't bother.

 

This thread has taken a total new scope. I think Wayne's point at the beginning of the thread was general advice on how mods can affect resale, not if we should mod or not. At the end we can all do whatever we want with our cars, but that does not change the point he was trying to share.

FP