This isn't a "my car is blah blah" thread, but whether you guys prefer to look for a standard example when buying another Scoob or something that's been modified ?

Really struggling to sell my car at the mo (which is pretty heavily modded, but not too wild to affect reliability) and am wondering if it's because it's not standard and insurance is off-putting to a lot of you.

What I don't understand is that some folks plump for the standard model, then immediately set about spending the same amount modding it up to a similar spec, so defeating the purpose in the end.

Sorry to get this off my chest, just a bit exasperated that's all.

Cheers

 

Theo

Fully understand your exasperation mate, you've been having a nightmare with this one

Personally, I would look for standard but whose to say it hasn't been modded previously then returned to standard. Presume that most peeps would want to ensure that any mods that have been carried out, have been done safely so no long term damage has been done.....

That's my 2p and good luck with the sale...

 

I used to always buy standard and then spend loads on the MOD's..I then realised it was a lot more cost effective to have someone else spend all their cash and buy a modded car!!

IMO the secondhand car market is in the worst state that I can remember, no cars are selling standard or modded.

Dom.

 

Unfortunately this is a common problem.

As an example, a well modded 98 will perhaps be offered for sale at the same price as a standard 00. The mods on the 98 may have cost £7k, but the mentality of most is to buy the newer std car, and mod when they can afford. We perhaps all know that it's more cost effective to go for the latter, but there's no guarantee on who's done the mods / how they've been done etc etc.

If you can, return to std, or take a deep breath and be prepared to drop the price !

 

I know the market is bad right now, but this is ridiculous

All mods are receipted and carried out by known firms, so there's been no DIY stuff here.

Shame that in the end, if things don't improve, I'll end up giving away to a dealer as a trade-in who'll happily punt it to some idiot rather than someone who would look after it.

 

i think that many enthusiasts enjoy modding themselves as a hobby - i would rather do that and tailor the car to my requirements in any case.

i always get a buzz after a new mod is fitted and as i do it in stages it is an ongoing pleaseure! cost really does not feature and i agree that it is peace of mind to ensure that themods have been carriedout properly.

if you have receipts from reputable tuners then you should not suffer so much from the inherent fear from many buyers that the car has ben "messed" about with.

weava

i have to say devil's that veven before you mod a car you must accept that the value of the car is more likely to decrease than increase - the way of the world i am afraid.

[Edited by mista weava - 12/13/2002 11:10:42 AM]

 

Weava,

Understood mate, I know cars drop in price no matter what.
My car is priced at what I feel is it's true value (ie what someone would be prepared to pay for it) and it's not silly.
Subaru UK haven't helped matters by dumping on the bug-eye prices, but I feel strongly that the "classic" shape will always have more of a following than the bug-eye (imho)

I'm not going to give the car away though.
So if she sells, fine. If not, looks like she'll adorn my driveway for a little while longer.

 

hang on to it if i was you - they will only get more desirable dev's ref IMO.

what do you have in mind to replace it with?

weava

 

With a bambino on the way, something which isn't going to run away with the wallet

 

I personally would buy a standard car and then mod it because then I know exactly what has been done and the history of it. If selling I would probably try and sell my car modified initially though, but like most I suspect it would end up getting detuned to boring spec again and I would sell all the bits.

 

John,

You're just circling for T-Uk, ya vulture !

I refuse to detune the car as it would be a crime against Scoobanity.

 

lol at dev's ref

weava

 

Luckily I will never sell my car - lol I think the only thing left that is original is the interior and the shell

Why not post a link to you car for sale ad? will get more views here.

 

Oh, okay then

http://www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs/thread.asp?threadid=151424


Come one, come all, and see the topic of conversation.......

[Edited by Devil's Refugee - 12/13/2002 12:03:28 PM]

 

As has been said above you need to wait for the right person to come along, although you may have to accept a drop in price. The longer you wait too the more the price will drop unfortunately.

I bought a Rover Coupe Turbo in the summer that had had over £15k spent on mods (with ALL receipts to prove). I knew the seller through bulletin boards and managed to buy it for a lot less than 1/2 of the money spent on mods (not even taking into account the original £10k purchase price!) It had been advertised for sale for about 6 months and I eventually got it for a good few grand less than he had originally asked.

I am enjoying modifying the car further but am happy in the knowledge that I have got a lot better (imho) car than I would have ended up with had I bought a standard/near standard one and modified it (mostly due to money!)

Then again on the other hand you could be really lucky and someone could log-on for the first time today and decide that your car is the perfect car for them.

HTH

Gareth

 

www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs/thread.asp?threadid=151424 works better .

My car is lightly modded just exhaust, wheels, lights, ice, gauges. I didnt want to go over the top just an improvement from when it left the factory. Spoke a specialist dealer a while back and told him I could put it back to factory spec and he said his offer would go down . He didnt seem worried by the mods done and actually said it really enhanced the saleability of the car.

Any engine mods would be my major concern IMHO, remaps, chips, boost controllers, programmable after market ecus. These not only are disliked by insurance companies but if not done correctly can shorten the life of the engine. If a car has a FMIC then even if the car looks standard now then IMHO there is a good chance it wasnt .





[Edited by chrisp - 12/13/2002 12:42:02 PM]

 

It really depends on what the mods are, where you are trading it in and who has done them.

E.g Prodrive Performance Pack can add £1000 to the resale value of the car, if you trade at a Subaru dealers. But go to the VW one down the road and you'll get zip for it.

'Official' Subaru mods have a greater chance of retaining more value than unofficial ones, even if the unofficial ones are as good. So when people state that the PPP is expensive for what you get, it is if you compare with what you could get elsewhere. However it's value for money is greatly increased if you take the added value to the car, and the fact that the Subaru warranty is intact.

I paid 2K for my old PPP on my old car, it added a grand to the trade in value of the car, ergo the real cost of the PPP was £1000 which is a bargain IMHO. I suspect the same will happen when it comes to selling my STI-7 with PPP.

 

You just need the right person at the right time to buy your car mate! When I was scooby searching I knew what I wanted to acheive so I was happy to look at full-decat, tek3 cars. In particular I was interested in Chris Grant's and after chatting with him realised the works had been carried out by reputable companies and peeps such the doc. I could also tell that Chris was a thoughtful person that wouldn't let a funny sound or feeling from the car go unchecked. For those reasons I would have been happy to take it off his hands and confident that I'd be getting a good deal since he'd have lost some money on the mods. Alas it wasn't too be and in the end, whilst my current car is probably about 0.1 of a second quicker to 100 its cost me more to mod it myself and is a poorer example than chris's.

Selling a car is a bit like selling a house in that you want to go for natural shades and nothing outragous on the walls which brings me to my beef with your car! Lovely as it is on the outside I hate the interior! Sorry gaz I really don't like the colour-coding thing or the a-pillar pod (too bulky) and would blow it out the water before even coming to see it based on those pictures. I know some people think it looks great but it might be worth considering trying to weed out the controversial elements of the car to make it appealing to a wider market.

All I can say is good luck mate

 

I would say that you do get very, very little extra for the mods...

Whilst it should be worth much more with well chosen mods most will not pay the extra. That is why I always find it funny that people people put there cars up at ridiculous prices with mods and expect it to sell

For instance my car is an August 99 sti5. It had had £k's spent on it. Although I reckon its worth about £13k to sell, if I'm lucky - though I'd try and get about £20k for it despite having spent over twice that amount on it

I spent £50k on my previous car and ended up selling to a friend for £15k - a huge loss

You should see the mods as a bit of fun and something that you will benefit from enough to justify the expense.. rather than getting rid of the car 6 months after you've just completed to mods
which a lot of people tend to do

In future I will only buy either a very high powered standard car (hence not a Scoob) or buy a highly modded car with mods that look reasonable and are fully receipted and at a bargain price

The reason for this is not the money to modify a car but the time and hassle factor to sort out all the mods and the mapping sessions. Thats why I think the Ralliart Evo a couple of years back with 450bhp as standard would have been good as it takes the hassles away so you dont need to wait for engine parts, etc

I would not detune a car - that can be costly and hassle just to get the bits off and then you've got to sell them at a loss. Although theres a lot of people out there wwho pay over the odds for second hand items. that should cost next to nothing

Insurance should not be an issue on these cars, Frizzel (LV) will now insure you (if your the right age) regardless of mods and it effects the premium by about £100!!

 

I would like to add some comments, as I was a potential buyer for your car Theo

I admit I was slightly put off by the extensive list of mods, and had some slight concerns initially on the use of the car (ie being hammered, track days etc etc)

I thought (and still do) think it looks the dogs bo**cks!

After talking to you on the phone & email, i was much happier with the mods, and was definatly interested in buying your car.

My mine reason for pulling out, was in the end due to finance, I had lost 4 other Scoobs, that I had set my heart on, but was still awaiting the final finance, and as I knew there was a relatively high interest in your car, and i was short of your asking price by 1500

I didnt want to even try and knock you down, and was prepared to put the balance on Visa (which still hasnt turned up, but at least a 2nd application form has turned up)

I came across another car, exactly the same colour and EU import as yours but with more than half the mileage (again this wasnt a concern)

I was slightly disappointed that there was only the 17" wheels that were extra (other than that the car is completly standard), but the main reason was it was in my budget without having to wait for the Visa.

I didn't want to time waste, but really wanted your car, but felt it wasnt fair to you to keep you hanging on, and also I didnt want your car to be the fifth one I had lost out on

The insurance wasnt an issue at all, as I was only quoted an extra £150 with all your mods

I cant really afford to mod my car to anywhere near your extensive list, but can do a few things to it (already changed the exhaust)

I guess what im trying to say is that, In the end I wasnt put off by the mods, or the insurance costs, and in fact im not put off with it at all, it was really a financial descision in the end

your sale thread is probably the one where I spend most time too, cos I really hope you do find a buyer soon, and not have to start stripping it, or selling it to a dealer

Good Luck

Steve

 

Interesting thread!

My car is somewhat modified, and when I got it (it's a jap import) it was modded as well, so did not really have much of a choice when I got it.

Would I buy a modded car? hmm, good question, and I'd prob have to say yes. But, I WOULD do my research on it. Thing is, if I'm going to buy one it'll prob be someone on here, so I will no doubt know about them and the car, so that will make a difference.

I think modded cars might put some people off, mainly from a reliability and insurance aspect. Me? well, I think a UK modded car would prob cost me less in insurance than my jap import, so that would not be a factor for me.

 

Thanks for all your input guys, much appreciated

Funnily, I've never actually taken the car onto the track for fear of "Sod's Law" taking effect and me ending up in the tyre wall

I'm not ready to split the car up as previously stated, and will hang on for the right buyer. The price has been lowered quite a bit from initial estimates and I'd baulk at lowering it further.

The only problem now is that the car is up against Bug-Eyes (MY01)of similar pricing, and the few factors in it's favour I'd say were the colour and the mods having already been done.

There are a couple of seriously interested parties but nothing will happen until the New Year....time will tell I guess

 

I think part of the problem is if you look at buying guides in any magazine they will say 'best bought standard, stay clear of ones with...' so everyone has that drummed into them for many years.
You will probably find those that have previously done the same (bought a near standard car and then 'wasted' a large amount of money on it) are the sort of people that would be interested in your car, but as pointed out by others they are thin on the ground.
Must admit I did think about your car, but couldn't force myself to get another scoob.
All you can do is wait

 

I would be put off by a huge list of mods, but not as is so typical of scoobs, the first mods that most generally go for, ie. full exhaust, air filter and perhaps induction kit.

I'd probably steer clear of chipped cars, with the exception of the tek model.

I'd be more worried if it had been in an accident, or had been thoroughly thrashed.

 

If you take a good look at the list of mods, you'll actually find nothing really scary at all.
The only really serious addition is the larger turbo and perhaps the TMIC, the rest is pretty common amongst owners; suspension mods, uprate the brakes, boost control.....all within safe limits of the car's abilities.

I think I'd be more scared if someone dropped a completely new engine in or gearbox etc.

 

i would buy a well modded car, no, i did actually buy a modded type r.

cars from modders are usually well maintained and extensive mods tell me that considerable monies have been spent. why spent modding a std car when i can have a modded car.

that's just me though, i repeat, ME! i appreciate that some people like std cars but i'm all favours for modded ones.

 

Devil,

People have made some interesting points imho.

Personally I think you are better returning the car to standard or near standard form, mods you don't think are scary could well be potential buyers worries if you catch my drift?! - I mean, you might not think a bigger turbo is anything scary (Neither do I) but others may think oooer its been caned or xyz etc.

I've tried to sell my car on this bbs 3 times now, my car has a number of what I would call 'safe' mods but it never sold, personally i'd return mine to standard to sell it next time and have a parts bonanza thread going on (Not that its going to happen soon lol!).

It seems the majority would buy a std car or near enough std car ie Exhaust, induction etc, and then mod it to suit their desires rather than buy a car with quite a few mods on it, unless of course it's been magazine featured.....