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I am sure this is not at all true across the board but IT FEELS to me that modders do it bc they couldn't afford the car they wanted in the first place.
Or that the mass produced committee designed compromises that the factories turn out aren't exactly what we want, either. Hot rodders and street rodders aren't building $100k-300k show winners because they can't afford the car they want.
I can afford much more expensive cars than my '63 Comet. But I'm modding it because I want it that way, and that's true for most modders, customizers, and tuners. You think an Underground Racing tuned Lamborghini Gallardo with 1400 hp is a cheap way to get into cars? How about a Hennesey twin turbo Ford GT? Both are tuned because the owners want them that way and can afford it.
As for daily drivers that are modded, both my BMW and my Mustang were daily drivers. Mods didn't affect them in the slightest and both were worth more modded than they had been, stock.
And sports cars can indeed be race cars. My V8 RX7 was a street car AND a race car and it wasn't a gutted, uncomfortabe place to be, either. Those of us that autocross and do track days with our street cars and daily drivers understand this.
Simple mods won't hurt the resale value of a vehicle, but they won't add to it either.
Let me give you an example of how mods can sometimes increase the value.
My V8 RX7. In stock form, it was worth about $3500 at the time I built it ('93). It was a basic, normally aspirated '86 with the Sport package.
Then when the engine died, I decided to drop in the modded V8 and give it a new paint job (which I did myself):
Spent $3k to do all the mods. which included suspension upgrades to ensure the car handled as well as it accelerated. The car was driven on the street for 4 more years after the mods were done, and also autocrossed nearly every weekend during the spring, summer, and fall. When I sold it, I got $10k for it. At that time, stock ones were going for $2500 in good condition.
As for insurance, someone said that their insurance company wouldn't cover the mods (like wheels). They will if you tell them aboutthe mods and have an agreed value policy.
My Focus has an added rear swaybar. My Cherokee has quite a bit done to it.
However, I do nothing major to my daily drivers. Adding the swaybar isn't going to decrease the lifetime of anything, ever. I'm sure at some point I will have to replace the end links from the junkyard.
If I had OP's 7.3 Excursion, all I would do is get the 4R100 rebuilt to be a bit more durable and ... that's it.
Let me give you an example of how mods can sometimes increase the value.
My V8 RX7. In stock form, it was worth about $3500 at the time I built it ('93). It was a basic, normally aspirated '86 with the Sport package.
Then when the engine died, I decided to drop in the modded V8 and give it a new paint job (which I did myself):
Spent $3k to do all the mods. which included suspension upgrades to ensure the car handled as well as it accelerated. The car was driven on the street for 4 more years after the mods were done, and also autocrossed nearly every weekend during the spring, summer, and fall. When I sold it, I got $10k for it. At that time, stock ones were going for $2500 in good condition.
As for insurance, someone said that their insurance company wouldn't cover the mods (like wheels). They will if you tell them aboutthe mods and have an agreed value policy.
Oh I don't disagree that if you sell it privately to a niche audience a modded vehicle can bring more value. But that's the exception to the rule. For normal every day folks heavy mods will be a huge turn off. But yes, niche markets for those willing to wait can sometimes bring bigger returns.
Oh I don't disagree that if you sell it privately to a niche audience a modded vehicle can bring more value. But that's the exception to the rule. For normal every day folks heavy mods will be a huge turn off. But yes, niche markets for those willing to wait can sometimes bring bigger returns.
The way I look at it is, I'm not a manufacturer, I don't have to sell to tens of thousands of different people. I only have one car to sell , so I only have to sell to one person: it only has to appeal to one other person besides myself. I'm lucky in that the way I build cars they tend to be appealing to a lot of people so they have no problem selling, but the reality is, since it only has to appeal to one person, it really doesn't matter how many different people it has to appeal to.
If someone comes to me and says they want my car, but they don't want the mods, I tell them, why did you even call on it? There are stock versions aplenty out there, If you wanted stock, you can BUY stock without having to make this one back to stock. I occasionally do get those calls on my modded cars, along with the "but the mods don't add value, I'll give you X for it (where X is a little less than the price of a stock one)." Same response. If you don't want the mods, then go buy a stock one. If you want this car, then you want the mods, and would have to pay to do them anyway, you just want to steal my stuff.
Again, I never have a problem selling my modded cars, but I tend to do quality work, and tend to do work that's appealing to a fairly wide range of people. No cheap PepBoys bolt ons and crap paintwork.
I'm 31 and have always been of the opinion that if I trust a manufacturer enough to give it thousands of my hard-earned dollars, I trust it enough to build the car right out of the box. I've had a wide variety of mod-friendly cars over the years (BMW E30, Honda Accord, Ford Focus ST) and have felt no need to mess with them in any way.
Ive come across a lot of pressure from my peers to modify my 7.3 excursion. The majority of my peers feel the need to roll coal. I find it so incredibly childish, which makes me feel old. , I have no intentions of doing such a thing. I honestly believe lifts, tunes, chips, big tires are only asking for more problems. Why ruin a good truck?
Is this constant need to modify a vehicle limited to my generation (mid 20s)?
Who else prefers their vehicles to remain stock?
I do, typically.
Why? I had a 1988 5.0 GT with a motor swap, trans swap, gears, full exhaust, suspension, etc.
It still sucked.
I replaced it with a WS6 LS1 car that owned it in every way, and then replaced that with a Z06 C6 Corvette. If it wasn't fast enough stock, screw it, I'll find something that is!
That said, shocks are one thing that I am a fan of replacing, now that I have a Jeep.Vehicles are setup for "average" use, and that may mean a different shock/tire is better for your roads (smoother/rougher, etc.).
Exhaust, I like, but only for short trips. On the road, stock.
Just go to NAPA or a Race shop and buy some stickers ... putting them and your fenders and windows WILL increase HP about 20% each and the COOL factor will get you all kinds of attention .... You MUST use the stickers with ALL add-ons or they will NOT function properly. Also, putting a spoiler on the trunk of your FWD car is the BEST thing to increase your speed and cool factor, the larger the wing the better ....
Whenever we purchase a vehicle, more specifically a truck/suv, we're always considering modifications.
We have two Excursions (gas and a diesel) and modified both.
My diesel has a 4" lift, larger tires, heavy duty bumper with winch, chipped, lighting, updated AV system:
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