Whats worth it?
 

Is a completly stock, restored down to the last bolt 1st gen worth more then a completly restored 1st gen with aftermarket parts?

i would say yes... 1st Gens seem to be a gem. and they are only getting older. "i am not worried about the value of the car by blue book value" if you are looking for bluebook... do a full restore... if you are looking for a nice ride do after market. that is not to say that fully restored is not a nice ride... just more costly than after market.

An original stock 1st gen is worth more than a modified one in similar condition. Look at the cars on eBay and elsewhere - the ones that go for the most dollars are the ones in original stock condition.

The only problem with doing a full restoration is you will never get your money or time out of it. I spent nearly 9 months restoring, replacing and upgrading nearly everything when I did my widebody. Even if I had kept everything stock, I doubt I would get if I could get much more than the cost of parts and 1/4 of the labor I put into the car.

The question is: which do YOU want? Either way, you're not going to make money in the end. Not for a very long time anyway, until these cars appreciate past their average $1000 sell price. 1st gens were made to be inexpensive and fun sports cars, and that hasn't changed much in the past 25 years. Buy it cheap and have fun with it.