Stock or Modded? Which would you prefer?
 

A few members have stated recently that a well maintained, stock RX-7 would be worth more too them than a modded one.

Assuming both are well maintained. Why is that?

Personally, I would prefer to buy a modded car. Generally I would be getting newer, better parts. And I'm assuming the car should then also be more reliable.

I would perfer to buy a stock car. Mostly because I feel uncomfortable with someone else doing modifications to my car, as I don't know how good of a job they did, and if they left out important things like an FCD that is gonna cause problems with the car.

I would like to do mods myself so I know they are done right.

I agree stock is the way to go. they may have just dumped a gallon of glue in the oil to keep it from knocking or just happened to drop that "bolt" down in the intake when modding it unless you know the person and know the car, just by a stock one.

People who mod their cars generally run them harder.

yeah stock is usualy better inmy opinion. that way when you start to mod the car, you know they have been done right. a modified rx7 requires better care than a stock one and you can make sure the proper care has been taken when the mod were done.

Yep, people who buy cars often want them stock so they think it hasn't been abused. I disagree w/ this when it comes to FCs modded w/ quality Japanese parts to an extent because the price of any quality performance parts will exceed the cars value.

My TII was $1,500 and my parts are nearing $15,000.

Plus, I think everyone is thinking of engine mods only and on top of that- not reliability mods. Would you seriously rather buy an FC that had just had its 14yr old factory shocks/struts/springs replaced w/ new Mazda units or Japanese turner coil-overs. Price is probably about the same...

one thing to say, mazda built there cars like this for a reason, if you modding out anything and everything you soon will find out the car will not run properly, that is why we must go for after market computers and fcds and things like that because we screwed up its computer calculations by removing all the cats, runing high than stock boost, removing the stock air box...

I would never consider a heavily modded car. a few small things like a cat back or aftermarket stereo would be okay, but not much more.

and if the owner was under 25, and the car was modded, no way in hell I would consider it.

But the biggest reason is there is too much chance that the mods were done half ass just to get the car running, with no thought towards long term reliabilty, safety and driveability. Second biggest is that the owner usually thinks all the mods should increase the value of the vehicle. But in most cases the changes are done improperly and the vehicle is comprimised effectivly dropping the value.

For example last fall when I was look for a new FC I found this T2 that the owner had installed a Ram style cool air intake buy using a air chisel to cut a hole through the front cross panel (the one that the headlights and rad mount to). He thought it was really cool, but looking at it, besides the hack job of cutting through with the wrong tool he cut right through the metal braceing built into the panel. So if the car was ever bumped in the front the whole panel would bend in there.

Yet this guy wanted another $200 over market value just for the effort he did wrecking his car.

I like restoring the 7s and maintaining all receipts and photos of the progress. I sold the last car to the first person who came to look at it. But, I agree, not everyone would be so meticulous.

I'm with you on that one. I'd rather have the aftermarket parts.

Still though, almost 80% for stock. wow!

Stock! I want my car to be unique to me and my prefrences. Want to build it myself and learn about everything along the way. The car becomes apart of me when I do all the work myself.

I'd go for the moded car as log as the mods were done well. Even if it's a hack job, if the price is right, it can be the parts cannibal.

depends, most of the time they are project cars that aren't finished and are beat on...id take a stock 91 T2...blaze red or an 89-91 vert

an FB or FC is the ONLY car on this planet that I would rather buy a modded one than a stock one.

Reason being, is this.. heavy modifications are expensive, and you're going to replace/rebuild/port the motor ANYHOW, because that's how you get power out of these suckers.

Just because the person is young doesnt mean there gonna beat the car. More then likely yes but im 18 and I treat my car way better then my friends or older people I know.

Of corse I Red line it atleast once or twice a day but I dont think thats abusing it.

Oh and before I forget I rather buy a Stock Rx7 also. Depends what car you buy. If its an Rx7 I want it stock for sure.

Modifying the car reflects yourself... and the car wouldn't feel like it was truely my, with other people's thoughts and opinions already welded, soldered, screwed into my car.

The car reflects me and i wuold want to alter it to suit me then to have to adapt someone else's idea of the perfect car.

I know what my perfect car is, i don't need someone to do it for me.

generally, i'd go for stock! but i would still look if it's only simple mods (a high quality exhaust and air filter - TOPS!!!)

i agree with most people here ...
modded cars are more likely to get abused, and i'm not saying that bone-stock cars don't - but when it does come time for the rebuild or build-up, it makes your job THAT much harder to figure out what made things go bad (shoddy installation, neglectful/dumb owner, incompatibility of parts, cheap parts, etc.) better off starting with a blank page is what i say ...

besides, too many people are ignorant of rotaries and how to care for them ... so modded are that much more of a gamble, to me ...