mindance

I'm getting ready to have Dave (guitarjunkie28) rebuild my engine. While he's working on it I was thinking of having him do a couple of reliability mods. I was thinking of getting a koyo radiator, a water-injection system, and maybe a downpipe.

my question is: how do you think these will affect my car's resell value in today's rx-7 market?

I plan on keeping the car for a bit after I rebuild it (gotta enjoy my investment just a little bit =]), but eventually I will be selling it. My body and interior are in practically mint condition and it's all original, so the big sell point on this car is that it's untouched and in great condition. Do you think doing these mods will lower the amount i can get for it as opposed to keeping it all bone stock?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Ehh, I think it doesnt' change the value. Unless your car has under 10k miles on it, it's got little value for being extra 'original'. I personally would consider paying more for one with reliability mods, but mostly it's exterior and interior condition that matter to me. Those are impossible/insanely expensive to improve once damaged.

The more common problem is that modified cars only increase in value by about 10% of the money spent on the mods.

Dave

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Keep the stock parts, and put them back on before selling it. Selling the parts will net you more than leaving them on the car.

Since you are selling the car anyway, why bother with the work and expense of modding it? Leaving it stock will be best for you financially.

maxcooper

My guess:
1. raditor: no effect on value or slight increase
2. downpipe: no effect on value or slight increase
3. water injection: decrease in value

I'm not anti-WI, but you usually have to cut wires and/or modify stock parts to install it and it indicates that you probably ran more than stock boost (even if you didn't). And it might make buyers nervous because they don't understand it, and that they will need (or feel that the should) keep the water tank topped off (one more thing to worry about on their "new" car).

-Max

darkphantom

iTrader: (2)

Listen to adam. He knows what hes talking about. or if you wanna see for your self check the for sale section and www.autotrader.com check to see how much those rx7's for $30,000 invested selling for $20,000 last

and the other stock rx7's bought for $11,000 bone stock sell for the same price (with a rebuild)

moconnor

iTrader: (14)

With some exceptions (a 20B, for example) you can add $0 to the market value of an RX-7 for every $1000 you spend on modifications.

Mileage and condition are the main determinants of a vehicle's market value. Keep all the stock parts (many standard replaced items on an FD are worth under $50 in any case) and sell what modifications you can separately when it is time to sell the car.

mindance

good point. i'm thinking about that, too. the reasons i'm thinking about doing them are 1) i'm worried about investing that much money on a rebuild and it going to waste if this one blows during the time I keep it, and 2) Dave's willing to throw in the labor on the radiator for free, and the water injection for cheap since he's doing the rebuild.

The engine in it right now was supposedly a Mazda dealer rebuild and supposedly only has 30k on it. I know Mazda doesn't do the best jobs on rebuilds/remans, but i just wanna cover my ***.

I'm guessing i'll keep the car for another 10k miles before i sell it. However in the back of my mind I get the feeling I'll fall in love with the car again once it's running and want to keep it. Isn't that how it usually works?

mindance

did you mean that stock rx7's bought for $11,000 bone stock sell for $20,000 or $11,000 after a rebuild?

I happened to have bought my bone stock 7 for exactly $11,000. =P

Nathan Kwok

+1

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

if you're gonna spend the money, keep the damn car

why spend money, then sell it and lose everything you put into it + labor??

i dont get these types of decisions..

mindance

i'm not expecting them to add value. i got the impression that modifying my car will actually decrease its value, so i was more concerned about these mods lowering the price i could sell for.

i would sell the car now, but I don't think I'd get the $11,000 i owe in loans with a blown motor on it.

hmmmm..

maybe i should just hold off on these mods unless i decide to keep it.

mindance

do you think it'll at least be worth it to have the engine rebuilt?

zullo

I see two kinds of cars going for over $15000. Those that are pristine and stock and those that have been heavily modified with 500 hp and top-of-the-line components. Problem is, heavily modded with top-of-the-line components cost the owner $30000 or more!

The in-between cars, with haphazard mods, go for significantly less. If I was shopping and saw your car with those mods, the downpipe wouldn't necessarily scare me, but a radiator tells me you may have overheated or had cooling issues, and water injection says "high-school kid's cheap insurance for overboosting". I'd steer clear.

rynberg

I don't get that attitude at all. Depending on the in-person vibe from the seller, I would think that they were properly taking care of the car.

I would be more leary to buy a higher mileage FD that's completely stock -- you know that pre-cat has been baking everything and that very likely, the pre-cat and main cat are toast.

IMO, the real mods to be worried about are ones that involve any kind of wiring or more complicated install -- THOSE are the situations where cost-cutting and pure imcompetance/ignorance can cause all kinds of problems.

darkphantom

iTrader: (2)

ive seen someone bought a stock rx7 for $11,000 did a rebuilt and sold it for the same price!



AND DONT FORGET! that most guys (like me ) will mostly build the car the way they want. SO if you mod the fd. someone might decided to get a stock one that way he can mod it the way he want it to. instead of buying yours which has stuff he doesnt want or need. thats why most stock cars sell very quick!

gen3RxProj

ive looked at a good rule, it seems to be almost true..... in terms of attaining the money back spent purely from hi-perf parts, if you decide to sell them with the vehicle expect to only get back 1/3 of what you payed for. This is for the hi performance parts costs, not the average vehicle price w/0 parts.

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

That's right. Mods are like investments that have gone bad. You never see the loss until you sell.

mindance

my car would definitely fit into the "stock and pristine" considering the condition of my body/paint/interior. i'm thinking maybe I should hold off on any upgrades and keep it all stock if i plan on selling it.

if i decide i'm going to keep it a bit longer THEN i'll do the upgrades.

i'm still afraid of that pre-cat, though...

mindance

something else i would need to consider -- if i installed a downpipe, i would have to swap back in the pre-cat to pass smog, right?

blownapexseal7

keep it stock and sell it as is, you won't be pissed when you find your mods are worth next to nothing to a future buyer. plus the lower price you'd charge would make the car easier to sell. stock cars that are in good condition bring in the most money.

the only thing that would help is the rebuild but you still lose money as others have pointed out over just selling the car as-is. plenty of people are looking for shells and blown engine cars because they want it rebuilt themselves. just look in the 3rd gen for sale section. you will make more money if you don't do those things you've suggested.

blownapexseal7

no, it's not a carb approved part. you *may* pass the sniffer but the tech guy will see you non stock downpipe and fail you for visual. then you get noted for that in dmv records and have to take it again after you put the stock one back on. it's a hassle unless you do what other cali guys do and that's pay 200 for the hookup

mindance

hmmmm.....
think i could sell my 93 with practically showroom condition interior/exterior for $11k with the blown engine?

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Most smog techs won't notice a DP. I have passed with no problems.

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

Likewise. I've passed twice w/ DP and exhaust, the first time, a regular smog test, the second, Test Only.

Bullshit. Most smog techs wouldn't know a downpipe if they were looking right at one, and the only way you could see it anyway is if your car is on a lift. (It's blocked from view looking into the engine bay by the ABS shield.) When was the last time you took your car in for a smog test and they put your car on a lift?

Truth be told, assuming all your emissions equipment (air pump, etc.) is working properly, and your car is hot, your numbers will come up clean with a downpipe, catback exhaust, intake, and intercooler.

zullo

Sure. Maybe more. I could spend 4 grand on a motor and have a "like new" FD for 15 k. Might take a while to find the buyer who recognizes that though....

If your car is in that good condition though, you might be able to get more for it if you put a motor in it; - then you could sell it with no "blown motor" caveats and honestly market it "showroom quality". I'd think you could get 15 - 18k for that after investing only 2000 or so.