[wantanelise]

It seem's that the modded Elises are at best worth about the same as completely stock ones:shrug:

 

[charliex]

They say that just about any aftermarket mod you add is a gift to the next person.

That might be why so many people part out bits before selling cars.

 

[milehitom]

That's why we save all the stock bits, too.

Tom

 

[Bavarian Motorist]

I would never mod a car expecting a return on it, but it certainly doesn't make it lose value unless they are poorly executed modifications.

 

[kaz]

I would say most cars if they are modded it definitely hurts resale. Buyers expect more abuse, wear and tear, engine stress, etc. On the Lotus cars we are more prone to understand what the reasons for the mods were for, and most are planning to get them anyways so it could be a money saver - might not lower the value but won't increase it that much either. If I were buying used Lotus I would def look for things that cost a lot but are already on the car, but wouldn't be paying much for them either.

 

[Abe]

It seem's that the modded Elises are at best worth about the same as completely stock ones:shrug:

I think your original question of "Do SC Kits hurt Value?" depends on where the potential buyer lives. For example, if someone from CA wanted to purchase your vehicle, CARB would be the reason why they wouldn't buy it unless you dropped your price enough to make it worthwhile. All the other mods would simply be a freebie to the buyer but it definitely wouldn't hurt its value.

PS-Factory SC Kits would "DEFINITELY" not hurt its value and may increase it

 

[wantanelise]

It seems that they actually hurt the value of Lotus' though. The cheapest Elise on cars.com is 26k and there are a couple FI cars here in the classified's for 25k.

 

[Gizmo3000]

It seem's that the modded Elises are at best worth about the same as completely stock ones:shrug:

Well, I think the tastefully modded, yet well cared for, Elise's will still be worth a bit more.
But not everyone can agree on what a tastefully modded car is, as some can seem over-done project cars and most modders like to "do their own" mods in the first place and not necessarily take over someone else's project.

But it's also rare to see a modded out car that's "never been tracked" either.
(or a stock car that's been heavily tracked).
So quite often, the modded cars have the stigma of also having been driven very hard.
So what you end up with are low mile garage queens and modded out track cars.

As far as SC cars go, there's also the stigma of ECU/idle issues and stuff.

That's where perhaps the new Factory SC upgrades might actually add value without such stigma. - but you'll be paying a premium for it.

 

[wantanelise]

I should have read the ad. It's a salvage title so that explains it but there is one other one for 27. Still pretty cheap considering the cost of the SC.

 

[PhlypSide]

Always buy stock.

An aftermarket forced induction kit may be too much risk for the average buyer (and it usually is).

Don't buy someone else's headaches.... sometimes even when stock you can't avoid these!

 

[VisualEchos]

Classically I've gotten a 50% return on after-market parts, and $0 for tunes and labor. However, with this car I'd expect less, as most buyers want to start with a fresh car, and there are so many with such low miles, ANY mod will probably lessen the value...even if it's a good one (shifter mod, toe-link, coolant tube, etc.).

Still, the right buyer will probably pay 50% for a SC if it was professionally installed and you didn't go crazy with other mods (other than a clutch upgrade).