Buying Modified vs. Stock

What are you guys more comfortable buying, and why?

Assuming for the same price would you rather have a higher mileage car with some mods already done?

or pay the same price for a lower mileage stock car and build it yourself?

For mods lets just say some decent stuff like coil over suspension, sway bars, wheels, roll bars on convertibles. Or whatever else comes up to about 2k in mods if bought new.

I never buy modified cars.

Woody wrote: I never buy modified cars.

Why is that?

It depends for me if I like the mods and if the work was done well.

Also are the mods easy to get used or has the aftermarket dried up and are they rare parts. It's really tough to say.

dooodstevenn wrote:

Woody wrote: I never buy modified cars.

Why is that?

Because I never trust the modifier.

In reply to Woody:

Well that makes sense.

In reply to bmw88rider:

Im asking this in my search for a 1.8 NA or NB miata, or an e30 325i

I don't buy trucks with mud tires for the same reason I don't trust modified engines.

They probably ran that thing within an inch of its life, got scared it wasn't reliable and decided to pass it on to me...

If I didn't do it or I don't personally know who did (and watched them do it lol) I'd rather have the factory parts.

It depends a little on the extent of the modifications but I have had problems with several cars that were modified by self-appointed egg spurts.

Like the guy who bought the turbo hard pipes down at the local plumbing supply place, didn't cut them square and didn't bead them either. Trouble was, I found out about the lack of beading at a track 50 miles from home. Oops.

Or the guy who made such a hash of the Talon's map that even someone like me who is anything but an expert at mapping could make massive improvements very quickly by applying a good dose of common sense instead.

These days, I'd rather do it myself, that was I can control both the quality of the parts and the quality of the work that goes into the modifications.

I'm pretty much with Woody & Co...

I'd consider buying something modified from the right person, with some knowledge of what they're about, the history of the car... E.g. a GRM forum member or someone from the local SCCA, PCA, BMWCCA maybe...

Basically, people do stuff wrong at least as often as halfway right, and it's usually harder to figure out what they've fouled up and how they've fouled it up than to note that something is finally just worn or broken compared to factory spec...

Of course, most of the cars I'm interested in are old enough that previous owners have done stupid things just in the name of maintenance and repair, let alone modifications.

Would basic suspension modifications be okay? I understand engine stuff and problems, but suspension is pretty straight forward.

I'd judge each car on its own. Quality parts? Install look correct? Car drive alright? Yes, engine mods can be more difficult to judge as many components can't be seen. Sure there's paperwork for a cam and lifters, how can you tell if they are in there or not?

Jack it up and look it over or have a friend that is mechanically inclined do so.

When my brother and I go look at a vehicle to buy and keep not just sell we bring lights, rags, magnets, jacks, coolant tester, a multimeter, cardboard and a torque wrench. If the seller knows your serious and they have nothing to hide... They won't mind you being a creeper laying under their car on a creeper...

dooodstevenn wrote: lets just say some decent stuff like COIL OVER SUSPENSION

FTFY, I would edit your post before bobzilla comes and E36 M3s all over you for it.

For what it is worth, I have bought two heavily modified cars, both have been good buys. The Bmw was owned by a friend of mine, and I watched, helped, and sometimes advised him what to do/get next. The '91 sho, well.....I bought it sight unseen from one of the best people in the sho community(been doing this for 2 decades now). The mods list was tasteful and quality, he did most of the work, and it was nearly where I wanted the car to be. And it had some parts on it that make NOS bumpers for a 63 Ferrari 250 Cali look common. So, it is a crap shoot.....I personally wouldn't unless you know the person or know their work.

Up until my current Sentra, I've always bought stock, mostly new. Even though mine was very well done, there were still some things I had to fix, primarily oil leaks.

So for the Miatas, I would buy stock unless it was just a heck of a steal.

There are plenty of parts available used but in good condition. I still have 3 boxes of assorted miata parts and I haven't owned one in a couple years. They are a dime a dozen.

Now if we are talking an s12 200sx, That would be a totally different story.

Heck, I spent months just trying to find a stock MR2 turbo.

The responses make me worried for what I'd like to do to my Mustang, like a rebuild 5.0 and parts to set the rear suspension into better shape. If you lot wouldn't buy such a car, what's my hope to sell it someday short of trading it in and getting zero for the money & time spent making it 'right'?

In reply to pres589:

Sell it to the person that does appreciate the work. They might have a mullet, but they might give you $2500 over value.

Woody wrote:

dooodstevenn wrote:

Woody wrote: I never buy modified cars.

Why is that?

Because I never trust the modifier.

Yep.

It's cost me more to prep my Miata then had I bought one similarly prepped. But I didn't have to reverse any questionable stuff and did to the car exactly what I wanted.

It depends on the modifications. I would never trust engine modifications. I see and hear too many cars modified by kids that smoke badly from bad rings or blowby.. Suspension and brakes are easier to look at and determine if the modifications were done well.

Body Modifications scare me.. you never know what is hiding beneath that bodykit

I dunno, sometimes I have found that buying modified gets you a bunch of parts that you could easily part out and build it your way for a profit. Something along the the lines of the price of the car is worth less than the sum of it's parts. I have found this especially useful for boats.

Short answer....it depends.

The last modified car I bought turned out to be a basic overhaul fixing all the PO's half ass work. Kinda left a bad taste.

Now I buy stock unless I know the car VERY well.

Yep. It depends. So far the only pre-modified car ive bought was my E30. Only because the seller is known (GRM member) and the mods were suspension related rather than for power. For a novice RWD driver, a stock 325is has plenty of power to get me in trouble.

A MINI, forget it. I simply know those cars too well and would want to do any mods myself.

The one area I'd stray from this rule is if I was looking at a car already set up for a specific race or autox class. And it was put together reasonably well. For example, I've seen a couple of STR prepped cars I wish I could buy because I know I couldn't build them for the same money. But this is also a situation where I'm looking at the car more as a tool to compete with rather than as a car to drive.

It depends on the car, but from my experience, modified cars for sale usually fall into two categories:

1 - Hack job done by a kid who has no idea what he's doing. These will usually look like a bargain because you may think you are getting some go-fast bits for cheap.

2 - Properly done cars that the owner wants more for the car than what I can duplicate myself (5000$ car + 5000$ go-fast parts = 12000$ modified car)

I personally bought a modified car once, and I would have been better buying a stock one. I spand a lot of time and money fixing the PO's mods. YMMV.

I've bought a few modified cars. The pro is that you usually end up with lots of aftermarket parts for virtually free. The con is when things were not done well. I have often ended up selling the mods to pay for mods I wanted. I don't mind that since I'm going to check the modified area over when I uninstall the parts. I don't think I'd ever buy another hacked up car with crazy boost mods. It was fun until things stopped working right and I had to try and trouble shoot. The car did end up being parted for way more than I paid for it. Over all, I'd prefer a stock or mildly modified car, but if a good deal comes along, I'll buy anything.

dooodstevenn wrote: Would basic suspension modifications be okay? I understand engine stuff and problems, but suspension is pretty straight forward.

In the case of a miata, absolutely. I'd buy a miata with intake, header, exhaust, suspension, wheels, and a rolk bar without blinking.

Where I'd hesitate is major engine mods, but anything up the there is fair game..