this is an area im completely lost in.for example,im getting ready to do a hotcam,mezierehd,and a cloyes chain.im thinking about porting the heads and gasket matching the intake because ive already done the e/m longtubes.i dont plan on ever selling the car but if i did,
1. since ive removed material from the heads and intake,what effect
will it have on value?
2. im scared to throw anything away,even exhaust gaskets.for example
when i put on my msd wires,should i keep my the originals?i think the
wires on my lt4 were specific,but im talking about all corvettes c1
to c6.
maybe ive been watching barret jackson auction too much,but im sure everyone has heard how #s matching and from the factory or original equipment directly affects value.and heres another one to chew on.
no matter what condition,no matter how common you think youre car is,one day it will be a collector item.
junior

 

A trailer hitch!

 

Mod it the way you want, save the stock stuff and enjoy it.

 

allright zach,i just spit mountain dew on my keyboard! somehow i pictured it. that was a good one.
junior

 

wow. you have so effectively defined "****."

porting heads will lighten the car by 1 lb. Better notify the EPA.

exhaust gaskets? you are making me laugh, dude... a lot.

plug wires... hm... that's an interesting one. They are special on the LT4, but they wear... and saving them might actually have worth. Strange, eh?

 

sorry bogus,didnt mean to fire you all up.i should have explained better.i was referring to the permanent modifacation of parts that will one day,if not already be discontinued.i had to replace the cracked intake on my dads 302 camaro,very hard to find.i guess what im trying to say is,ill save all my parts now,and i think **** is fair,untill i "know what in the hell im doing".and please dont call the epa.my car is not compliant anywhere i know of.but i have it all in the attic.junior

 

A 302 camaro is far from a mass produced corvette. My guess is the only cars that are a C4 that will be worth a pinch of sht are the ones that were very limited and in an ACTUAL performance mode, read ZR OR LT4.
MY 1 of 30 yellow Indy Festivus Car will be worth nothing in the future and I plan to treat it that way while I own it.


Barret Jackson should NOT be used as the NORM for selling cars. This auction gives too many morons false hope.

 

Yes, you should keep all those original parts. Don't forget about the air in the tires, and all the spent oil, coolant.



But storing all that crap in your house might devalue it.


I'd really like to hear your plans on reusing the exhaust gaskets though.

 

There was a time I saved (almost) everything as well.
But after I sold the OEM motor all that "Back to stock" went out the window.
So now after my third motor is in the car I gave up the the resale value of thinking a looongggg time ago.

Here's a tip. ANY mod will hurt resale value.
If someone wants to buy a used performance vehicle they look for pure unmolested versions.
People know that a car with heads, cam, headers,exhuast, intake, etc wasn't built for show it was built to pound the snot outta it.

So keep your car stock and be miserable about all the things you want to do with car but won't while are are waiting for that day in the future when you sell it for a few hundred bucks more than a modded car because C4's are everywhere.

OR.

Mod it the way you want and have the time of your life!

By the way, please visit the C4 parts for sale section. I am cleaning out my garage, to many stock C4 parts!

Matt383

 

If you are 20 years old, its possible that the C4 may become very valuable in your lifetime. I am 54. It aint gonna happen for me.

 

Kool88vette's interior!!!

 

Yup, keep that original tire air if at all possible!!

(don't look at C4's as any kind of appreciating investmant vehicle. Drive it, enjoy it, mod it to your hearts content...then bend over and take it like a trooper when it comes time to sell or trade....)

 

Funny I never thought about the value increasing when I had my 62 and 64 vettes...neither were stock, my 87s is staying stock...I hope cause some of the guys here really give me the bug!

 

Here is my 2 cents worth.

I would enjoy your car and put the rest out of your mind.

Cars are not good investments as far as the time value of money is concerned. Ok, when one buys a new car he trades one asset (money) for another (the new car). If the buyer takes out a loan to but the car he trades money plus borrowing interest for the new car. The car loses value, so in time, the car will be rust. The total loss in economic terms is what the money traded years ago to make the purchase would be worth at the time the car is rust, plus what he spent for he car. New cars are not good on the financial portfolio. So, when I buy a new car, its because I want a new car, I do not bull**** myself about financial investment.

The cars shown and bought at Barret Jackson are for people that have that kind of money to spend. I used to be in banking, and it was an eye opener. These buyers are usually 3rd generation business owners. They have that money to spend. Their parents and grandparents who started the businesses and saved, gave-up on nice things, and stuff to grow the business would roll over at what the grandkids are doing with their money. Such is life.

So, cars, in any way its looked at is a poor financial return investment.

I have a Vette becuase I wanted a Vette - always did. A C4 was a easier price point to enter the Vette world and its great people. Ok, Ok, the C1 and C2 people sometimes look down on me and my vette. That's fine, I will go have pizza and beer with my c4 friends and have a good time.

As far as mods, do what you want. It's your vette. Any performance mods will take down the value. Any mods that restore and maintain the Vette will hold or cause a slight increase in value.

Here is how I see my Vette, and I admit my wife talked me into it (and heres proof that she is a great gal). She said "you gave up on what you wanted, and drove that **** van for years, while we did braces, girl scouts, school, college, and the things you pay for on kids and the house. Now its your turn, do this for yourself, the Vette you saw costs 7k, its a project car, you can play with it, drive it, be your hobby, work on it, cruise it, have fun, and then sell it for 9-10K maybee. It is not a financial winner but its not a loser either" She was right, my Vette is not a financial return thing, its a fun thing. I will get some of my money invested back, but not all of it. The fun I am having is priceless, and the Vette people I have met are great. I win.

It is your vette, do what you want becuase you want to. The financial things is best taken care of by 401K, etc. Enjoy your vette. That's the key.

The guy who made the comment about barret jackson giving many people false hope, is right on the target. I enjoy watching the show, I laugh a little when a guy spends 2.5 mil on a car. But its his, well, his anscetors money, and I am sure they throw up in heaven (or maybe the other place) when they seen the grandson blow that much cash on a car they could have bought in their lifetime right off the car lot.

OK, done now. Other views welcomed.

 

Holy sheets, how much acid did it take to dream THAT up. Reminds me of an old tie-died VW micro-bus that a dead head friend of mine had back in the late 60's.

 

Here is my .02 cents worth.
Not all cars loose value by being modded, some actually gain value (look at model A's, 32 fords ,tri five chevys and many others) I say mod your vette and have some fun. The car hobby is not really what the Barret Jackson auction is about IMO, that crowd is more about owning something (not nessacarly even a car) very few people have (or can afford). Just think about how many times you see the owners driving those high dollar,air conditioned-garage queens.
Having built a 32 Ford roadster the fun for me is when people admire the work you have done yourself. How much enjoyment do those guys get when they sign the check?

 

basically the car is worthless. use it, enjoy it, and think of it as disposible

 

Do what you want to your corvette and enjoy it. i mean this is my first vette and i love it. im going crazy on it and dont plan to keep it stock. belive it or not you probably will find some younger rich guy that wants one modded then a stock one.

 

Most likely the only C4 worth Barret-Jackson type of money would be the one in the National Corvette Museum.

My dad restored Packards, Studebakers, and the mid-50 T-Birds were his biggest passion. (yeah, there were the odd corvette or 2 just for fun). I wound up helping (drafted?) in the process.

If you are looking at the value of a car, from a collector viewpoint, the ONLY, and I mean ONLY thing that matters is ORIGINALITY!!! Never should the words modification or modify leave your lips or enter your mind. The collector wants an original vehicle with all the original parts. This goes beyond the car hobby. It goes for furniture, old radios and phonographs, stamps and coins, etc.

The only exception I would offer would be an outfit like Lingenfelter that tuned a car right off the factory floor and had all documentation to prove it was not a "cuzzin bubba" job screwed together in someones garage.

Your average Vette is a mass production vehicle. Treat it as such. If you've picked up a vette for X dollars and want to hot rod it, race it customize it, whatever, just do it. Enjoy it and have fun. Don't worry to much about it's "value" cause if your gonna modify it, only you will want it when its over.

 

Man, glad I caught ya--DON'T MOD IT!!!

I think I can live with the head porting but... J/K


Just my $.02-- I knew purchasing mine it was going to be something I would refine. I have never seen it as an investment. One MOD that would steer clear of though; the TOW HITCH mentioned earlier...