When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I own a 2003 Anniversary red coupe . It kills me to see all I could do to it. And I don't. I would like to have the hood liner and engine done. Different exhaust. Custom interior. Raise the horse power. But I've got this thing about trying to keep her just the way I got her. Am I crazy or is wanting to change her looks crazy? Are "mods" going to increase the value or lower it? I'm open to all advice. Thanks!
A stock car is worth more than a modded car as a rule. You will get very little for any mods you do. Most people pull off their mods before selling. My advice would be to do all the mods you want and keep the original parts in case you want to return her back to stock or to sell it.
My opinion is that if you mod the car you will want to keep any of the stock items if you are going to sell it later. Corvette people in general want a virgin car to play with. Mods do not increase a corvette's value.
Most people take the mods off and return the car to stock before selling. Stock corvettes will generally sell faster because of the impression that the car was not screwed around with.
Watch some of the cars for sale on the forum and see what happens.
I own a 2003 Anniversary red coupe . It kills me to see all I could do to it. And I don't. I would like to have the hood liner and engine done. Different exhaust. Custom interior. Raise the horse power. But I've got this thing about trying to keep her just the way I got her. Am I crazy or is wanting to change her looks crazy? Are "mods" going to increase the value or lower it? I'm open to all advice. Thanks!
I too come from the C1/C2 era which said it must be stock and all the numbers must match. You're right, there are a lot of cool things you can do but I prefer to keep my 2004 Mag Red 6 Speed Coupe just the way she was when I bought her. Good luck on your choice(s)
From: AKA Harvey Mushman-I know just enough to be dangerous "Those who sacrifice liberty for safety deserve neither"- B. Franklin
Senior Member
Cruise-In V Veteran
I felt that way until I started hanging around here. First you figure that a CAGS bypass is just fixing it. Then bras or X-Pel is protecting it. Then an exhaust plate is only a little dress up. Partitions? easy in, easy out. Wheels unbolt easy, so do cat backs. and headers and heads, cams , blowers.... If you want to keep it stock I'd suggest you don't spend too much time on CF.
I was going to leave my AE stock but then I got bitten by the Mod bug. I am keeping all of the parts that I take off of her even though I never intend to sell her. You can never tell.
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Much depends on the mods you do to the car, but as a general rule, mods will usually cause the value to go down. But, if you keep the original parts and can easily put the car back to stock, you may come out OK. There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep it stock either.
Are "mods" going to increase the value or lower it?
Mods will lower it. Especially if they cannot be reversed. I agree with everyone here, keep all of the original parts so that you can return it to stock if or when you sell it. Certain mods such as upgraded OEM wheels may even add a little to it's value or make it more desireable.
It's your car, enjoy it however you like.
Perhaps if we became politically correct and changed the term from "mods" or "modifications" to "automotive enhancements" it would make more sense as we might recover more of the money we pour into them.
It's an individual thing. We start with a great car and if you like it that way, then keep it that way. But then there are quests to improve performance or handling and that great car becomes more fun. There is a little competition even among pure street drivers to be better or faster than the next guy.
Then we see something that we like simply because of its looks or sound.
It's a fascinating aspect of the C5 Corvette that it is so flexible when it comes to satisfying its owners - either as a pure stock vehicle, one that has been dressed up for show, or as a performance vehicle for road and track.
So enjoy the car as YOU want to. Stock, slightly "enhanced" or as a racer. Resale wasn't your first thought when you bought the car.
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10,'14, '16
St Jude Fedex Bowl Donor '09
Originally Posted by my50thvette
I own a 2003 Anniversary red coupe . It kills me to see all I could do to it. And I don't. I would like to have the hood liner and engine done. Different exhaust. Custom interior. Raise the horse power. But I've got this thing about trying to keep her just the way I got her. Am I crazy or is wanting to change her looks crazy? Are "mods" going to increase the value or lower it? I'm open to all advice. Thanks!
From experience...the mods on a car are only worth as much as one is willing to pay for them..... I didnt get much more out of my Z06 than I would if it was stock... maybe a few thousand because of all I had... In my opinion its just a personal preference to make the changes for what you want the car to be.... they are not going to increase teh value... and sometimes with certain people they see it as a negative.. but that is very few.... most people like tastefully done mods in a C5.... good luck with whatever you decide
The easiest way to answer the question is to ask yourself, if you were in the market for a used Corvette, which would you buy, a clean, stock Corvette that appeared to have been taken care of or a clean Corvette that appeared to have been taken care of but had headers, loud exhaust, the intake changed and maybe a supercharger?
Which would you think had been driven harder? Which would you think was more likely to have problems you didn't know about?
You can keep your car totally stock if you want to and that is ok... as for myself, I didnt buy this car for the next owner.. I bought it for me!! So every Mod I want will be installed and throughly enjoyed.
This may be a dumb way to look at it, but if for some reason you can't sell the modded vette to a private party, there's always the good ol' dealer trade-in. Those guys never ask any questions about what's on the car. I just traded in my Jeep Grand Cherokee with a giant dent (wife-induced) in the rear bumper. They never even questioned us about it. All they got was the VIN and they were done. I don't have an AE, so this logic probably doesn't apply...but for a 98 vert, I'll happy to go with it for now
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.