Upgraded seats increase or decrease value?
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Joined: Mar 2013
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Upgraded seats increase or decrease value?
I have a 2011 base 3LT. I put in 100% leather seat skins with the 2012 foam. A super improvement over the stock seats. I'm considering selling and I'm wondering if the seats add or reduce value. Forgetting the purist angle, is it reasonable to ask (and expect) a bit more with the updated seats? If so, how much of the $2,000 cost can I expect to reclaim? I didn't put them in with the intention of increasing value, but I don't want to sell short.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 10,343
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From: North Texas
Pure guess, I'd say $300 to $500.
Try to put yourself on the other side of the deal. You're looking at a car and the owner informs you that he installed $2k worth of seating upgrades. What would you be willing to pay?
Try to put yourself on the other side of the deal. You're looking at a car and the owner informs you that he installed $2k worth of seating upgrades. What would you be willing to pay?
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,408
Likes: 1
From: Allen Park MI
I'd say, neither decrease or increase. You could use the 'upgrade' as a selling point that might help it sell quicker. But I'd bet no one would even know you upgraded the seats unless you told them.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,513
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From: Rocheport Missouri
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 232
Likes: 11
From: Illinois
I have a 2011 base 3LT. I put in 100% leather seat skins with the 2012 foam. A super improvement over the stock seats. I'm considering selling and I'm wondering if the seats add or reduce value. Forgetting the purist angle, is it reasonable to ask (and expect) a bit more with the updated seats? If so, how much of the $2,000 cost can I expect to reclaim? I didn't put them in with the intention of increasing value, but I don't want to sell short.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
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From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
It may be an upgrade to you, but finding another person who agrees with your opinion will be difficult. The OEM seats were only perfect for a reasonable percentage of original buyers. The rest either spent $$ to make them personal or settled for what existed.
When selling, until you get a strong feel about the potential buyer's desires, you might choose to say nothing about the seats.
When selling, until you get a strong feel about the potential buyer's desires, you might choose to say nothing about the seats.
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Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,390
Likes: 470
From: NY
Are these the Leatherseats.com upgrades? You also didn't mention the leather and stitching color. If you stayed conservative with the colors and didn't personalize, there's no way it would decrease the value as they are a very nice upgrade over stock. The more information you provide to the potential buyer (material improvements, cost etc.), the better your chances of recouping some of the cost.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,937
Likes: 336
I specifically zeroed in on the Vette I ended up with because of all the extras. It was a better value in my mind than a stock Corvette because I would have wanted to add the items down the road anyway. Buyers are all over the board when it comes to what they want.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 5,187
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From: Las Vegas Nevada
Rusty, I don't think that is what the folks are saying. What they mean, I believe, is that you will not get the $$ back that you spent on modifications when it comes time to sell...not even close. You bought a car that had all the mods you wanted, as do many of us. But I will bet you a cup of coffee that you did not pay the seller for the cost of the mods above the market price of the car....not even close. If someone spends $10,000 modifying a Corvette, drives it a couple years, then wants to sell it, they might be lucky to get $1,000 more than they would have gotten with no mods. In fact, they might have to hang onto the car a long time to find a buyer who wants those particular mods.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,821
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From: Lincoln CA
I can't say on a Corvette, but I have experience with upgraded interiors. I bought a 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SV sedan. When I bought the car they couldn't find an SL with navigation, with the factory leather, so I settled for the fabric seating. Later I saw an SV that had been retrofitted with a Katzkin leather interior at the dealership. I asked them and they finally agreed to put the same interior in my car for $1,200. The car is Super Black with the beige leather interior. You can't tell it from the factory leather. I'm trying to sell the car now and nobody gives a rats butt about the upgraded interior, so I'll just guess "no impact" unless you chose yellow leather with purple stitching. BTW, my recollection of showing my 69 427 Coupe in C3 stock class tells me that you might have spoiled the car for showing as a stock Corvette at some future date. NCRS tolerates no deviations from bone stock.
Last edited by RagTop69; Jun 25, 2015 at 11:20 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 3,937
Likes: 336
Rusty, I don't think that is what the folks are saying. What they mean, I believe, is that you will not get the $$ back that you spent on modifications when it comes time to sell...not even close. You bought a car that had all the mods you wanted, as do many of us. But I will bet you a cup of coffee that you did not pay the seller for the cost of the mods above the market price of the car....not even close. If someone spends $10,000 modifying a Corvette, drives it a couple years, then wants to sell it, they might be lucky to get $1,000 more than they would have gotten with no mods. In fact, they might have to hang onto the car a long time to find a buyer who wants those particular mods.
Yes I gathered that and agreed. I guess my example was not very clear. You are correct with my purchase. I probably paid about 1500.00 more than one that was stock but after researching all the extras on the car, I figured the seller spent a minimum of 10k on the changes. It was those extras on the car that sealed the deal for me. Well that and the super low miles!
