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C1 - Modded vs Original value
Just wondering what peoples thoughts are on original matching numbers corvette versus say one with modern motor and some minor modern updates - eg, brakes, suspension, steering.
Im asking as im looking to buy a 58-60 C1 and want one which will hold better value into the future but also something slightly more modern to drive. So im looking to either buy a matching numbers original vette and then do the upgrades myself but have all the original parts retained for future, or buy one with say the upgraded modern motor, brakes, power steering, etc. Thus is a original matching number vette more sought after and worth more then a slightly modified vette without the original parts? |
There is no "right " answer, and there is no "wrong" answer. Value is perceived in many ways. This subject has been beat to the point of "it doesn't even LOOK like a horse anymore".
Opinions will be all over the place. With ALL of the research that you do, you'll NOT GET AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.......BUT, YOU'LL GET A LOT OF OPINIONS, and you know what they say about opinions. Here is an interesting recent thread with a discussion about the "glut" of modified cars, and the "opinions" of where they will fall at the upcoming Barrett Jackson auction. FWIW, I have built and sold 30 modified cars over the past 19 years or so, and have sold every single one of them for between 125,000 and 195,000, so MY OPINION is their is NO "usual 3 year cycle". Pick your side...... https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-a-bidder.html Good luck. :trainwreck: |
Thanks for that - got any 58/60 c1’s or know of any? |
I drove an fairly original 61 for 10 years -- a LOT...
The kingpin, center link steering, "live" solid axle, school bus steering wheel and drum brakes make the car a primitive jaunt in history while driving. This is opposed to a car with disc brakes power steering with modern components and independent rear suspension. My 61 got upgraded with front disc brakes and a 5-speed, overdrive transmission and a modern radio system - I sold the car and the original front drums and Borg-Warner T-10 transmission and Wonderbar radio went with the car. I can almost guarantee that future owners will never reinstall those things so, although they want them, they are more than likely shelf ornaments... The bggest complaints on these cars are seating, steering, handling, brakes and sound - the engine performance is next but I was fine with the 270hp dual quad original mill. To wit, if you find a car with those items already addressed, nicely and safely, why not save yourself some grief and buy it ? Most times the labor for these mods done by other owners isn't factored into the price so there isn't that much advantage over doing it yourself.... |
I chose to pursue the middle ground; a very well restored car with it's spritely 283, all original parts except front disc brakes, radial white wall tires, modern Delco gas shocks, Pertronix 1181 ignition, and an aftermarket Wonderbar radio which is difficult to detect.
As such it has all the charm of a perfectly restored C1 with minor, easily reversible modifications (no drilling or cutting) that are imperceptible to most and greatly improve the driving experience and performance. I love my original T-10 4 speed with 3.70 gears! results may vary.. |
It is almost impossible for anyone here to predict the future. But in the world we live in today and with the younger generation starting to have disposable income they are going for the true resto mods. And what I mean by true resto mod is one with the roadster shop or art Morrison chassis an LS motor and modern transmission and modern suspension an interior but leaving the body as it was. Those cars are bringing the most money. Resto mod is a loosely used word today! people think because they did a few modifications to their car that it is a resto mod and are surprise when they go to sell it and they can’t get the big bucks for it. It’s because it’s a custom not a resto mod. So be cautious of what you buy. Some of your very original cars with fuel injection, big brakes and things like that will always bring a premium but your pay a premium to get one. |
Originally Posted by Taz007
(Post 1598446342)
Im asking as im looking to buy a 58-60 C1 and want one which will hold better value into the future but also something slightly more modern to drive. |
Originally Posted by jim lockwood
(Post 1598446968)
Buy the vehicle you will enjoy. Then, find value in the pleasure you get out of driving and using it. Do this and you won't lose. Don't sweat the dollars.
This is the best advice. Buying a car that's not quite what you want because you think it will hold value better is a bad move in my book. You have two choices: Buy the car you want and let the value do whatever it does. In the end you'll have had a car you love and the value will be whatever it is. or Buy the car that isn't quite what you want because you think it will hold value. In the end you'll have a car you don't love so much and the value will be whatever it is (which might be lower than if you had taken the other choice, because no one can predict the future). |
I've been on the fence about this for months, but have moved over to the "who cares if I modify it" side of the column. I want a fun driver for the few years I have left to enjoy it.
I was approached by a fellow with a very nice 1961, that looks completely stock on the outside and mostly stock interior, with custom frame from well known source, IFS suspension, bigger engine, A/C, 700R4 and more, for a really good price. If you are interested PM me and I will send you his contact info. You could not build this car for anywhere close to what he is asking. Butch |
I'm fully with Lockwood on this.... Buy the car you want to own and drive now..... Who gives a damn about tomorrow, cause it might be the truck, health or God that takes you.... quibbling over the potential of a few bucks years from now should not cloud your decision to buy what you want now....
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My opinion is that there are less and less of the guys still around that care about all original and there will be even less as the next ten years go by since many are dying off . We are moving into a new generation that for the most part don't even care about cars and the few that do don't want relics. They are going to want a car that is fun to drive and that means modified . That's why I continue to update my 57 . I go to the car cruises all of the time and I never get questions asking if it is all original like you always heard years ago . They are impressed when I tell them that it has front disc brakes and power steering . I just put electric hood poppers in it and it makes a huge improvement over fighting the antique cables that always bind . Most people love seeing that kind of thing in these old cars . I want to enjoy my car , not just talk about how original it is then hang on for dear life when I drive it .
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OK, I'll take the opposite view from most . . . my 1962 is a complete, original numbers-matching car in very nice shape. It is 100% stock, and will stay that way. Every C1 that gets resto-modded is one less original car in existence (yes, people say "I saved all the old parts so it can be put back to stock", but how many ever actually do that?). There will come a day when people will want to know what a real 1962 Corvette looks like, sounds like, and drives like - just as they do with classic cars now. I intend to have one for them to see - and hear - and drive. That doesn't make me any more noble than the guy who wants his custom-chassis, modern motor, disc braked resto mod because it's easier and more fun to drive - I'm sure that it is. But it isn't a 1962 Corvette any more, just like a Factory Five Cobra replica isn't a real Cobra. Sure, it may be a better driving car and easier to live with - and in the Cobra's case, the original is worth many times what the replica will ever be. That's not true for most Corvettes . . . . yet.
In the end, your car, your choice. As for me, stock is where it's at. I will say that trying to make a decision based on which car will eventually be worth more is an exercise in futility. Drive the car you want. |
Originally Posted by bj1k
(Post 1598447541)
My opinion is that there are less and less of the guys still around that care about all original and there will be even less as the next ten years go by since many are dying off . We are moving into a new generation that for the most part don't even care about cars and the few that do don't want relics. They are going to want a car that is fun to drive and that means modified ..
Doug |
Here is how I look at it a modified car is done To today’s taste and technology That changes a lot So when the next big thing comes out that is the in thing to do and what you done last year is no longer the hot ticket to do. That effects the value some How much depends on the build of the car. And all the mean time correctly restored cars level off or go up in value over time. Buy what ever car you think you will drive the most to get the most enjoyment out of Let your dependents worry about value |
I am in the same camp, but with a C2
I bought my car not knowing anything other than it was cool & I wanted it. Turned out to be a numbers matching car. I have changed everything on it, dual master cyl, disks, offset trailing arms, all stainless steel brake & fuel lines, sidepipes, teakwood steering wheel, all at my expense to build the car I wanted. Im stil running all of the original engine/trans ect... but in hindsight, I would been much better off buying one that someone else sunk all this money into. Since they "allegedly" worth less money this way.... I dont care about if I hurt the resale value or not. Yes all of the original stuff is sitting around collecting dust & taking up room, along with the hardtop I have never used in 16 years of ownership, and the real kicker, is during that time I have owned it, the price of decent C1 or C2 has more than doubled so I dont think you'll be hurt financially either way. |
Originally Posted by Taz007
(Post 1598446342)
Just wondering what peoples thoughts are on original matching numbers corvette versus say one with modern motor and some minor modern updates - eg, brakes, suspension, steering.
Im asking as im looking to buy a 58-60 C1 and want one which will hold better value into the future but also something slightly more modern to drive. So im looking to either buy a matching numbers original vette and then do the upgrades myself but have all the original parts retained for future, or buy one with say the upgraded modern motor, brakes, power steering, etc. Thus is a original matching number vette more sought after and worth more then a slightly modified vette without the original parts? Make it EASY and FUN to DRIVE. The upcoming generation of car buyers don't know how to use a stick shift. Won't drive a car with manual steering or brakes or A/C. Must be compatible with their i-phones so get Bluetooth for their Pandora,etc, You get the picture. :cheers: |
If ever there needed to be a Sticky here... a "Keeping/Making it like it came Off-The-Line (OTL) vs making it so it Turns Your Crank (TYC) and the financial impact to your Investment Portfolio".... Sticky is certainly deserving. It comes up way more often than the dreaded Pertronix debates.
Had lots of hobbies in my lifetime, but there's something in the DNA of this hobby that brings out concern about ROI vs fun/dollar. I'm typically like a driver passing a car wreck when this topic comes up, but it's lunch time and apparently I'm bored. Anyway..... just a thot so when this issue comes up in the next 15-20 minutes even someone totally unqualified like me can say, "Go read the Sticky". Ya'll have a blessed day and.... what a life huh? Godspeed George HW Bush. |
Who knows what will happen down the road with these cars. The current rage is restomods and they bring a lot of money but also cost a lot to build as in $100k plus. That crowd is akin to the hot rot crowd and it is all about the latest and greatest engines, trans and gadgets. once there is something new that everyone wants the price of you build without it suffers in value. When restomoding first began people were using drive trains and frames from later model Corvettes to slide under the old bodies. Those cars today have little value compared to what they cost to build because today everyone wants an aftermarket frame and such. Who knows in years to come we may see new restomods with electric engines and some type of sound system that makes it sound like a big block with side pipes.Down the road maybe some of the young people wanting an old Corvette may want the original feel, look, etc. of the original cars and may look for an original or want to change a modified car back to that as was the rage 30+ years ago.For my 57 I built a stealth 383 stroker that LOOKS like a 283/270 h.p. with factory type dual quads. I have an upgraded sound system and plan to add electric PS and possibly disc brakes in the future. None of it is inexpensive as I have close to $100K in my car now.So, pick your poison, the only way you will know if you have done the right thing financially is when you sell it and then find out if there is a market for what you have done and have. As many have suggested don't worry about what it will be worth down the road do what makes YOU happy. Regardless you will have a car that will depreciate LESS then if you bought a new car when it comes time that you want to sell it. |
Some great replies thanks guys. I unfortunately haven’t even had the pleasure to drive or go in one yet so I guess from peoples experience, what are the main things people change/upgrade to get a more enjoyable ride and car which are notorious on these cars for being quite ancient and ineffective now? |
Like I mentioned earlier; I find modern radial whitewall tires (diamond back, etc), modern Delco gas shocks and front disc brakes will carry a properly restored C1 a long way. It seems many C1's have tired front suspensions and steering in need of an overhaul by an experienced mechanic familiar with their idiosyncracies.
The stock 283 motors are plenty strong for a 3K lbs vehicle and I love the factory 4spd with 3.70 gears. The leaf sprung rear is going to kick a bit like any solid axle car. |
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