Need advice on how to price heavily modded S4s.
01-11-2004, 08:40 PM
#1
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Need advice on how to price heavily modded S4s.
I was planning on buying an S4 and modding it to stage 3, but am now thinking of purchasing a car that is Stage 3, or close to it, if I can save a good deal of money.
I have researched on the forum how to price S4s with mods and have come up with 2 contraditory suggestions. Some say to find out what the same car without the mods would normally sell for and add 1/2 the cost of the parts that have been installed (labor not included) to come up with a fair price. This makes sense, because if a person is going to purchase an S4 to mod it, it would cost over twice as much money to accomplish that.
However, others suggest that a modded S4 be priced significantly less than what the stock car would go for 3 reasons:
1. The number of people looking for an S4 with those mods is significantly less than a person looking for a stock S4, therefore, seller has a hard time selling modded car.
2. A modded S4 is less desireable because it has had a harder life than a stock S4 and is more prone to failure of parts, which on these cars is expensive to repair.
3. A heavily modded S4 has no warranty, and because of reason number 2 the purchaser is taking on greater risks.
Although these suggestions are contradictory, they both make sense and have their own merrits. Therefore, I am having a difficult time coming up witha good formula to decide what would be reasonable for a modded S4 and could use your help. Please try to take your emotional attachement to your cars out of it (I know this is difficult, I sold my stage s4 8 months ago,) and give your logic.
I have researched on the forum how to price S4s with mods and have come up with 2 contraditory suggestions. Some say to find out what the same car without the mods would normally sell for and add 1/2 the cost of the parts that have been installed (labor not included) to come up with a fair price. This makes sense, because if a person is going to purchase an S4 to mod it, it would cost over twice as much money to accomplish that.
However, others suggest that a modded S4 be priced significantly less than what the stock car would go for 3 reasons:
1. The number of people looking for an S4 with those mods is significantly less than a person looking for a stock S4, therefore, seller has a hard time selling modded car.
2. A modded S4 is less desireable because it has had a harder life than a stock S4 and is more prone to failure of parts, which on these cars is expensive to repair.
3. A heavily modded S4 has no warranty, and because of reason number 2 the purchaser is taking on greater risks.
Although these suggestions are contradictory, they both make sense and have their own merrits. Therefore, I am having a difficult time coming up witha good formula to decide what would be reasonable for a modded S4 and could use your help. Please try to take your emotional attachement to your cars out of it (I know this is difficult, I sold my stage s4 8 months ago,) and give your logic.
01-11-2004, 09:05 PM
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That is probably true as far as care given, but how about how the car is driven?
A person doesn't go through the trouble to go Stage 3 to drive like a granny all the time. Most want to show off how their car performs and drive them hard.
01-11-2004, 09:11 PM
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The S4 is pretty tough. I would feel better buying one that's been driven in anger often than one
which I don't know has always been warmed up properly and may not alway gotten the best oil for it. That being said, I would never buy or own a S4 out of warranty, regardless of how much power it made.
01-11-2004, 09:16 PM
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You can look at it two ways. 1. Modded = abuse, in my experience that's false. 2. Modded has
little to do with the condition of the car, and may actually mean the car was better cared for, and that should be the deciding factor.
Ask yourself this, who mods? First, people that have little idea about how a car works and what you need to do to keep it maintained, but want it to be fast. If you buy this car, your #2 is probably correct. Second, people who know their ****, know how the various systems in a car work, and how to maintain the thing. You'd be far better served by buying a car from the second type of person. Better off in fact, than buying a completely stock car from someone who has no idea why you warm up, cool down, and maintain a car, especiall a turbo car.
You'll also see people say that you shouldn't buy a car that's been on the track or autocrossed. My feeling is this. Someone who takes their car on the track is more likely than not to be someone who is "into" cars, and thus will take care of it. I'd be far more cautious about buying a car from someone who says they never tracked or autocrossed the car, but did go full throttle from the first stoplight in the morning, when the oil was still cold.
In short, I think the fact that a car is modded has little to do with how hard of a life it's had, and may even indicate that it's been better cared for than a completely stock car driven buy a clueless owner who just looks at it as transportation, and nothing more. These cars can be fickle, and if for instance (in the words of xr8edS4) you don't keep your hose in check, you could be facing some real problems.
My advice is this, find a car you like, and then talk to the owner, see how he/she cared for the car. Does it seem like he or she maintained it? Do they have maintenance records? Get a sense of the kind of owner you think they are, that's going to be a far better indicator of the real "value" of the car in terms of how reliable it's going to be in the future.
If you're looking at Stage 3 cars, find out how many hands (shops) have been in the motor. You want to look at it like you would medical care, you want some continuity. You don't want a bunch of random mechanics all wrenching on it, adding their own "expertise".
Good luck.
Ask yourself this, who mods? First, people that have little idea about how a car works and what you need to do to keep it maintained, but want it to be fast. If you buy this car, your #2 is probably correct. Second, people who know their ****, know how the various systems in a car work, and how to maintain the thing. You'd be far better served by buying a car from the second type of person. Better off in fact, than buying a completely stock car from someone who has no idea why you warm up, cool down, and maintain a car, especiall a turbo car.
You'll also see people say that you shouldn't buy a car that's been on the track or autocrossed. My feeling is this. Someone who takes their car on the track is more likely than not to be someone who is "into" cars, and thus will take care of it. I'd be far more cautious about buying a car from someone who says they never tracked or autocrossed the car, but did go full throttle from the first stoplight in the morning, when the oil was still cold.
In short, I think the fact that a car is modded has little to do with how hard of a life it's had, and may even indicate that it's been better cared for than a completely stock car driven buy a clueless owner who just looks at it as transportation, and nothing more. These cars can be fickle, and if for instance (in the words of xr8edS4) you don't keep your hose in check, you could be facing some real problems.
My advice is this, find a car you like, and then talk to the owner, see how he/she cared for the car. Does it seem like he or she maintained it? Do they have maintenance records? Get a sense of the kind of owner you think they are, that's going to be a far better indicator of the real "value" of the car in terms of how reliable it's going to be in the future.
If you're looking at Stage 3 cars, find out how many hands (shops) have been in the motor. You want to look at it like you would medical care, you want some continuity. You don't want a bunch of random mechanics all wrenching on it, adding their own "expertise".
Good luck.
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01-11-2004, 09:21 PM
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A granny driven car isn't always good. I'd prefer a car that was driven but not
abused. I'd hate to get it, drive it and then have it blow up because there was some factory fault that granny never uncovered. Give me something that's tested.
01-11-2004, 09:25 PM
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the "base price+1/2mods" formula sounds good in theory
but does not seem realistic imo.
i bought my stage3 s4 for well under the "base price + 1/2mods" number. there's also an awe stage3 s4 selling in austin for about what the car itself is worth.
so .. there you go for a few real world examples.
i bought my stage3 s4 for well under the "base price + 1/2mods" number. there's also an awe stage3 s4 selling in austin for about what the car itself is worth.
so .. there you go for a few real world examples.