B.Prug87

I am looking to sell my 2002 Torch Red Z06. I know mods don't add value but I am looking to see what you all think or have experienced selling or buying a modified Z06. It has 50k miles on it and it is in good condition with very minor flaws. In my area the NADA suggested retail is $22,000. I have it listed locally for $24,999. I want to be realistic and get as much as possible. The list of parts consist of.
RPM level IV transmission
Mantic 9000 twin disc clutch
LG Pro Headers
Billy Boat bullet catback exhaust
K&N intake
MTI insulated plug wires
MGW short throw shifter
C6 shift **** and boot
Slotted and drilled rotors front and back
Hawk HPS pads

etekberg

I wouldn't pay more than $20k. And that only if in great condition, which I doubt yours is based on your description. I'd rather buy a stock car that hasn't been lowered and abused as most modded cars tend to be.

B.Prug87

The car hasn't been lowered. I have had it for 5 years and put 14,000 miles on it. It's tuned at 400 wheel horsepower. I realize I lost potential buyers with it being modified. To do what I did to this car if you pay $20,000 will cost you around $30,000 to replicate with labor. Someone that wants a modified Z06 will save a good bit buying this car. It's all tasteful mods with reputable parts companies. No knock off parts on this car at all. But thank you for your opinion

Edit: as far as condition I am a detailer as a hobby and the finish and the interior has been maintained with high end detailing products since iv owned it. iv placed atleast top 3 in every car show I have attended. I could pick out every flaw since iv been over ever inch more times then I can count. For being a car that's driven and not locked up in a garage you would be surprised. It's not a 10 but it's not used and abused either

CalF

Expect folks to question the transmission and clutch replacement as they will see that as a sign of abuse.The bolt on mods are minor.Its when you open up the motor or go FI that scares people away.Given the info you provided and the time of year i would say around 19 to 21k.Of course there is always the chance someone sees it and just has to have it ,but that is a slim chance.GLWS

B.Prug87

Thank you for your input. I can see where the transmission can bring concern. I had plans to supercharge the vehicle but bought a house instead.

Daddie O

I bought my bone stock, immaculate Torch Red 2002 Z06 for $26,500. The car had only 8600 miles on it, and was a garage queen owned by an old grandpa. I would not consider a car that was modified, and I looked for one with as low miles as I could find. If i saw a car with mods and 50k miles I would think to myself, I bet that car was rode hard and put away wet. Given the choice between the one I chose and the one you are selling, I think it was worth $1500 to have 42,000 less miles and be unmolested. Please don't get me wrong, you are selling a beautiful machine, and it may be quite well taken care of. The value depends on the market, and I think the market dictates a price closer to $18-20k for a C5 Z06 modified with 50k miles on it. Best of luck with your sale!

Zjoe6

If you go check blue book on the stock version private party it's $17.1 excellent condish. I know you have invested in a lot of mods but there is always an element of risk with any modified car. I wouldn't pay what you're asking but that's just one person's opinion. I recently picked up a 2004 zo6 same color, 66k miles $21.5. Pretty much bone stock I think just a short shifter. It was a fair price for a very clean car. No defects at all besides minor windshield and paint road wear.

175rgr

You have to realize your car is a completely different market that what most people on here will be looking for.

You have the "I would never touch a modded car" market

and then "I'm looking for something with decent mods / supporting mods or a full build to suite my build and my goals" market.

With that considered, you don't have a substantial amount of upgrades to venture too much past the fair market value. Someone looking at your car will want to do Heads/Cam/Intake ~$3000 and have a solid 420-450 rwhp car with a built trans and good clutch.

Your car is worth about 17.5-20k pending on the body, paint, interior and whether it has been ragged out or not.

Post it up for 20k to start, it will sell if its been taken care of.

Moto One

I always find it funny that the guys that say "they" would never buy a car with modes seem to be the first to head off to have a supercharger/cam/headers etc installed... On the other hand I would have more trust in a well taken care of moded car (even if it was road hard and I don't think there is a Z that hasn't been beat on) then some so called low milage garage queen, That has only seen one service in the past 10 years.

At some point in time, know one is going to care about how many miles, or modes have been done to a Z, they will spend five times the original cost to restore it back to and above showroom condition... (see C2s and now C3)

Mark

etekberg

It's perfectly valid to never buy a modded car, but to mod your own. There is no conflict there.

I've bought modded cars, but with modded cars you pretty much never know exactly what you are buying / getting yourself into. And almost all modded cars have something unpleasant about them. What I mean is something wasn't done right, or something is broken, or something needs some dialing in.

With a stock car, you at least have some idea what you are buying.

Casey Milhorn

I just bought a 2002 red z06 with 8,200 miles on it. Bolt on mods only and they were done within the last few months. Car looks like it rolled off show room floor (almost) . Paid $22,500 for it and I think I got a heck of a deal. I looked for a couple months before I found this one and I would have paid $21,000+/- for your car when I was looking, if it was close to me and available at the time and in as good of shape as you say it is. I wouldn't have been nervous about the mods if I got to meet and talk with you. Meeting and talking to the owner mean a lot when buying a car like this (in my opinion). Don't be afraid to list it on every corvette forum and multiple craigslist ads around your area. This is a specific car that somebody is searching for, not a Honda Accord that everyone is looking for... That's my two cents anyway....

Shakeydeal

I agree with this. As long as the car has no leaks, good belts, has had proper maintenance, etc., what is the problem if it's been thrashed every now and again? I mean it is a sports car, isn't it? And the LS6 is reported to be pretty bulletproof. The cosmetics will speak for themselves, but what danger could possibly be lurking in a well maintained, but relatively hard driven car?

And if everyone turned their noses up at buying a modded car, there would probably only be 3-4 left in the country to buy......


Shakey

zeevette

There are other indications that a car has been abused, or just driven hard, other than the presence of mods. I'd rather buy a low mile, modded car, than get stuck with just another stock C5...boring. I've got well over 20k in extras on my '02, and have owned it since '03 and 265 miles on the odo. I wouldn't sell mine for chump change to idiots who believe that unmodified cars are better. Your tasteful, and useful mods are a plus, IMO. Just FYI, I've never raced, or even done a burnout in my 600+HP car, and it only has 19k miles; so they're out there. A stock car will thrill you for a while.

RueBurgundy

On the one hand I would love to have a car with those mods already installed, but on the other (more influential) hand would never trust a modded car to not have been driven. And if driven, why pay a premium for a halfway modded car when you can get a full on autox ready machine for not much more? I think it just comes down to that simple logic. Either go full modded car at cutthroat price or go garage queen and pay a premium. I went garage queen, and miles weren't even that big of a factor,

175rgr

You will be paying more of a premium for an umodded car than a CORRECTLY done modded car, if your plans are to mod it in the future.

For instance, I have bought, sold, and bought again my ~850rwhp c5 z06. When i bought It for 27k, I got the car and was handed 18+k in receipts along with it. It had some minor finishing to do and some things to be patched up here and there, but I got a car that booked at 21 or 22 at the time, with 18+k in upgrades for 27k. Keep in mind that even today most credit unions will loan out 27k for a clean c5 z06.

As long as you do your research, and you know what you are looking at, you will ALWAYS pay less buying a modded car than modding it yourself. Prime example, he has nearly 10 grand in mods on that car, is he going to sell it for 27K?


If I was looking to build a bad N/A Heads/Cam car with a built driveline, this is a steal at 20k.

20K + 3500 = 23.5k invested ~450 rwhp 3200 lb car. Can't ask for much more then that. The clutch being done is a HUGE plus.

TurboTnZ06

The RPM trans is way better than stock. I know, I had one in mine. Flawless. I'd take a C5 with an RPM trans over stock all day long at the same price + 500/1000 or so.

zdeckich

I could see $20k all day long for it.

Daddie O

I find it funny that you dumped $20k worth of extras in your car, which only devalued it, never raced it or even did a burnout, then you call others who prefer unmodified cars idiots Out of curiosity, when you bought your vette in 2003 with 265 miles on it, was it already modded or were you an idiot that believed that an unmodded car was better?

But, but it's not boring to have a modified car, so it is worth it right? I suppose. You could have just had fun setting 20,000 $1 bills on fire one at a time. Afterwards your unmodified vette would be worth more than it is now.

I know, modifying cars is more fun to you than setting $1 bills on fire, plus you get the added benefit of saying your car is now 1 second faster in the quarter mile than it was before, even though you never tested that theory because you never raced it. The thing is, when MOST people are looking into getting a Corvette they either want it low miles and stock because they like their vehicle that way, or they want it low miles and stock because they want to modify it the way THEY want to modify it done by themselves or people THEY trust. Condition and mileage is what factors into resale value, and modifying a vehicle puts condition into question, which thus lowers value.

Modding a car and hoping that it adds value to it's resale is a losing proposition. Modifying a car for your own enjoyment, knowing you are hurting it's resale value is one thing, because you don't care about it's resale value. Modifying and customizing a car to your liking reduces the size of the market of people that would be interested in owning the car. Just because you like the car painted pink with purple polka dots doesn't mean others do. Same thing with performance mods. Just because you like exhaust x, transmission y, and shifter z, doesn't mean everyone does. That does not make people who want to start with a clean slate "idiots."

Casey Milhorn

I think there are all types of buyers. I was just looking for a good deal. My buy ended up being a very low mileage, lightly modded one. I would have taken a 100k mile car, or a supercharged car, or H/C/I car, etc. etc. etc., if it was a good deal and I felt pretty good about the mods. Properly installed mods don't appear to hurt the resale value of higher mileage cars and sometimes seem to help the value. On the other hand, from what I've seen, a lower mileage unmodded car would probably bring more than a modded car. Just my two cents...

jpm995

just bought a '02 z06 with 11k miles in perfect condition for 28k. I'm on LI, New York. May have overpaid but i decided to by the car as soon as i saw it. It was lightly modded [3.9 rear with hardened shafts, from dealer when new]. Intake and tune by vettdocters [375rwhp], orig owner. Your mods seem minor enough to not scare off buyers. If the car is immaculate your price is not out of line. If someone wants the car the'll offer what they think its worth, then it's up to you. The key is to get people to see it.