Thread: De-Modding
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      01-08-2013, 12:31 PM   #21
Finnegan
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Drives: Z4M/. Z3M, E36/46 M3
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Teaching the dog to slalom

iTrader: (22)

Seems like one goal is to not mod any more going forward. That I totally understand. I think it's going to be a challenge of self-discipline whether you keep the car or not. Even a "downgrade", unless it's econobox or a mini-van, is going to present the temptation. Face it, you're a "modder", as are most of us here. So it's a question of managing that, which isn't easy!

I don't see the rationale of downgrading from where you are if you plan to keep the car over a reasonably long period of time. The return on selling the mods is going to be 50-75 percent, depending on what you're selling. You'll end up with a car that you won't enjoy as much when you get the chance to drive it (you'll be comparing it to what it was), and if you find time in the future, you'll want it where it is now. If you don't need the cash, it doesn't make sense to downgrade it. Even without tools, you can still enjoy the car. You'd just have to pay someone else from time to time for adjustments.

If, on the other hand, you don't see driving it much at all, and then won't have a place to keep/store the car in 2-3 years--in other words you're going to eventually have to sell it--then maybe the question isn't about downgrading and keeping but rather about returning to stock and selling. In terms of $$$, you'd get a better return on selling the car and selling the mods now than later.

I realize that's a huge jump emotionally since you have a real attachment to the car, but it seems from what's been said so far that's where things might be headed anyway? (Which really pains me to even write this.) But if so, financially it makes more sense to execute on that now (in the Spring/Summer) than later. If you can only have one or two cars, maybe something like an AWD Scoob would be better suited to all-around all-year duty. Those can be modded pretty easily (again, you'd have to steady your hand) but are pretty good out of the box, can be run on the track, but also have 4 doors, a hatchback, and can also haul cargo and luggage and pretty much go anywhere.

Changing times, changing availability of time, and changing needs are always difficult. (I've had plenty of that myself the past year, so I get it.) I know this has been on your mind awhile, as I recall something about this in another thread from a few months back. There's no need to start on it tomorrow morning either, but it's probably not bad to have some solid plan in place within a month or two as agonizing over things long-term doesn't work out well in my experience.

Last edited by Finnegan; 01-08-2013 at 12:36 PM..
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