hello i have 112k mile 305 tbi 5-spd heritage 1992 arctic white w/red stripes. I have started to see our cars going for higher prices evrywhere. car shows in person and online auction types. what would bring more money 10yrs down the road a well done modified 1992 hardtop or all original 1992 305 tbi 5-spd? i'm guessing there was only a few thousand with same options like 2400 cars. most of them dont survive intact. so whats worth more in a few years?

 

won't matter with that high of mileage ever. TBI thirdgens won't be in high demand when TPI 350 cars were options. Go ahead and modify it how you see fit but neither will be collectors items.

 

The term modified is also an extremely open ended term.
It could range from just a few $ to many tens of thousands of $$$$. And the type of modifications may or may not be what is hot in the ever changing buyers market.
Also, almost all owners of cars that have had major modifications will only get a fraction of what they spent back when they sell. The value of the car wouldn't be the $25,000 in receipts spent on it. It would be what someone is willing to pay for it. Usually much less. That would be the true value.
But that much invested in mods would likely be worth much more than stock even if it did sell for a loss. Definitly not an undertaking if a person's goal is to make money or retire off of it.

In other words, you would likely be farther ahead leaving it stock when you sell it 10 years down the road, than if you modified it. Your return won't be much, but it would be more than heavily modified (even though the modified car would sell for more, you wouldn't likely recoup your original investment).

 

PS; You have a very nice ride. Personally I'd ignore the market place and it's future value. I'd do exactly what I want to do with it (stock or modify) and get the most fun and enjoyment from her over the time I own it. Now that's money well spent.

 

you cant seriously beleive that. It dosnt matter whether or not the car has the big engine or the small engine, i agree with you on high mile cars, however, this guys car WILL be a collectors item some day. ask any camaro entheusiast, if they had a chance to pick up a 67 camaro, they would do it, regardless of the motor that is in it. i know i would, i wouldnt even care about miles because power plants can be swapped, and so on and so forth. because he has a high mile car, i would say keep it a stock look, heritage paint stays, and do a TPI motor swap, or a low mile LS! or something like that, if he is looking for something that is going to be worth money thats what i would do, there is a such thing as a "Resto-Mod" and they go for big bucks.

 

what i believe is that people are paying high dollar for straight bodied camaros that left the factory with lower options. my point is when should we see that next jump in asking price, after 5th gen maro? people want a nice ride, my 305 t-5 still burns rubber, someone wanting a cruise-in car not a track car may look more favorable at an all org. 305 t-5 heritage rs.

 

You can do a lot of modifications that would be a plus in future years, such as tubular panhard bar, Rear control bars, Wonder Bar, Subframe connectors, Torque arm, performance chip, etc.....

 

yes, but is the car worth more with the org block in place? these cars will all get scrutinized alot more in the year/ years to come. the new ls7 powered maro is going to bring our cars more attention by proxy alone. we will see a jump in asking price, but can we acurately judge what the future see's for the 3rd gens. anyone got a crystal ball?

 

I absolutely could not disagree more. I have seen 6 cyl first gens go for tons of cash. Eventually all of these cars will be worth good money. Just like 1st nd 2nd gens the lower optioned cars are the ones to mod, as thier "original" value will be less than the others. Far from worthless though.

 

you could do what you want with it, and keep all the stock parts... then if you were to ever sell it see what price is higher if stock put the stock parts on if not leave it modified..... i would really leave the paint job thought if its not to bad

 

My opinion, keep it stock, if the motor is starting to go, throw in a TPI but do nothing to the exterior, just cause in the long run a car thats un"raped" will be worth more dollar just cause u can get a market value, where as if u modified it, potential buyers will ALWAYS look at what a stock unmodified one is going for and then base a price on that....its inevitible!