Will this effect value?

[dicky]

Hey guys

I'm new to the viper world, I just bought my 94 RT/10 about a month ago and I love it so far. I bought the car for a fun cruiser but also because I feel I won't lose much (if any) value on this car. The car I got is almost all stock, the only mods so far are no cats (I'm adding high flow), aftermarket radio and speakers, and autoform top and windows. The car doesn't even have 20k miles yet, so it still has the stock head gaskets which I know are known to fail. This brings me to my question, when I replace the head gasket I'm thinking of having the heads ported for a little extra power and I'm wondering, for a collector car, would this hurt the value?

Thanks
Dicky

 

[MoparMap]

That's a tough one. Stuff that's invisible is less likely to mess with value I think, but at the same time some people want to know just what the car was like when it was new, so any changes that affect performance can put some off. In the case of a Viper though, and especially something that is mid-year for a generation like yours, I don't think it would hurt that much. Most people want more power out of one, though there is a limit before you start having to worry about longevity or hurting other parts down the line. The engines are fairly understressed though, so moderate power increases aren't likely to mess with much. Throw a few hundred extra at them and I'd start worrying about wearing out other stuff faster.

That's just my opinion at least. Ultimately any car is only worth what someone wants to pay for it. I think you'd have an easier time selling some minor porting over a supercharger or more extensive engine mods.

 

[Carlos067]

IMO it all depends on who is buying especially collector vs. enthusiast. Collectors will want it to be as stock and as original as possible, lowest mileage possible, extensive service records, and will likely have the deeper pockets. I also think that as far as Gen I they would prefer a lower year gen I, 1992-93 antenna viper. These folks generally want to sit in it and feel like they just went back in time to when the car just came off the production floor.

Taste for enthusiasts, however, will be all over the place and their price point will coincide. Their price point will more than likely be lower than the collector. This can vary from the guy wanting to getting one for as low as possible, to the guy that wants to find the "perfect one for them".

Me, personally, it irks me when the visible stuff has been messed with, especially when it's made to look non-stock. To me, its very easy to make distasteful visually apparent mods. No offense intended, but messing with the radio is probably my biggest pet peeve, considering getting a stock unit is sooo hard now. However, I don't mind light engine mods and even heavy suspension mods, provided the stock parts are still around. Again though, this is just my point of view. Best advise I could give is to keep all the parts so whoever is buying it later can reverse anything they don't like.

One last thought, if you got the car as an "enthusiast" the next owner will likely also be an "enthusiast". In this case, drive the hell out of car, do whatever you want to the car, ENJOY the car, and worry about the value schmalue later.

 

[kssssnake]

A few recent posts have asked about pricing and resale. If you like it chances are someone else will like it. Allegedly ours has 501 RWHP. All internal mods and headers. Guy who had the work done says he put nearly $20k in the engine. Think he got ripped off. Unless you intend to race it's really pointless to add much more HP. I have never gotten the throttle past about 3/4. It has new tires and they just come loose. By design if a wheel slips you will lose control. Headers and flames coming out of the side pipes turns heads. Personally I see no use for super charging or turbo charging unless you are racing. On a 25 year old car you would be foolish to track it unless the complete suspension is rebuilt. Just an old gear head's humble opinion. Ours also has an after market carbon fiber looking interior. Wouldn't put it back to original for love nor money.

 

[plumcrazy]

Unless you intend to race it's really pointless to add much more HP. I have never gotten the throttle past about 3/4.

you really need to sell that car if thats the case.

 

[jdeft1]

I don't see the need. If you have and want to spend some $$s to have it done, I doubt it would change the value at all. I think you'd have better fun with it by swapping out the rear gears to a 355. Your car, your toy!!

 

[steve e]

jdeft1 is right 355s really wake up the car,on my 95 RT10 and 99 GTS it was like night and day.

 

[plumcrazy]

i personally would NEVER worry about the originality or value of a car i bought. i bought it to enjoy and drive, thats it. i dont put clear plastic covers on my couch to protect them either.

 

[jdeft1]

I agree with you Plumb. Toys are meant to be played with.

 

[DJ'sviper]

I have all the original stuff I replaced and like the car the way it is. I replace the original exhaust with Bolo headers, really loud and the air induction. everything else is stock. Very few cars that can take it. If you hit it in second gear to hard you don't know where you will end up. I used to take it to the track but don't anymore. The last time I raced it was at the molar nationals on the drag strip for fun. Was a blast as I race a 93. He beat me by .001 or a second. I missed 2nd gear and passed him but slowed down at the end because I thought I was going to break my dial in time. Big mistake. The car was a lot faster than his stock version. Should have kept it to the floor. Why did you buy the car? I bought mine for fun and to have the coolest car ever made. Love to drive it and have about 23,000 miles on it now. If I ever sell it I will probably get what i paid for it or it could go really up in value. So how can you say that with any car you purchased. Regular cars lose their value. I'll lose a lot of money on the family car I bought in just a few years. I don't know what you paid for it but it will cost you less then a few thousand at the most if you sell it down the road and look at all the fun you can have with it. Don't spend to much on HP it has plenty of power so be careful and don't get snake bit. You have to know how to drive this car. I have taken race car lesson at some of the tracks and the Skip Barber coarse. I have let race car drivers drive my car and they lost control of it. 2nd gear. I don't know if it is just my car or the other 93's are that way. When I had it on the track the 650HP vipers passed me as I let them but they barely made it by as I let them. Driving for fun not crazy racing. The headers really made a difference. I think if you do interior stuff the collectors don't care. But as mentioned above if you take out the radio and some people have painted the dash because it gets all scratched with a different color that will turn off the collators. I'm an artist and was able to paint the interior with and artist air brush and match the color perfectly. Even got the suede look so it looks original. The only early models that have a perfect interior are ones with less than 2,000 miles on them. The collectors pay from 60,000 to 75,000 for them. Ones like mine right know from 30,000 to 40,000. Cars with over 40,000 miles and up range from 25,000 to 30,000. Of coarse this is eBay and eBay usually give the lowest price you are going to get for a car.