- Here we are again talking about buying cars.
And it could be one of those things that is very exciting
but also at the same time can make you feel very anxious
because there is always that chance
of something being just a little bit off.
What's going on everybody, Gels from Fitment Industries.
And on today's episode of The Build Sheet
we are going to be talking about whether or not
it's a good idea to pick up a used modified car.
(metal rattling)
(upbeat music)
Before we go ahead and get right into it
don't forget to subscribe and if you're looking
for wheels, tires, or suspension for your car
or maybe your newly acquired vehicle
don't forget to check out FitmentIndustries.com
and while you're over there check out
the giveaway we got going on with Kansei Wheels
right now for the month of January.
All of that is in the description
go ahead, check it out.
But anyway we are going to go ahead
and get right into the nitty-gritty
of whether or not buying a used modified car
is a good idea or maybe not so much.
First off, buying a used car in general
has its own pros and cons to it.
And there's almost a science that goes into
trying to figure out if you're getting a good deal
on one or not.
But that becomes especially more difficult
when you go look at a used car
that already has some aftermarket modifications to it
or has been modified from its stock form.
And what it really comes down to is what are the pros
and what are the cons of buying a vehicle
that already has modifications done to it?
So let's go ahead and go over the pros first.
We all know that you will never truly get back
what you put into a vehicle when it comes time to sell it
and when it comes to aftermarket parts.
It's usually worth selling the parts separately
from the car to get the most money back
out of that investment.
But that also means that there are two sides of this.
Usually this means that when looking to buying
a used modified car you're not going to be paying
full price for what all the parts cost the owner.
Meaning that you're going to get a better deal
if you were looking to do that to the car anyway.
At the same time, if we're talking about
exterior modifications or appearance mods,
the car already looks, well, better, hopefully.
We'll touch on that in a bit but the odds are
you can find a car that already has all
or most of what you want done to it
already done for you.
So in that case if you're not looking
to put a ton of wrench time in
and want something that is not stock
and you get to have fun with right away, there you go.
Personally I've seen this done
all over the DSM and FRS community
as people who have taken
the naturally aspirated 428 eclipses
or the FRS BRZs and have taken the time and money
to turbo them and then sell them
for just about the same price as a bone stock one.
Another pro to picking up used modified car
is that with being modified,
odds are the current owner is a car enthusiast.
Believe it or not, yeah.
Meaning that they actually care about their car
just a little bit and they do the maintenance
to that vehicle and they have some sense to keep
everything clean and in order and all nice and tidy.
However, we have the other edge of that double-edged sword
and that is the one that you
hopefully never have to run into.
And that is the potential cons of picking up
a used modified car.
Not everyone wants to buy top-of-the-line aftermarket parts.
It's just the truth, that's just the way it goes
and it's no surprise that very cheap aftermarket parts
can find their way into just about
every little area in a car.
Whether it be performance parts that don't make sense
for lack of a better term, aero parts that don't fit
or look really cheap, or whatever it may be.
Sometimes it could be as simple as just
taking the part off entirely and ditching it
which would be the best case scenario in that situation.
However, is also a possibility that there could be
something necessary that was replaced
with an aftermarket part or aftermarket version of that part
and is needed to make the car do
what it needs to do, like run.
And it may be better just to replace it
with something of better quality which will end up
in the long run costing you more than expected.
Going along with that another thing to keep in mind
is that if the car does have a lot of work done to it
like for the engine for example,
there's a chance that some corners
may have been cut to save some money
which is always a little bit scary.
Not something that's crazy common,
but it does unfortunately happen.
Whether it was all DIY work
and it was the owners first time kind of diving into
that part of the car or whatever it might be,
it could be a scary thing because it's not always something
that can be visible just by looking at the car.
And remember when we talked about enthusiasts owning cars
as being one of the pros to this?
Well sometimes it can also be
a little bit of a negative as well.
You see when people build cars or modify them
to get more performance out of them
they usually like to drive them
and like really drive them, some more than others.
And every now and then there are some poor victims
that just don't get the love and care and maintenance
that they should be getting
resulting in some less than wanted results.
But don't let this scare you or discourage you
from going out and looking at some used modified cars.
Because just like buying a normal used vehicle
there are things that you can check for.
And dude, to make sure you're going to be happy
with your purchase or pick up on all the red flags
that tell you to wait maybe for the next one.
Ask as many questions as possible.
If the owner is willing to go into detail
about everything that has been done to the car
usually that's a pretty good sign.
If there are parts on the car that seem pretty important
that you wouldn't like to have fail right away
or cause issues, ask if they have the receipts
for the parts or work that has been done to the car.
Usually you can find out key things
like what the parts are, when they were purchased,
when they were installed, and who installed them.
And it can really give a good idea
into what exactly you're looking at.
And if at any point something seems off about the car
or off about what's been done to the car
it probably is, and that is where you have to use
your own sense of judgment on whether or not
that it's something that you want to have to deal with.
Overall, buying a used modified car can be a great option
if you're looking for your next vehicle.
And just like looking at any car to buy
some things to keep in consideration,
use your best judgment, and of course most importantly,
if they have some ugly wheels or broken suspension,
come on over to FitmentIndustries.com
and we'll get you squared away with some new wheels,
tires, and maybe some suspension, or coils, aero suspension,
lowering springs, whatever it may be.
But that's gonna wrap it up for today.
Thank you guys so much for watching.
I'm Gels from Fitment Industries.
We'll see you later, peace.