I have an 87 gn that's all stock. Well except for a aluminum drive shaft. Over the past 3 years I've been filling a closet with aftermarket parts. I'm a 3400 stall converter away from having everything and now I'm unsure. I never drive the car and have held on to it mainly because it has gained in value. From a resale standpoint would I be better off keeping the car stock or going ahead with the plan? The car has 125k miles
At a cross road. Looking for advice.
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[quote="GSP, "I never drive the car " [/quote]
sell the parts in your closet................
sell the parts in your closet................
HighMileage
Albany,NY
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How much do you think it has gained in value? Figure in inflation/cost of living.
Imho,the miles are high in terms of keeping a cherry for resale in the future. Now if it had 25k instead of 125k...?
Many times I see ads of a GN that was put into mothballs when new,but driven now and then. Say it has 1,500mi. The car was $17,000 or so new. Now they are selling it for $35,000. There is really no gain there. A pretty sorry investment. They had to store a car for the last 27 years. The only fun they had with it is just staring at it. I'm willing to bet $17,000 in 1987 was worth more than $35k is now!
I'd say install your parts,but keep your originals. But there is a fine line there,too. Do I want to put my old,split body bushings back in for originality purposes?? No way. That's an improvement/upgrade. How about my old fuel pump? ..nope. My cracked to pieces bumper fillers??
The line I draw is if I begin to hack at the body or frame.
Don't hold onto it for investment purposes. Invest in something else. If you plan on an easy resale,then sell it while it's original. It's a clean slate. Clean slates are desirable,but not exactly worth a whole lot more.
When I first searched for GN's,you wouldn't believe the cob-artist cars I went and looked at. No record of what was done,poor choice of upgrades done poorly,50lbs of rubber caked under the back of the car,massive oil leaks that looked like they had been leaking for years,hacked harnesses...etc. Kenne Bell?? Who the heck is that?!!
Seller: "It's fast. It does 11's."
Me: "Ok,what was done? Nothing looks original under the hood here."
Seller: "Ummm...the previous owner didn't keep any records of any work. I don't know much about it,either. He said it has a cam..." Asking $11,500. Mileage was sketchy. It stunk like b-o. Half of the interior missing.
I left.
Then I found the one I have now. $7,800. 75,000mi Bone stock. Boy am I glad I didn't keep it that way! I'm having fun,and have no plans on selling.
Either sell it now or install your parts and have fun. ...but if you sell it,you'll have to get another one because you have parts.
Imho,the miles are high in terms of keeping a cherry for resale in the future. Now if it had 25k instead of 125k...?
Many times I see ads of a GN that was put into mothballs when new,but driven now and then. Say it has 1,500mi. The car was $17,000 or so new. Now they are selling it for $35,000. There is really no gain there. A pretty sorry investment. They had to store a car for the last 27 years. The only fun they had with it is just staring at it. I'm willing to bet $17,000 in 1987 was worth more than $35k is now!
I'd say install your parts,but keep your originals. But there is a fine line there,too. Do I want to put my old,split body bushings back in for originality purposes?? No way. That's an improvement/upgrade. How about my old fuel pump? ..nope. My cracked to pieces bumper fillers??
The line I draw is if I begin to hack at the body or frame.
Don't hold onto it for investment purposes. Invest in something else. If you plan on an easy resale,then sell it while it's original. It's a clean slate. Clean slates are desirable,but not exactly worth a whole lot more.
When I first searched for GN's,you wouldn't believe the cob-artist cars I went and looked at. No record of what was done,poor choice of upgrades done poorly,50lbs of rubber caked under the back of the car,massive oil leaks that looked like they had been leaking for years,hacked harnesses...etc. Kenne Bell?? Who the heck is that?!!
Seller: "It's fast. It does 11's."
Me: "Ok,what was done? Nothing looks original under the hood here."
Seller: "Ummm...the previous owner didn't keep any records of any work. I don't know much about it,either. He said it has a cam..." Asking $11,500. Mileage was sketchy. It stunk like b-o. Half of the interior missing.
I left.
Then I found the one I have now. $7,800. 75,000mi Bone stock. Boy am I glad I didn't keep it that way! I'm having fun,and have no plans on selling.
Either sell it now or install your parts and have fun. ...but if you sell it,you'll have to get another one because you have parts.
chris kirk
Active Member
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Juice it up and have fun driving it. In 1987 these cars were years ahead of their time, sequential fuel ignition, intercooled turbo..... Now a stock GN is old technology. Do you really want a garage queen? And besides that, it has a 125k miles.
X2, just keep all the stock parts and have fun
Pronto
No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot.
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- 16,792
First question is why aren't you driving it now? If it has issues that frustrate you then don't mod it until you get those sorted out. If you have no time to drive it or no money for it then don't mod it. If you are not enjoying the performance and want more then mod it.
Superrmario
Member
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- Apr 4, 2002
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Do what makes you happy. Life is short. Enjoy.
What are your list of parts? Why do you need a 3400 stall converter? You trying to spool a nuclear power plant?
Mike B.
What are your list of parts? Why do you need a 3400 stall converter? You trying to spool a nuclear power plant?
Mike B.
626gn
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2009
- Messages
- 2,693
I would agree with this if you're only looking at resale value.
When I bought my GN some years ago it had 29k miles and the only mods it had was an intake and exhaust, thats it. Last year I began adding a bunch of parts to it. From a resale stand point if I were to sell today I would have been better off leaving the car just as I bought it because I could never get the money spent on mods back. While I do have some regret every now and again for modding it, my mods are light enough that it can easily be put back to near stock if I wanted to but the car is just so much more fun to drive now
On a car with 125k miles I say take Mikes advice and just do what makes you happy.
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We have an old saying in skydiving. "Everybody dies!, but not everybody truly lives!" Don't be afraid to live a little.
Happy spooling.
Mike B.
Happy spooling.
Mike B.
We have an old saying in skydiving. "Everybody dies!, but not everybody truly lives!" Don't be afraid to live a little.
No truer words! Mod it and enjoy it gets my vote because if TR's were an accounting exercise, we'd all fail miserably! Well most of us anyway
Happy spooling.
Mike B.
Buick Mark
Active Member
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- Sep 12, 2001
- Messages
- 794
X10, Well said!!How much do you think it has gained in value? Figure in inflation/cost of living.
Imho,the miles are high in terms of keeping a cherry for resale in the future. Now if it had 25k instead of 125k...?
Many times I see ads of a GN that was put into mothballs when new,but driven now and then. Say it has 1,500mi. The car was $17,000 or so new. Now they are selling it for $35,000. There is really no gain there. A pretty sorry investment. They had to store a car for the last 27 years. The only fun they had with it is just staring at it. I'm willing to bet $17,000 in 1987 was worth more than $35k is now!
I'd say install your parts,but keep your originals. But there is a fine line there,too. Do I want to put my old,split body bushings back in for originality purposes?? No way. That's an improvement/upgrade. How about my old fuel pump? ..nope. My cracked to pieces bumper fillers??
The line I draw is if I begin to hack at the body or frame.
Don't hold onto it for investment purposes. Invest in something else. If you plan on an easy resale,then sell it while it's original. It's a clean slate. Clean slates are desirable,but not exactly worth a whole lot more.
When I first searched for GN's,you wouldn't believe the cob-artist cars I went and looked at. No record of what was done,poor choice of upgrades done poorly,50lbs of rubber caked under the back of the car,massive oil leaks that looked like they had been leaking for years,hacked harnesses...etc. Kenne Bell?? Who the heck is that?!!
Seller: "It's fast. It does 11's."
Me: "Ok,what was done? Nothing looks original under the hood here."
Seller: "Ummm...the previous owner didn't keep any records of any work. I don't know much about it,either. He said it has a cam..." Asking $11,500. Mileage was sketchy. It stunk like b-o. Half of the interior missing.
I left.
Then I found the one I have now. $7,800. 75,000mi Bone stock. Boy am I glad I didn't keep it that way! I'm having fun,and have no plans on selling.
Either sell it now or install your parts and have fun. ...but if you sell it,you'll have to get another one because you have parts.
$17000 plus tax is $18,190 plus fees (they were actually more than that new) That money invested in 87 at 10% would be worth $242,281.06 after 26 years with NO money being added. ($20,000 OTD would be $266,389.29 ; $28000 would be $372,945.01)
There is no money putting up cars, even when they do well. Just ask the guy that put up a new Thunderbird
Enjoy them for what they're enjoyable for. They're just cars.
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List your mods you've collected ,it may or may not be worth installing them...
Ok I feel like I should just put the parts on the car. I think my biggest obstacle is me. For some reason I feel like I can't do things to the car a little at a time. So I buy parts and put em up until I think I have everything. In the meantime I seem to lose interest in the project. Here is a list of what I have so far.
precision gt6152
razors alky
lc1 wide band
maft pro with pnp adapter, boost control, ect.
60# injectors
Rjc down pipe
scanmaster, power logger (on the car now)
So I get stuck thinking that's it's not worth doing any of it. Until I get a fuel pump, pressure reg, hot wire kit, and big stall converter. Then i start thinking "well heads would help, and a roller cam, intake, throttle body, intercooler, ect". Then i just get frustrated, start to think it'll never be done and say the hell with it. So I guess my problem is I see the final product and not the path to get there..?
Thanks for all the input,
-Shawn
precision gt6152
razors alky
lc1 wide band
maft pro with pnp adapter, boost control, ect.
60# injectors
Rjc down pipe
scanmaster, power logger (on the car now)
So I get stuck thinking that's it's not worth doing any of it. Until I get a fuel pump, pressure reg, hot wire kit, and big stall converter. Then i start thinking "well heads would help, and a roller cam, intake, throttle body, intercooler, ect". Then i just get frustrated, start to think it'll never be done and say the hell with it. So I guess my problem is I see the final product and not the path to get there..?
Thanks for all the input,
-Shawn
