Affect of mods on resale value Options

[bbrock]

I have a couple decisions to make soon on my restoration that could affect resale value of the car. So I'd be interested to hear opinions.

The car is a numbers matching (I'm pretty sure - need COA) '73 2.0L so on paper, very desirable. But it is currently a rust basket case, but becoming less so every day. I'm trying to restore it to a very high standard but it seems silly to think such a Frankencar would ever be a concours contender. I certainly have no interest showing it. But I am kind of a fanatic about originality with a few exceptions. I'm keeping the car very near original with a few "bolt-on" mods that are easily reversible like euro signal lights, reproduction parts for budget (no thousand dollar OEM interior light going in here), etc. The biggest mod is that the engine has been converted to carbs, including cam. But I still have the original FI and may start working on restoring that down the road. I'm contemplating a couple of mods that won't be so easy to roll back but I don't want to sacrifice potential resale value of the car. Below are the mods and my twisted rationale for doing them:

Delete Fender Warts - this is the biggie. I hate them and the warts I have are in bad shape. I hate to think of spending money to replace something I think is ugly and Porsche didn't really intended to be on the car. My rationale is that no warts and euro lenses ARE original in European markets. But if I sold the car, would that kill the originality premium?

Late style fuel pump location A PO relocated the fuel pump to inside the steering rack and did a crap job of it. I recently picked up a 75-76 fuel pump blister with the intention of cutting the firewall to relocate the pump the way the factory did. Makes sense to me. It's a factory improvement, right? But what would a buyer looking for an original car think?

Black anodized trim My car is performance group, but not appearance group so it has black bumpers which I like. Decades ago, I lightly sanded the scratched up window and targa trim and painted it satin black. I really like the look and am thinking of having them black anodized as part of the restoration. Or would it be smarter to go back to bright anodized to preserve resale value? Seems like this would be an easy one to reverse if someone wanted to.

I have no plans to sell this car but never rule it out. Just curious how far a person can deviate from dealer delivered original before the car loses that "all original premium"... And realizing that such things are impossible to predict.

[bbrock]

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If you're only after resale value then yes keep it original.
If you're after smiles on your face do whatever floats your boat.

I totally agree with what you guys are saying and I love modified cars. My problem is that I'm in a real PIA place for what floats my boat. I tore this car apart over 30 years ago with the intent of restoring it with several mods to my idea of how the cars might be if they were still being made (in the mid-'80s). These included completely de-chroming the car, modernized center console, leather interior, etc. The project went into deep hibernation and my priorities have changed.

Now I just want to experience a new and original 914. I've owned 3 of these cars but all had tired suspensions and tin worms in the bodies by the time I got them. Even so, there were miles of smiles. I just want a car that is like it was when it rolled off the dealer's lot. My problem is that I think the purest versions of the Porsche designers vision rolled off of European dealer's lots.

No plans to sell the car, but it might happen some day. And because the car I want will be very close to original, I'm just trying to figure out the cost:benefit of the mods I'd like. Is shaving the warts worth a $5K hit in value to me? Probably not. I don't hate them that much. Is it worth a $500 hit in value? You bet! And to my mind, this car with euro pistons and signals is more original without the warts. But because of where the car was originally sold, the market doesn't seem to agree.

One last thing on the history of this car. I bought it in 1985 for $500. Ran great but the car was sidelined by the hell hole. I spent $150 on a junkyard inner suspension console and bottle of welding gas, and put the car back on the road for a few years of the most enjoyable driving I've ever done. Rust, oil leaks, and chronic EFI trouble convinced me to tear it down for a complete rebuild. Got the bottom end of the engine done and then life happened. Now I'm bringing it back to life and only have about $3K total invested in it at this point, including the original purchase. If I don't F it up, it is looking like I can get through this resto under $10K. It could be a rare resto that doesn't go upside down on investment. Which is part of the reason I have resale value on my mind. But no, profit is not a motivation here. I want to be a little conscious of how my decisions will impact my ability to recoup expenses down the road though.

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