Are Wide Body Weekend Blasters/Hotrod 911s worth anything when being sold?

Times must have changed, & now "Originality" seems to be the hot selling point. My dreams of building a G series Turbo Tribute 911, like Uncle did 4/5 years ago, are really out of fashion and maybe a waste of money & time. Apart from the fun factor, people tell me that I am shedding value on my 911 investment. So are these Wide Body Weekend Blasters/Hotrods worth anything when they come up for sale?? Do they sit around on CarSales / eBay / GumTree waiting for a babyboomer to win tatslotto - or are they quickly sold to enthusiasts?

This has been sitting on Carsales ages and even with reposting with the price lowered hasn't budged. If memory serves me correctly this started with 6 figures... https://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Porsche-911-1983/SSE-AD-2917785/?Cr=14

When prices started going haywire for anything aircooled, there were numerous discussions about this subject. The general consensus was that you will "never" get the money invested back. There were 2 reasons for this .... 1. Originality is the new flavour. 2. As everyone has a different vision for their artwork, the chances are that whatever you end up doing will either be not enough for some buyers, too much for some buyers and the wrong specs for others .... Then there were the ones that said ..."do whatever the hell you like and what makes you happy" .... they must be the ones with too much money ... At the end of the day, yes, do what makes you happy but don't expect a return on investment if it can't easily be returned to original with all of the pieces supplied at time of sale (or even returned by you before advertising it) ..... Happy Motoring!!

They are completely worthless. So being the very sympathetic man that I am, Ill give you $20k for all of your bastardised most delicious hot rodded cars.

Yes. The broader the market, the easier to sell anything. Modified produces trepidation for many. But, there is nothing like a well modified car, especially if you get enough joy out of it.

It all depends on what you do and where you start. If you are starting with a RHD, Aus delivered car, then you are really shooting yourself in the foot, as the original car will always be worth more. In my case, I started with a basket case, rusty, converted car, that I got for a crazy cheap price. Basically anywhere I went from there was up, and in my case, as I am doing everything myself, I believe my car is worth quite a bit more than it cost me. That said, my car is built to a very individual taste (or some may say lack of it) so that it would probably be quite hard to sell as it stands (although I could pretty easily tone down the interior and it would be a lot more palatable to many). All that aside, if I was doing it to make the most return for my dollar, and time it would have been much cheaper and easier to tidy the car back up to stock and call it a day. In my case it is nice to know that I could get back what I put in if the sh!t hit the fan, but in reality I don't see myself selling it. I built it for me, not for resale.

I would have thought it depends on a few things; local vs international, or what you intend to do with it (drive it hopefully!) or is the question do you get your money back?  As I can recall quite a few 'modded 911s' have changed hands for big money on the international market and were far from original. The Bearded man and Singer build desirable modded 911s - agreed thats on the upper end of the market but the point is that there is a market none the less. Even Flyin.Hawaiin (dont recall his actual name)  pulled $220k for his RSR tribute http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1984-porsche-9111973-rsr-recreation/

I love seeing some people's faces when I tell them my hotrod started life as a pristine Aus delivered car. You'd think I'd blown up an orphanage, given their reaction.

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If it gives you enjoyment and makes your dream come true, build and enjoy! Exactly!

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Hmmm -you are a master of understatement: 1/ Pristine 911 2/ Aus delivered = orig RHD That's not just " blown up an orphanage" - that's blowing up Mother Teresa as weii.

How much do you want to spend.... https://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Porsche-911-Carrera-1985/SSE-AD-4771912 Generally speaking as soo as you modify anything you de-value it. If you must/ want to/ need to, best to buy one that is either already done/ part done or needs some work to bring it up to standard, then you may break even. But then again if you are doing it just for/ with one eye firmly on re-sale (ie, the person who buys it next) why bother?

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Took the words right out of my mouth, absolutely worthless

I know I am a little late to this thread but in answer to your question it all depends on whats been done to the car ,,,,eg if its a tasteful backdate or a car that has had an  engine power  upgrade say a 3.2 taken to 3.5 with ITBS and other go fast parts ,,,,then Yes I would spend the money if the car appealed to me .... But when I see these cars that have had large plastic rear wings and other fiber glass parts poorly fitted and look like some ungodly frankenstein creations I would have to say no .........sadly there are a lot of these horrors shows currently up for sale and a few have been posted already ,,,I shake my head in frustration at some of these creations ...some people really have bad taste when it comes to modified 911,s  ..

Depends who you ask Me, I'd buy a hot rod/ modified/ backdated car over a mint period correct car any day if the week. Mainly because they're cheaper, yet I also can't see the value in spending silly money on an air cooled 911 that I'll be scared to drive for fear of decreasing it's value. Boring I like a nice original 911 for sure, yet  I'm also a firm believer in driving the hell out of the thing instead of thinking what it's worth.   If you want a hot rod tribute car, you either do it to yours, or sell it and buy a car that you CAN do it to without giving a toss about value

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Poor darlings! I heard well done hotrods are currently selling strongly in the US, so perhaps the pendulum will swing. But the danger in modifying a car is that you stuff it. Many do. Don't be that guy. Another perspective is if you buy a new 911 you suffer terrible depreciation (even if it is better than other brands) which will make what you dropped on the hotrod seem manageable. But ultimately it's a matter of what you can afford and if an old hotrod is what you want. I'm building a hotrod from a shell and never mind what you might sell it for, the bigger issue is what you're going to spend on parts and labour I reckon.

NB is where it's at.

If it's built well and looks the part it will get $$. Not everyone has taste...

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it is a factory sunroof delete car as well the guy selling this car had it at some unreasonable price originally on the basis of "the car it is replicating is worth $XX so this is worth $XX". logic fail. even now it's still over priced with that engine, would be bang on if it had a 3.6

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I hope you don't stuff up the colour choice!

The crazy thing is, the people who are afraid to modify standard cars, or will only buy original cars still wish they could modify it. They continue to drive up original car prices and at the same time lust after something a bit more. It is a vicious circle, and one I am thankfully not caught up in. Original cars don't really interest me, unless they are something rare or have a special history, give me the modified car every day.

Where's skids ?

I admire and respect pure original old classics... Hat off to those who spend the effort to maintain the originality... Good on ya. I drool over a tastefully done modded car like a singer, made better than original. I like the old classic  lookbut with newer technology.   But The back yard slap together plastic fender dune buggy job...  That's a big no! They're the worthless ones. so, there's modded cars and then there's modded cars... Not all one bucket, but many different styles. btw, @clutch-monkey .... You're going to hell.

How about a mint original Aus car with "high" mileage .. or is 250k kms now deemed worthless ?

IF you plan to sell it, dont modify it. If you plan to keep it, well go nuts. You never get money back for modified cars, and well no one really likes buying other peoples project. there's a small percentage who would actually buy someone elses build.

I'm in the same boat as Jeff. Started with something crazy cheap, and there is no possible way I can lose out on my particular car. Also agree with him on the modified car over a stock one. I like the fact you can make the car what you like, not what someone else likes. Mine isn't as out there as Jeff's either (not that there is anythign wrong with his, I like the Orange) so it might appeal to a broader market. Not that I plan on selling it. With all that said, if I was looking to buy a car, I don't think a well done modified car would turn me off (those horrible ones posted already would), chances are I would prefer it over a stock one.

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I'm with Monkey Boy, Jeff and Neill. Modify or die! Also if your car is about the money then you're doing your day job wrong. Or get a cheaper car. Nissans are awesome to modify and drive and a lot less $$$. Or get a beater 911 a invest sweat equity. Unless you've got no brain, a heap of money, are a psychopath (Monkeyboy), or bought your car pre boom, or all of the above then you're not going to chop up a valuable car. You'll set it aside or sell it and then find the right car to hot up. Then there is no problem other than the cost of hotting up which is in its self mildly eye watering. Or do mods that are undo-able, have what you want then go back to stock of required. If you know shit from clay it's not that hard. I can't. It's a 911 so they all look good with a few exceptions. It's a matter of what's most right. I'm sure I'll be judged come the day so let's hope the world approves .

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There will always be someone who doesn't like your choice. I know I have fantastic taste, but some crazy people disagree with me

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Yes if your car came on the market I would pay a bucket load for it, except for that purple check interior.......

If you intend to drive the car and know what your looking at in terms of modifications (more so in terms of performance mods, suspension exhaust, type, quality etc.) they can add value to a purchase. It's just the $$$ "value" can differ between buyers/sellers. Cosmetic mods are harder to "value" as it really comes down to more personal tastes, its a more subjective exercise. Adding a turbo is a pretty extensive mod though, especially if you are looking to do it properly. Plenty of other mods I'd consider first if you are not fully committed to the idea.

Having built a few hotrods over the years (not Porsche's), I always approached it with the attitude that it's my hobby and I am paying to have fun.  Same with having a ski boat, a chopper, hovercraft (sans eels), or whatever.  If I wanted a return on my investment I would have put the money in a term deposit and taken up chess.

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Now who would disagree with you SLITHR? ??

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My father in-law always puts it as "tuition fee".

I'd be asking the same about orig cars.. are they worth what they cost to resto.. and was is it fun once completed. had about  120 all up in a 71 oz (matching blah blah..) coupe and counting  . Total rotisserie down to its undies.. new  metal , new paint, factory anal-ity. With just that oh so right amount  of Schutz , factory perfect new interior .. there's still a lot of work to go ... will it break even on cost if sold ... f&k nose. hotties, modded, tribute are all cool whether ex race  or macchiato loons beater , or dear klassy .. they are  a snapshot in time  and display writ large in equal measure our desires aspirations and foibles .. it seemed last year hotties were verboten though I did note this year a rush of blood for a number of cars that hit the market - they all sold pretty promptly. An exception been a weapons grade , beautiful  IROC type build done for targa tassie that has a stupid number on it. One of the cars sold though has come  into Canberra, sold for arguably big money .. 140 plus, is a converted car, is having a truck load of detail work done for rego compliance and cosmetics cause new owner an anal pedant. Its a cracker and as bought  was well under build and running costs,  but orig builder amortised this over some years of motorsport and the PO took a bit of a hit as hadn't owned it that long and tipped money into it.. but enjoyed doing so I'm not certain at this juncture  how to end what I'm writing ( let alone intent of what I wrote) as I'm thinking what a riot it'll be to hammer my mates RSR tribute in a few weeks time and musing over some needed details for TANGent.

I am with the hot rodders and clearly have a bias. But for me the car was to be driven, tracked, rallied without any care of mileage, depreciating a possibly valuable collectable or the wear and tear (stonechips etc) of being used. And I like modifying cars. Also while the performance of the standard car is good, the performance of a well modded one is bonkers! So the idea of having an original car wasn't for me. In my case I bought a hod rodded car to start with as the price was right as they were unloved, it had good bones, and just needed some refinement. (Someone else bastardised the Aus deliverd RHD shell) If you had a really nice original car but want more, probably best to sell it and either buy a hot rod or a basket case as other above have done and make it you own thing. At the same time I don't think the singer, magnus etc effect is hurting the market for a well modded hot rod. And I think the generally buoyant Porsche market gives you a bit of a hedge on spending money on mods if done well. Although I am always reminded....want to make a small fortune in motorsport....start with a big one

Ahhh . Enlightenment ?? to actually answer the OP's question .. yes

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why you no answer my txts?

A cause I'm a rude prick B cause you broke my heart C I didn't pay my bill D my partner says I spend too much time using my phone

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I get pinged for D all the time.  It's a good lesson on what happens when you criminalise something.  My phone habits have had to go underground

If I started with a shell and had a choice - hot rod or standard restoration - hot rod would win hands down with the exception being the base car is something truly special. Hot rods are just so much more appealing. But don't be that guy who does it sh!t. And it's very easy to see what is sh!t. Case in point, the examples already linked above. Don't do a sh!t hot rod. You get bored with standard cars. You will pay through the nose to build either stock or modded. At the end of that pain, you may as well love what you get. If you're doing it for profit (good luck!), build standard. If you're building what you want, I reckon in 90% of cases, that's a hot rod. So whatever you do, do it well. Someone will appreciate it.But that doesn't mean you'll make money. If you want to make money, look elsewhere.

Everything is reversible.... Even RWB =) Just takes more money.. End of the day its desire vs sense.  Which devil will you speak to?

Yeah i was in a similar predicament last year but seeing as mines a mid year import and i had a big scratch on one side of the car, it was a no brainer for me. To be honest with regards to the value proposition, as other guys say, it all depends on the current fashion. You see forward dated cars which was all the rage back then go cheap and backdated cars currently seem to hold of increase in value (if done well). Who is to say that still remains the case in 5 to 10 years. I ended up selling a lot of my stock parts to fund the new parts (which hopefully i wont regret down the track) just coz i couldn't afford not to and it would be too pricey to revert back to stock after cutting up the guards etc. but again i didnt start with a RHD original delivered AUS car so my situation is different. I have no doubt that i could at least recoup my costs and potentially make a bit of profit if i was to sell it after i finish but again i bought my car as a non runner before everything went nuts.

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i think backdates will remain popular but less common as people start to appreciate impact bumper cars in their own right, rather than the unloved generation used only to make backdates or forward dates.. so will see more impact bumper hot rods these days rather than people jumping straight to back dating.

I priced up most of the bits to backdate an SC last night with rennspd.com. Even I could afford it. Hmmm!! ? It probably wouldn't be this Zag built quality car (I vaguely recall around 200k asking price) but I'd love to do it to my SC

Mine may be a good measure. She's not a wide body, not technically a hot rod but she's got a 3.6 and upgraded bits and pieces. So somewhere near the mark. I may be putting her up for sale in a couple months once I get rid of the storage cobwebs and tweak a couple of minor things. She's basically all the things the anoraks hate, US converted, heart transplant, other bits and pieces from the Porsche spare parts bin, but it makes such a great sound and I really enjoy driving her when I get the chance, which unfortunately, is not very often. I'll decide once she's in fine fettle. steve

@AndrewW ^

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Sounds like a great candidate, with half of the job done from the start.

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You still aint driven a GT3 dude! Its the only Vanilla ice cream that dont need sprinkles I still want another car with sprinkles though not cos that cars boring , just cos im bored…. Rogues satisfy that itch How is that dirty bloody Red import of yours …..? Damn I shoulda bought that

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Swap you for the GT3! New clutch, 930 brakes, throttle that now opens fully. But unfortunately it's a lefty and far from standard. I might have to pay you to take it away.

hot rods ftw.

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Could take years

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I suspect it may be in 2018 when I decide so I think technically 'years' may be correct...

The reality is Porsche build fantastic cars, but most of them have week points. Early cars lack power, then power increases, head studs on 2.7 and gearboxes not strong enough 915, then 964 rods and bolts are week - up to GT3.  Then IMS on 996 and bore issues on 997 (except GT3 and Turbo), brakes and syncros on early GT3's etc. Modify your car and make it better. If you are buying cars and worrying about value - good luck, it's a tricky game. Buy, drive, leave as is, modify - long term you will have fun and probably break even on most P cars. Not many marks you can do that on. Just do it