Would you buy someone else's built vehichle?

[BlueHaloGirl]

Had lots of time to ponder this on my road trip this past weekend.
I've come across ads for vehicles for sale that are already modified/built, some only with a few things while others have been heavily modified.
Got me to thinking, would I want to buy an already highly modified vehicle?

[rage2]

I would if it was done right.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Only with very careful inspection to make sure it wasn't built shoddily.

[eglove]

If it was built right and it was 100% what I wanted. Yea, no problem

[tomt64]

Sadly, a lot [note: not all] of the younger generation using the word 'build' is just a saying for 'learning to work on a car'. This normally leads to doing too much and not being able to figure out how to fix small problems that they have created... person originally had a perfectly functioning car and now its completely unreliable/undriveable hence the reason for it being on the market. Normally has sentences such as:

"Just needs xxx part to make it driveable"
"no time to drive it anymore, but will take trades for xxx vehicle"
"rb25 running 4-5xxhp w/ xx turbo @ 9psi" skyline owners are so guilty for doing this.

Having said that, at this years illmotion show and shine I saw many beautiful builds. :thumbsup:

What cars are you looking at or considering?

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Graham_A_M]

With a very comprehensive inspection done either by yourself or a shop that does builds of their own, where as they know what to look for, and can spot shoddy "craftsmanship" a mile away, sure. Most people sell their built cars because there is glaring screw ups or undrivability that make it unusable. So you really, really have to be careful. There are some brilliant deals to be had, for sure... but you'll find a lot more cars that were built by people that have little idea of what they were doing to begin with.

I unfortunately see this all the time with unfinished street and hot rods.

You have to be careful though, car customization is a personal thing. Some cars and trucks may be exactly what the builder wanted, but with each modification, the potential market for anybody that would want it after closes a bit more with every mod done. Wildly customized cars may be incredible buys for a few people, but most wouldn't want a car such as that... that can be great for you as you may be getting a car with untold amounts of money sunk into it, for a wicked price but keep in mind, the saleability of a highly model vehicle would only appeal to a small handful of people that would and can appreciate such a car afterwards.

[NoPulp]

Typically no. I'm too picky and want to know exactly what a how things were done. If it's just bolt ones I'm fine, but anything major probably no.

[ercchry]

Age and types of parts (are the value of sum of parts worth more than the entire ask price)

Also, owner history... is there a detailed build thread somewhere? Do i know the owner and shops involved in the build? Do i trust them? How is the car driven? What is my end goal for it? If the answers to these questions satisfy me then sure... but i get bored easily so usually slowly modifying a car myself is the end goal and i usually dont buy something complete... if i ever get back into drifting i'd probably get an already prepared car though since its way cheaper and shit is going to break anyways

[killramos]

Nope no way in hell.

A) To many owners who think their car is worth the sum of its parts, or even hilarious the time they put into it.

B) Why do people build vehicles? Aside from cosmetically it's because they wanted increased performance? I see them all being bagged over their lives. Or at the very least exceeding safe operating parameters. The vehicles are worn well beyond their years.

C) A lot of builds are trial and error. If something doesn't work properly it probabaly isn't doing the vehicle any favours being run in an improper state. It also doesn't do a vehicle any favours to sit half assembled in a garage for months at a time.

D) Most of the fun of having a custom vehicle is special things yourself and potentially doing the work yourself. There will always be compromises in the build which will differ from what you agree with.

E) I think modified vehicles are stupid :rofl:

There is my 5 cents on the matter :dunno:

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

After" building" a car last year and trying to sell it, hell no. But it's a good way to save money for people who find a pre built car they want.

Also a big fuck you goes out to the new owner of my car that used the hashtag #builtnotbought on Instagram.

[never]

That depends on a lot of things...like model, build/mods, car's purpose, who did the work, current condition, what you want the vehicle for, cost, and so on.

[klumsy_tumbler]

Originally posted by NoPulp
Typically no. I'm too picky and want to know exactly what a how things were done. If it's just bolt ones I'm fine, but anything major probably no.

:werd: I'm too Type A when it comes to the whole "doing things right" thing. Any project I start takes FOREVER because short cuts are never, ever an option.

[revelations]

If you know the vehicle well and are mechanically versed and the price is right ...... sure. But I wouldn't recommend a highly modified vehicle, by someone else, as a DD in the winter.

[Projek01]

No unless I got it for really cheap. I have seen too many cases where short cut repairs are done right before the car is sold.

Not too many people will spend money to replace OEM/proper parts if they are planning to sell it. My latest car had its door harness hot glued together just so it would hold for a few weeks. Other repairs prior to that were done properly at a shop.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
Also a big fuck you goes out to the new owner of my car that used the hashtag #builtnotbought on Instagram. Amazing, haha.

[JustinL]

I agree with the "It depends" argument. For a track car that is actively being raced or tracked, then for sure I'd buy a race ready car. It's so much cheaper than building. Cars don't last for regular track days unless they're pretty well sorted out. If it's some kid's project car that's up on stands, there better be a pretty big discount before I'd consider it.

Building a car can be fun, and that's where the value has to come from. Anyone thinking they're recouping the value of the modifications is living in a dream world.

[Abeo]

Yup, when people get fed up with their "build" and sell it for pennies on the dollar. I've ended up with a few things that way, and usually come out ahead. You just have to go in with a worst-case scenario and negotiate it with that in mind. Also have the skill set to understand and fix amateur mistakes.

I knew a guy who bought people's half-finished hot rod and muscle car builds, finished them, sold them at a profit, then moved onto the next. He never meant to sell them, but ended up being offered stupid money so he kept on doing it.

I don't think I'd buy someones "finished" build unless it was a screaming deal.

[Tik-Tok]

If it's a mild build that isn't bordering the known limits of the drivetrain, then I would have to meet the person who did it. Regardless of age someone who can't answer simple questions about it, then no.

[HiTempguy1]

If you are mechanically inclined and the price is right, go for it :dunno:

If you think modifying cars is "stupid" as some people in this thread I guess do, and/or you don't have solid shadetree mechanic skillz and tools, then don't.

I've profited off of and enjoyed so many other peoples projects, I'd rather buy and fix screwups then.build new because holy f&%k building a car past boltons is so exorbitantly expensive you might as well go buy a new performance car and call it a day.

[heavyD]

Not unless I know the person.

[vengie]

Been there, done that. NEVER again.

[carson blocks]

I bought my z06 'built' instead of building it, as it was 80% of what I wanted at 1/2 the cost of buying a stock one and modding it. It came with all receipts, work was professionally done etc. I wanted the car for what it is though, not the fun of building it. For the '55 I'm trying to get a hold of, I'll do the opposite. I want the experience of building it, cost and return on investment be damned.

[94boosted]

Absolutely.

If I could find a properly built Exocet or Factory 5 818R for a good price I would happily buy :D

If it's some kids Skyline with the boost cranked and a cat-back, GTFO.

[NoPulp]

Originally posted by klumsy_tumbler


:werd: I'm too Type A when it comes to the whole "doing things right" thing. Any project I start takes FOREVER because short cuts are never, ever an option.

Yeah, building my own there's so many ways to do something. My build is defintely not world class, but I'm happy with it and know every single inch of the car. Also modified cars always have problems/kinks...

The temptation for modified cars is always there, don't think I could do it. Not worth the time and stress to take on someone else's project. You never know what someone took a shortcut on.


Also, I always laugh when people use the phrase "fully built".

[r3ccOs]

the only way I would ever buy a modified car, is if the modification was to bring it to a modern level... i.e. modern classics with disk conversion, modern ignition, fuel injection, new >3 speed transmission.

For offroad rigs, its easy to tell if it was a micky mouse job or a quality job, and same goes... i.e. Dana 44 upgrades for CJ/YJs, proper lift kits, v8 engine swaps

for "trucks"... I would only truck a dealer say does only Diesel work to say bulletproof an old Ford 7.3 or modernize an old 5.9 cummins

[BlueHaloGirl]

Also a big fuck you goes out to the new owner of my car that used the hashtag #builtnotbought on Instagram. [/B][/QUOTE]

^^This is one reason why I would not do it. Not your build, can't take credit for it, or shouldn't take credit for it.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by BlueHaloGirl
Also a big fuck you goes out to the new owner of my car that used the hashtag #builtnotbought on Instagram.

^^This is one reason why I would not do it. Not your build, can't take credit for it, or shouldn't take credit for it. [/B][/QUOTE]

I wouldn't have even known about it or cared but someone tipped me off and seeing it pissed me off.

[tomt64]

Originally posted by BlueHaloGirl

^^This is one reason why I would not do it. Not your build, can't take credit for it, or shouldn't take credit for it.

Taking credit really depends at this point... if you were to 'build' would you be installing parts/changing the car yourself, or paying a shop to do it?

Edit: In fact, what is classified as a build these days... wheels, intake and a set of lights?

[black300]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
As a general answer, I would say no

However, in reality it would be case dependent. If I found the perfect car built the way I like, then maybe.

For instance:
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/edmonton/1980-jeep-cj5_classic/1072289685?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/BMW/M/Montr%C3%A9al/Quebec/5_24943346_20080104091818698/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=14_15_14

The CJ5 was misleading, I had a friend drive hours from his home to go look at that piece of art. When he got there he was not impressed. Paint is cracking, there are so many welds that were most likely done. Half of the things listed are non-existent or not in working order. I think those pictures were taken when the vehicle was actually restored/modified.

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by tomt64


Edit: In fact, what is classified as a build these days... wheels, intake and a set of lights?


Don't forget stickers...

[max_boost]

Why not? It's great to have someone else spend the bulk of the money. It's like dating a hot chick after she hosed the first guy for a boob job, hand bags, etc. and so on. Well assuming you don't have to maintain it and can just drive on. :thumbsup:

[Mostwanted]

Would never again buy a built car, bought my 3rd gen 4runner. followed his build thread online.
The guy knew what he was doing never took any shortcuts and used great quality parts. but couple months of owning it, small things started needing replacing. Can't blame a 15 year old car, nor the previous owner, cause he even showed me how much off-roading he did. I also took it out a couple of times, but it was in my price range and it's a really nice 4runner.

Moral of the story, if its well built- then it's most likely been used to its limits. :bigpimp: :bigpimp:

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by max_boost
Why not? It's great to have someone else spend the bulk of the money. It's like dating a hot chick after she hosed the first guy for a boob job, hand bags, etc. and so on. Well assuming you don't have to maintain it and can just drive on. :thumbsup:


You think she won't want new handbags and then shoes to go with those handbags Dai Lo??...:D

[Maxx Mazda]

I wouldn't ever buy a built car, but that's simply because for me, the reward is in building it myself, not the end result.

[BokCh0y]

I wouldn't buy one that's built by someone else, I just don't trust the quality of the work nor do i trust the person who did the work. I'd also rather do it myself to be honest.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by tomt64


Taking credit really depends at this point... if you were to 'build' would you be installing parts/changing the car yourself, or paying a shop to do it?

Edit: In fact, what is classified as a build these days... wheels, intake and a set of lights?

Also, who gives a shit if someone "takes credit" for a build you did? You kinda waived your rights to that when you sold them the car haha. Furthermore, it’s not like they’re infringing on a patent and you’re losing money because of it. :dunno: :whocares:

[01RedDX]

.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Meh, if I knew who did it and how it was bagged on and maintained I would. Let someone else spend the mega cash, if it goes south then you get to build it yourself anyways.... :dunno:

[SKR]

It just depends for me on how easily their modifications can be undone.

I doubt very much that I could buy a modified vehicle and not change some of it.

[SkiBum5.0]

A build is great for a buyer who wants that exact build, or one close to it that can be easily modified or "undone" as SKR says.

I'm hoping if and when I sell my build that you savages don't see the Kijiji ad.

[M.alex]

bolt-ons, yes; major modifictions no

[That.Guy.S30]

Originally posted by M.alex
bolt-ons, yes; major modifictions no

Is a LS engine considered a bolt on?

I would never buy someone else's modified car. Unless it's a car I know or worked on.

Almost done my project. I'm very picky, and it costs $$$. I cannot even imagine picking up someone else's project S30. Not even fathom it.