Keeping it original

As long as there have been cars, there have been people taking them apart and putting them back together in a different fashion in pursuit of a better look, more speed, or both. If someone is truly skilled, often the results can be admirable. There is real personal satisfaction to be had from modifying a vehicle and being pleased with the results, even if not everyone “gets it.” It can be argued whether or not a vehicle can or should be “improved” in an owner’s garage; however, there is little argument to be had about what it does to the value of a vehicle. In all but the rarest of cases, modifying a vehicle from stock lowers its value.

This is definitely a developing trend in the market. Many might point to the radical custom street rods of a couple decades ago with prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars as evidence that value can definitely be added, but those days seem to be quickly fading. This was never more evident than at the Auctions America Burbank, California auction two weeks ago. A custom 1939 Lincoln Zephyr known as “Scrape,” one of the most iconic and radical customs ever made, and praised as an inspiration by guys like Chip Foose and Boyd Coddington, crossed the stage with the hammer falling at $66,000. That is an astoundingly low price for one of the most admired and beautiful customs created less than 20 years ago, and pocket change compared to the cost and labor involved in its creation. By contrast, a 1951 Cadillac Series 62 convertible that had been restored to factory-correct specs within a year of the unveiling of “Scrape,” sold for $107,250 at the same event. Unfortunately, that 1939 Zephyr would likely be worth far more today if it had been restored rather than chopped, channeled, and slammed.    

  

With all this in mind, if someone enjoys making a vehicle their own, then by all means it is their vehicle to alter as they see fit. It should be always kept in mind though that not only will the time and expense making those changes be lost, the value of the vehicle will likely be depreciated further beyond its value before the changes were made. At least in today’s market, factory-correct is where true value lies, and we do not see that trend changing in the foreseeable future. On the upside though, if you are in the market for a custom vehicle and like the direction taken by the customizer, then there are some extremely good deals to be had.