Mods for resale value

[iruletheworld]

I have an 89 Accord Lx-i I recently purchased that is in pretty good condition considering milage. It currently has 273k and it's still running strong. The only thing that is noticeably wrong with it is faded paint and worn seats. My question is this: what modifications can I do to it haha would be worth the money considering resale value? I want to start to working on the car but I realize I'm probably not going to have it forever. I'm leaning towards fully restoring it, everything as stock looking as possible. Thanks for any input

[Dr_Snooz]

If it's a question of money, then there are only three things you need to know. One, "modifications" as in non-OE changes to make the car more stylish or fast will always cost more than they fetch in resale value. From a money stand-point, they are a bad idea.

Two, it's always cheaper to fix the car you have than to buy a new one. Of course, there are situations where this one doesn't always hold true (eg: the car gets totalled), but it's a good rule of thumb. Unfortunately, paint and upholstery are big ticket items. They are expensive enough that the rule might not hold.

Three, the better condition you keep your car in, the less likely you are to sell it. If you like the car, you'll spend money on it. If you spend money on it, you'll like it. And so on.

If you're thinking about restoring it, then you probably like it well enough to keep it around for the long term. If you get the aesthetic stuff fixed, you'll probably find you love it and want to keep it even longer.

[2oodoor]

Wise words ^^^ very well said

[Vanilla Sky]

These cars have pretty well bottomed out in their depreciation. Don't expect to make anything back on what you put into one of these Accords. Give it a few dozen years and you might have it. Even in that case, your car is like mine, a high mile car that just won't be worth what a low mile example would be worth.

Now, if you want to invest a few grand in a nice car, these cars aren't a bad investment. They're pretty reliable, especially if kept stock. Get your seats redone, have a proper paint job done, work on the bits that need some attention, and enjoy it for another heap of years/miles.

[niles]

Agreed. After all the work Iv'e done to mine, I can't even bear the though of other people behind the wheel! lol

[apache07x]

If your doing it for you spend away. I you want to resell don't bother you'll never make your money back even. Unless everyone gives you everything.

[jpeteh]

I have the same prob,but my 89 Accord Lx-i was given to me from my Grandmother before she passed.
So yes I plan to keep the car running and looking good. I plan to get some new seats from an Integra and try to get some nice rims paint job.
This car is going to stay with me forever and my son wants this car to be his first car. If you plan on not keeping the car then just enjoy it and move on,but Read this after a while you will want to keep the car.

[gyates93]

I bought my '89 for 1500 dollars expecting it to just be a beater for a couple years. That was at 141 000km, it's now pushing 200 000 and I really enjoy this car. As long as its not rusty or requiring major repairs that are worth more than the cost of a new car, this is a GREAT car to keep for a long time. Mine has been incredibly reliable and it's a great car to drive and work on. I do all of my own maintenance and this keeps costs low, I probably have less than 4000 dollars into this car over 2.5 years including a set of summer and winter tires. I'll be keeping this car until I can no longer keep it running reliably enough to suit my needs, which I estimate will be at least another 100 000km. I'll be putting another timing belt on in around 30 000 km. I get between 31-35 MPG highway, the car is completely stock with 13 inch tires. I tend to use Honda OEM parts unless they're too expensive at which point I buy decent quality aftermarket such as Moog, Raybestos, etc.

Since I enjoy driving this car and it's an oddity to see one of these in good shape around here, I'm happy to keep this car. If you're happy driving the car you have, my philosophy is that every month you can spend with a car that's paid off and spend less than the value of a car payment in maintenance is a good one. I'm in the military and I'll be driving from Ontario to BC in 2015, I intend on bringing my 3G. I'll be paying myself the equivalent of a car payment until I've saved enough money to buy a second vehicle - a nice little Toyota pickup truck to support my hunting and fishing habits.

People sometimes ask if my 3G is for sale, and I reply it certainly is - a bargain at $10 000. In reality, I wouldn't be able to replace this car with a car that functions just as well for me for the price that any sane person would pay for it. I only worry that sometime it may get written off in an accident, because I'll be in the same boat as above, unable to replace it with as much car as I've got right now.. I guess if that happens I'll have to start over with another 3G, maybe FI and 5Spd!

[Dr_Snooz]

Oh yeah. You got the bug. LOL. It's happened to us all.

You might want to raise your asking price though. We got folks asking nearly that much already. If you aren't careful, someone will take you up on that offer soon and you'll be heartbroken when it's gone.

[lostforawhile]

the only people who would even appreciate any modifications to the car would be members of this community, and to increase the value with them, would be rare parts, such as the DC header, any of the rare JDM stuff,such as the folding mirrors, the FI interior, SEI disc brakes, and especially any of the super rare mugen stuff, which no one ever sees