Vw with MAJOR mods or M3

[1MORELAP]

After looking at some of the gorgeous IND creations out there, I started thinking. They take a 70K M3, and add $30 to $50K of goodies and time to it. You could get a Lambo for $120K!

Now instead of M3, I could get a 135 or GTI or, well anything in the 30 to 40K range and then throw $20 to 30K at it.

What is better? IND M3 or a Lambo? 135 with Akra, Brembos, HREs, coilovers, etc or ZCP M3?

I am not asking to compare specific cars/options. Rather the concept of a 30K car with 30K of upgrades versus a $60K car...

[GnokGnik]

Come on mang,


GTi vs 135i vs M3 vs Lambo? What are you really looking for?

[piloto]

Do you care about resale value? Say yes if you plan to change cars within 4-5 years or less, even up to 7-8 years. The GTI with $30K mods will yield nothing more than a comparable GTI, and in all likelyhood will be tougher to sell. The M3 on the other hand, will depreciate normally. So basically, the mods are money that you are throwing out the window (same logic goes towards most options on any new car, short of maybe an automatic transmission or something of that nature).

[Crimson92]

WTF.

[Cab5er]

Originally Posted by Crimson92

WTF.

Something like that

[Crazy Bimmer]

I dont think many of those IND project cars had $30k+ in parts and labor.

The ones that did had owners who already have lambos in their stable.

Whats better depends on the person who is paying for it.

[motosan]

I'm wondering the maintenance cost for a Lamborghini.... I mean, a 90K GTR costs about 8K the first year for maintenance, and a 70-80K M3 on the comparable usage costs zero....

I think when you go levels up, whether you can buy it is besides the point, the real deal is whether you can afford to maintain it..., no?

[sameh]

I say get a lambo and mod the hell out of it. Start with adding a back seat.

[BMRLVR]

Originally Posted by Crazy Bimmer

I dont think many of those IND project cars had $30k in parts and labor.

The ones that did had owners who already have lambos in their stable.

Whats better depends on the person who is paying for it.

You'd be surprised my friend. As far as IND cars go my M3 was a relatively simple and straightforward car and I spent roughly $30K on my M3 not including exchange rates and shipping. Also don't forget, I installed all my parts myself, with the exception of the intake manifold/valve covers, (due to time constraints on getting the parts shipped to me before I had to leave on vacation) so I didn't incur any labour cost on my car.

To build an IND car is not cheap, because the quality of the parts installed on their project cars are the best of the best. IND's pricing is extremely reasonable on labour and paint work considering the quality of the work you receive, and the pricing they gave me on the parts was as good or better than anyone else in the industry.

The thing you get with an IND car is a one of a kind creation that is truly OEM like in quality. In my opinion IND picks up where BMW individual leaves off, I haven't seen a company yet that can do the things they can do. The biggest difference between IND and the rest of the companies out there is the fact that they operate out of one of the best body and paint shops I have ever had the privilege to step foot it. IMO the parts IND did for me/my M3 were worth every cent I spent with them.

No matter if you want to spend a little or a lot, IND will take care of you no matter what you need for your BMW.

To the OP, there are many ways to do a car. You just have to ask yourself what is going to satisfy you. If you want a used Lambo then do it, you want to modify an M3 then do that, want to modify a GTI or 135, do that instead. Just realize that at the end of the day the car you end up with has to satisfy you. Like I said above, modifying a car is not cheap and is a great way to lose a pile of money very quickly if you sell the car in a short period of time.

No matter what you decide, just realize you have to like a finished product and it has to suit your needs..... Will it be a toy car? Is it your only vehicle? Can it satisfy your needs as a daily driver if it is your only car?..... These are a few questions you need to ask yourself and then go from there.


Lambo>IND M3>Modded 135>Modded GTI.

[eisenb11]

The problem with a $30k car with $30k in mods is that to most of the world it's still a $30k car, that's even more depreciated, with no warranty, and possibly additional reliability issues. Yeah, it may "beat" the $60k car, but for all practical purposes who cares?

If all you're after is performance, there are better alternatives to the M3 for the same money... But you may have to give things up like maybe a back seat, or luxury, etc, etc.

[Crazy Bimmer]

Well said Jamie. I guess I never sat down and priced all the parts together in one big swoop. Does add up quickly even when getting incredible pricing from IND.

Then again I also understand what the op is saying. I used to have two cars which one I barely drove. So instead of having two 30k cars, I went and bought a new 60k M3 that I can enjoy everyday.

[jmflukeiii]

Originally Posted by piloto

Do you care about resale value? Say yes if you plan to change cars within 4-5 years or less, even up to 7-8 years. The GTI with $30K mods will yield nothing more than a comparable GTI, and in all likelyhood will be tougher to sell. The M3 on the other hand, will depreciate normally. So basically, the mods are money that you are throwing out the window (same logic goes towards most options on any new car, short of maybe an automatic transmission or something of that nature).

Do mods such as the addition of a supercharger and full exhaust upgrade add any value in terms of resale (or should i say, decrease depreciation experienced at time of sale)? Or could that actually make the car value worse due to foreign parts acting up on the OEM engine/chassis?

I know that no one really cares to pay any extra for all the extra in my E46 which is why I'm just keeping it.

[Its_Canuck]

Get the upcoming Golf .:R and APR upgrade it.
I'm having a hard decision between the E90 M and Golf .:R. My current .:R32 is a great car, but I need the two extra doors and a manual.

[chris s]

lambo or M3... Could be the most ridiculous question I've ever seen posted here. Do you need a practical daily driver with nice power...or a completely impractical, very fast, 2 door super car?

It's all a matter of need and how you plan to use it.

[piloto]

Originally Posted by Its_Canuck

Get the upcoming Golf .:R and APR upgrade it.
I'm having a hard decision between the E90 M and Golf .:R.

lol, these are the exact two that I was debating over, despite the big price difference. I had a deposit down on the R, which I just cancelled and have my E90 order ready to go for delivery in May. The R is going to be a heck of a nice car too, but figured I'd enjoy what the current M3 has to offer (NA V8, 6MT)before it's gone forever.

[piloto]

Originally Posted by jmflukeiii

Do mods such as the addition of a supercharger and full exhaust upgrade add any value in terms of resale (or should i say, decrease depreciation experienced at time of sale)? Or could that actually make the car value worse due to foreign parts acting up on the OEM engine/chassis?

I know that no one really cares to pay any extra for all the extra in my E46 which is why I'm just keeping it.

It all depends on the buyer, but more often than not, no, it's not going to add value. Now, if you had a well known shop perform some of these mods, say someone like IND, then it might be of some value, but even then, it's not going to yield much compared to what you'll be spending. So the short answer is no, there's no value. Most buyers will just pass until they find an unmolested version.

[mtla4]

Lambo-135 same sentence? Dunno might as well get a genesis. No but seriously stick with a stock m3 and buy something else to mod.

I've had a 135 in 08 sold it now driving a GTI...now the same thing..now that GTI has a broken turbo getting sold in April I need an N/A car M3 or RS4

[Brosef]

Originally Posted by chris s

lambo or M3... Could be the most ridiculous question I've ever seen posted here. Do you need a practical daily driver with nice power...or a completely impractical, very fast, 2 door super car?

That's a fair point, however that's not what the OP is getting at. He is talking about the philosophical differences between modifying a less expensive car vs. buying a more expensive car to begin with. See here:

"I am not asking to compare specific cars/options. Rather the concept of a 30K car with 30K of upgrades versus a $60K car..."


This is an interesting debate, and I've actually thought about this quite a bit recently as I am now fairly far along the continuum of modifications. Here are just a few of the key differences as I see them:

1. Resale - as a general proposition, I think most would agree that the resale value of the modified car will be lower than that of the stock car. The modified car should really be looking more at the resale value and hassle of the used parts he will have to sell if/when he decides to sell the car, and then worrying about the depreciation of the car itself on top of that.

2. Personalization - no question that modifying the cheaper car certainly presents the owner with the opportunity to tailor it to his needs / taste. This applies not only to cosmetics, but also to performance modifications.

3. Warranty - the modified car's warranty would most likely be compromised depending on what kind of modifications were done.

4. Prestige - I for one feel a tad bit uncomfortable owning even an M3 at my age. My last car was a 997, and part of the reason I traded it in for the M was that I grew tired of having to hide the fact that I drove a Porsche from my co-workers. Right or wrong, some people often have a poor perception of those who spoil themselves with nice things at an early age, regardless of whether they can comfortably afford them or not.

[Gkap]

I have had a few heavily modified cars in my time. And I would laugh at people when they would say
"with all the money you have dumped into mods you could have bought a nicer car". I always respoond "yes and If I purchased a nicer car I would have dumped the same amount if not more into that car". Modding is a way of life for me and is a never ending money pit. To the OP if I were you I would purchase the car you can afford right now and go from there. Obviously the lambo is the number 1 choice.

[bunnn]

Originally Posted by Gkap

I have had a few heavily modified cars in my time. And I would laugh at people when they would say
"with all the money you have dumped into mods you could have bought a nicer car". I always respoond "yes and If I purchased a nicer car I would have dumped the same amount if not more into that car". Modding is a way of life for me and is a never ending money pitt. To the OP if I were you I would purchase the car you can afford right now and go from there. Obviously the lambo is the number 1 choice.

+1 ... doesn't matter what car I own ...money will be dumped

[Jaypod]

Originally Posted by Crimson92

WTF.

This

[SchnellM3]

I always laugh at people who get so excited because they have a modified car that can out perform more expensive cars. They dump all that money into those cars and at the end or the day they are in a honda, toyota, etc... (I'm not bashing anyone because it really is impressive the numbers that you can cram out of these cars.) If your simply looking for a cheaper car that you can mod to M3 output numbers, handling and will cost almost the same why not just take all that extra cash and buy the real thing?