Valuation of stock vs modified RS6

[Bigglezworth]

I daily my swapped car 120 miles a day no issue but yet in the eyes of potential buyers its worth a high mile auto. I have a buddy that just sold a bone stock car after months for around 13.5k it had 140k miles on the clock

Bone stock will always be worth the least amount for this car. By that I don't mean that a modified car is worth more....

My logic to this comment is specific to there being a couple of 'stock' Achilles heel items. Specifically the DRC and the transmission. These are two big $ items that unless than have been replaced will guaranteed become a cost impact item. If the DRC has been replaced for the Gen II version you're better off than stock, but still at a potential risk depending on you 'luck'. Coil overs have been noted by many as being the only suitable replacement and there is lots of opinion about whether or not they are better or worse as a result. Transmission replacement will ensure you get suitable resale value as the person buying has plenty of visibility to the woes owners with this car have with stock transmissions. A replaced transmission doesn't mean it's modified/hopped up, it merely means it's dealt with the flaw in the original design - just like that of the Gen II DRC.

Now, if you go one level more and get in to after market modifications then you could certainly look to argue some make the car worth more - although many here would be quick to debate whether that is in fact accurate.

To consider:
Tune - no added value
Rims/tires - limited added value if any
RSNE - Some minor added value
Preventative maintenance items with recent work - i.e. rotors/pads, axles, waterpump, timing belt, T-stat, etc - Added value since they will be a cost anyway
Exhaust - added value
Piggies - added value
Turbos - added value

[Compass Error]

What do you mean by transmission replacement? Is this above and beyond just servicing the internals/clutchpacks?

Also a little surprised that you think any aftermarket stuff adds value (beyond fixing the known faults)

[Bigglezworth]

What do you mean by transmission replacement? Is this above and beyond just servicing the internals/clutchpacks?

Also a little surprised that you think any aftermarket stuff adds value (beyond fixing the known faults)

Good question. By that I mean change out of the torque convertor to correct the problematic seal problem that degrades the transmission internals over time and leads to failure. Replacing the torque convertor hasn't been documented as being all that is required to ensure improved transmission life that I can recall anyway. That is usually because this expensive item is reactive vs. proactive and by that time you're overhauling the entire tranny.

As a point of reference on the three cars I had here, I have the following experience:
#1 - replaced tranny and convertor at 115K with factory rebuilt units and have had 40K of mileage on it since with no problems whatsoever
#2 - never replaced tranny which was confirmed as being 100% stock @ 225000 miles.... Yes an oddity and then some
#3 - replaced torque convertor at 50K and have had no issues since. Car now has 120K on it.

For the after market stuff, I take a personal stance on things that are improvements over failure ridden items as being save value, while other nice to haves that improve performance or will at a minimum eliminate you having to undertake labour expensive repair at a near future date as a value add item yes. I've long stated that I have never believed mileage is the sole indicator of a cars value and that a car that is well documented as having been well maintained will be worth more than a car that has limited knowledge of care.

[atikovi]

What do you mean by transmission replacement? Is this above and beyond just servicing the internals/clutchpacks?

Anyone buying one of these with mileage approaching 100K will expect to budget for a transmission rebuild in the near future if not already been done, and will expect a below average price because of that.