Selling vs. Storing: advice needed

[rushpuppy]

Hi all,

Made the move from Seattle to Boston with my RS5 and my fiancee's SUV. Turns out we need to drop to only 1 car for the next 13 months, and the SUV has won. I am now faced with the tough decision of storing my car for a year vs. selling it. Complicating the situation is that my car is modded (HRE wheels, Capristo, e-codes, KW HAS, etc.) and taking it back to stock and parting out is NOT an option. I need your advice:

1) Should I sell the car or store it?

2) If selling, any advice on selling a modded car?

3) If storing, any tips or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!
Rush

[HazeMyth]

You're not going to get your money back if you sell it w/ the mods. Only a handful of modifications actually positively effect the value of a car, and usually the modification itself costs more than what the increase in value would be (Premium wheels, primarily). If you are going to sell it, your most bang for buck will be selling privately.

[Sweep]

The other thing to consider is are you definitely going back up to 2 cars after 13 months? If so the money lost on selling with mods and buying a new car may outweigh cost of storage.

If you do store, be sure to update your insurance policy on the car. I believe you pay less when you put a car in storage since presumably you'd drive it less.

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[JamesRS5]

As Haze said, you'll never recover the costs of the modifications selling them fitted to the car unless you find a buyer that wants that exact spec or was going to install those mods and is willing to pay a premium price for a car that comes equipped with them.

The best way is to sell a stock car and sell the modifications separately.

That said, I would store it, 13 months will pass very quickly and you'll regret letting it go.
Storing a car for 13 months is relatively simple, there is nothing you especially need do, service it before it goes in, put it on jack stands, put a good quality cover over it and leave it alone.

[FaceSmA5h]

You're not going to get your money back if you sell it w/ the mods. Only a handful of modifications actually positively effect the value of a car, and usually the modification itself costs more than what the increase in value would be (Premium wheels, primarily). If you are going to sell it, your most bang for buck will be selling privately.

+1

Perspective buyers for the Audi market rarely values mods, even tasteful ones. I'm in the same as boat as you, I switched back to mods ~1 year before I am done with this car (i am leasing though).

I HIGHLY recommend parting out and selling the car. The longer you wait, the more the car will depreciate. Good luck!

[MrDuddly]

Store it. 13 months is not long and the costs of storage & insurance is far less then the amount you stand to lose if you sell. If you can store it in your garage at home, that's what I would do. A simple cover, battery tender, oil change.

[HazeMyth]

If storing for an extended period I'd also advise putting it up on jack stands to keep from getting flat spots in the tires, too. As others have said, 13 months will pass in no time. If the plan is to go back to 2 cars in 13 months, I'd store it VS. sell it.

[Sweep]

Store it. 13 months is not long and the costs of storage & insurance is far less then the amount you stand to lose if you sell. If you can store it in your garage at home, that's what I would do. A simple cover, battery tender, oil change.

I'm assuming OP is staying in a one-car apartment for the next 13 months which is why he's downsizing to one car in the first place. If he had garage space why would he need to store or sell?

Good call on the battery tender though

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[ryanhmusic]

Hi all,

Made the move from Seattle to Boston with my RS5 and my fiancee's SUV. Turns out we need to drop to only 1 car for the next 13 months, and the SUV has won. I am now faced with the tough decision of storing my car for a year vs. selling it. Complicating the situation is that my car is modded (HRE wheels, Capristo, e-codes, KW HAS, etc.) and taking it back to stock and parting out is NOT an option. I need your advice:

1) Should I sell the car or store it?

2) If selling, any advice on selling a modded car?

3) If storing, any tips or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!
Rush

I'm in the Boston area, more than happy to store it for you

Realistically though, there's a storage facility in Beverly, MA [30min north of Boston] I can put you in touch with if you'd like. I got a quote of //I think// $65/month to store a vehicle in its own climate controlled garage spot. I strongly considered it for my old Jeep I use in the summers but ultimately decided to go a different route with it.

If you don't need it local, there's a bunch of airplane hangars people use to store cars in the winter up in New Hampshire -- I could try and get you in touch with someone who's currently doing that but they're not as secure as a single unit in my opinion since other people will be milling around I would worry about scratches.

[audispeed]

Biggest question, will you want your RS5 in a year? If yes, keep it. If no, sell it. Personally, sounds like a lot is changing for you over the next year and your needs/wants may change as well. Sell if are the type of person that quickly goes through cars.

[rushpuppy]

Thanks all for the advice so far. I appreciate it. I am leaning towards selling.

I totally understand that returning the car to stock prior to selling is the best thing to do, but that really isn't an option. I don't have the time or energy to source all of the OEM parts, having sold all of mine in Seattle prior to moving. I was planning on keeping the car, and made the best decision I could at the time with the information I had. Sometimes things change. Oh well... 20/20 hindsight. I know I am going to take a financial hit selling a modded car. Such is life. Someone is going to get a great deal on a CLEAN, nicely modded, low mileage beast of a car.

[PEM]

That's unfortunate. Maybe if you can find people in the area looking for your aftermarket parts and do a trade. Their stock exhaust + cash for your Capristo, for example.

You say you were planning on keeping the car, but for how much longer after the 13 months? If you're planning to keep it a while, then I say hold on to it and store it. If you're planning to offload shortly after that 13 months is up, might as well sell it now.

[rasetsu]

Exhaust and wheels should be easy to coordinate with someone who's willing to meet you at a shop and swap them with you for their stock parts and some cash. At least try by posting in the classified.

[NuVega]

If you really like the car I would store it. Get some Stabil, disconnect the battery, cover the exhaust pipes and intake filter, throw some fabric softener sheets in the inside, take off the wheels or overly inflate them to like 60PSI, and a oil change...she'll be ready for you when you get back.

[TTRStud]

Why does it matter what others think? Not trying to be abrasive, but at the end of the day: 1) it's your car, 2) it's your living/financial situation, 3) someone's opinion about your car may be biased (whether pro or con) and completely irrelevant to you, the owner; plus you're not 100% aware of the audience that's reading your thread and providing recommendations...what if part of the AZ group are just a bunch of teenagers that either hate or obsess over the RS5? Would you take advise from them?. I would think you would be asking your fiancee this question instead. Just my $0.02. Good luck!