I have automotive A.D.D, so who knows how long I keep this SC. My question is, for people who have done the auto-manual swap, how do you see it affecting resale value in the market place?

 

manuals are worth more, cause there rare well for sc's anyways

 

Auto's have higher resale. People use banks. Banks loan on higher resale, not fast and furious mods. A 15 yr old kid will pay you $3000 more for a manual car, BUT he'll have to use a BANK to get the money.

Wanna resale it with higher value? Leave the auto in. The bank doesn't give a rat's toot if you're Ridin' Dirty.

 

I would think there is a higher demand for manual cars than auto. I had a integra with auto to manual swap. I didnt know it was swapped until after i bought the car and was working on it. Anyways I sold that car for more than an auto anyways so it was fine.

 

I think banks have nothing to do with resale. All banks care about is your credit. As for resale it always comes down to supply and demand.

 

Fine, go into the bank and let them pull the black book on the car that is worth $4,500 and tell them you want to buy it for $7,000 because it is a stick and see if the banker give a rat's toot.

"here's $4,500.... now go find $2500 more cash to bring to us so we can loan on the title"

It only makes it harder to sell........

 

not necessarily harder to sell
just harder to make your money back on the conversion

 

^^^ i think he means private party value, i would pay mre for a five speed

 

very small number of us who want to mod these things though compared to the people who just want a car to get them from point a to point b comfortably

 

Thanks guys for the info. Much appreciated. Yes manual SC is harder to find, and especially on a 1998, people will ask, where the swap and how it is was done, if it is a manual tranny. Lots of people don't trust that big of an aftermarket mod. Wheels/springs is one thing, but tranny is another.

My mod budget on this car is 10K (excluding wheels, and already ordered the coilovers). I don't expect to get a single dime back. However, I want the car to be be able to sell right away, when I get bored (happens very often). So I don't want to be holding a car and having to explain yes it is a 98 with a swapped tranny, and people think I am some ricer, who ragged on the car.

Sounds like keeping it auto is good. Now I have to search threads, to get more power out of the auto.

Appreciate it.

 

" resale value in the market place? "

Key words. Not desire of a crowd. Not book value.

Answer is throughout the US or your region, is a 5 speed SC300 going to have the Auto stock buyer pay you more, or the younger want a Manual trans pay you more. I willing to bet that the 97/98 brings more resale with the auto, than the older model that the younger crowd looks for at $ 4- 5K.

 

It really comes down on how long you're willing to wait for the right buyer. If you're impatient (like I am) you'll get rid of the car for whatever it takes regardless of what's been modded on it if you've found the right car for you to replace it with

 

thought 5-speed ended with the 97 sc's and 98+ the option is not avail... correct me if im wrong

 

Exactly. I have a 98, so if I swap a 5 speed on a 98, you can't pass it off as a stock mod (like someone above posted they bought a 5 speed car but didn't know it was a converted 5 speed).

So I think a 5 speed 98 will have negative affect on resale value, because people will assume the car has been raced/beaten up or the 5 speed conversion maybe not done right (since it is not factory).

 

Your right.

The Jan 07 bank book, is $600 less on my 97' if it had a manual trans.
My girlfriends father is a VP of autoloans for a large bank....I get his old books. He said to me once the only cars that are worth more money being manuals. Are mid 60's to 70's American muscle cars....and that's only with a select few.


Being a 98' with a 5spd...would be all sorts of bad. But only to the potential buyer who wants an auto...The bank only goes by VIN...so since your VIN says Auto...so will the loan be based on a auto.

So technically if you find the right buyer who wants a 5spd...they will get more for the loan because on paper it will be an Auto.

But since they only ever came auto in 98'.....well swap it for yourself....its a depreciating hobby..