Pre-goodbye poll
 

I'm sorry to say that I will be leaving the TCH family very shortly. As I mentioned in earlier posts, I needed a minivan for the family. Well, we bought it on Sunday, so I'm in process of listing the TCH for sale.

For those that have followed my threads for 2+ years, you will know that I've done a lot of mods on my car. See my signature. I definitely don't have a "standard" TCH. And here are some pictures:
http://pictures.rheefamily.info/pict...ryHybrid4Sale/

So here is my poll question, especailly since you are all TCH owners. If you were in the market to buy a used TCH, would you prefer to buy a stock TCH or one that looks like mine? I'm not asking for any money for my mods, I'm selling my car at market price, but I wanted to know if my modified TCH doesn't meet the tastes of a typical hybrid owner, who I feel are much more conservative. i.e. body kit, TRD springs, 18" wheels, spoiler, etc. I will definitely be parting out a few things that I can easily remove, such as the sliding armrest. I'll entertain any reasonable offers.

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

Sorry to see you go, as you have been a valued contributor here.

For me, I probably would be OK with everything except the TRD springs. I have also replaced springs/struts on a relatively new car in the past with springs/struts from a "sport" model of the same year vehicle, with less than satisfactory results, so I am afraid that your upgrade in this area would keep me from buying your car, IF I was looking for a used car. Just being honest!

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

Thanks, that's exactly what I was lookg for! I might have to return my car to stock condition to get more looks at it, then I could always sell the parts to non-hyrbrid owners.

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

I'm going to say I would go for yours. Compared to the stock unmodded one it would be a bargain if your not asking more. The value to me would be the wheels & body kit.

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

Most of the time I see a used modified car, I mentally add on the cost of undoing at least some of the changes.

I have talked to people who still had the original parts and were willing to include them or swap them for free and that is the only time I consider it equal to an unmodified vehicle.

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

I'd probably take the mods. The only thing I wouldn't like is the TRD springs.

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

Call me conservative. For me, mods lower the value of the car.

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

That's some change from a moded and loaded TCH to a minivan??:confused: The mods you listed that you had done must have cost over $5,000??That's a big chunk of change!! :lightbulb I sure hope you didn't plan on recouping all the money you dropped on all the mods?? ;) Anyways...........from TCH to minivan.....I'm at a loss for words!!

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

My personal feeling is that I would rather not buy a moded car because I don't know the skill level of the person doing the moding. However, I would probably pay a little more for better rims.

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

From personal experience, I know a modded car can be sold. I just sold my 2003 VW Bora for $4k above blue book because of the work that I did to it.

But for me personally, I would buy a completely stock car. Just because I really prefer to do it all myself. That's most of the fun for me.

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

Personally, I wouldn't buy one with the springs, sub, or lower body spoilers. It sends a message to me that the car was abused/raced (even a hybrid).

The rims, and everything else would be okay with me... but I would like the possibility of using the original rims... especially knowing the price of the 18" tires.

Although, I don't think you will have any problem at all selling a Camry hybrid right now. The market is in extremely short supply, so you should have buyers lining up.

You might consider putting it on Ebay as-is, with a reserve price. You might get even more than you expect for it.

Good luck, and you'll definately be missed!

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

Flopshot,
I am also sorry to hear you are departing since I believe you are one of the last original TCHers on this list. :cry:

I voted for the stock car. While some of the mods might put me off, I just really prefer the Barcelona Red to Desert Sand Mica!

Driving a minivan is a big change from the TCH. My previous car was Toyota's Previa replaced by the Sienna model. What I miss about it is the cargo capacity and sitting up higher than I do in the TCH/Prius cars. You adjust after awhile and it sounds like since this being driven by family needs. Once the kids are grown, you will be able to get a fun car again in say 10-15 years. ;)

Safe Driving!

Karen

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

I am sorry to see you go as you tend to "take the point" on lots of mods...I have greatly appreciated your input.

As far as buying a modded or unmodded TCH I think most buyers want a TCH by Toyota, not a TCH by Joe owner. When I see mods like yours I tend to think abuse...not fair but the way it is... Plus potential warranty issues due to the mods at dealers are also a concern... And if your potential buyer needs a loan the odds are the lender will not go above book value to cover those mod costs...

Good Luck....

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

Thanks everyone for the feedback and votes. It is overwhelmingly (28-7) in favor of the stock TCH. Therefore, I've listed my car as-is on several websites (cars.com, autotrader, ebay, craigslist) and will see what the initial results are. But based on this poll, I'm already preparing for spending a whole weekend in the garage to return the car to stock form.

p.s. if I sell the car thru a referral from this website, I will reward a finders fee to the referring person! ($500 if I get my asking price, or $250 if sold for less).

FlopShot

Re: Pre-goodbye poll
 

I can't believe you're going from a TCH to a Minivan.

Well, I actually can...we did the exact OPPOSITE going from our beloved '04 Sienna XLE LTD to the loaded TCH in early July. We just did not need the Minivan anymore.

Good luck selling your TCH.