Mods That Will Increase The Value Of Your Subaru

We know, purists will say that mods won’t increase the value of your vehicle, but there are a few angles to look at this topic. Yes, it is subjective, but there are the right mods that can objectively add more value to your vehicle, while mods done on the cheap end, or the wrong mods will certainly decrease the value of your vehicle. And since this article was written in a time where economic collapse is imminent, take this article with face value, a grain of salt, or for just the sake of a conversation. Examples with low miles and are bone-stock will always get the most value for those of you who are discerning purchasers or flippers for that matter. Enthusiasts sometimes invest in cars because they don’t know how to navigate the stock market, or they could just be simply trying to sell their car for personal and financial reasons. But again, there are so many factors that can determine the value of your Subaru, or whatever else you drive based on how the car had been treated and maintained during the time of your stewardship. You could have something desirable in the collector market such as an 04 STI that has low miles, but if it has sat outside most of it’s life with faded paint, cracks in the dash, and hasn’t had the oil changed on a regular basis, then that car will need a lot of work and money to get it back in good shape. Or you could have an 04 STI that has been garaged, oil has been changed regularly, but you drilled into the trunk to install a giant wing, you could have drilled not the chassis to install neon lighting, or you could have glued Joanne Fabric tablecloth on the headliner and pillars because that was the cool thing to do back in 2012. This would also certainly decrease the overall value in the eyes of a discerning shopper.

On the other hand, there are examples that has had previous accident history, but is owned by a diligent owner who did the right mods and maintenance by replacing the timing belt, makes sure that the engine and drivetrain has no leaks whatsoever, and took the time to replace labor-intensive suspension bushings and components such as the upper or lower control arms just to make sure the ride quality is renewed. This is the type of car that can deliver a better driving experience. Not because of the accident history, but because a lot of the heavy lifting maintenance tasks had been performed because the previous owner wanted nice-as-possible vehicle.

Cars with no accident history, that had been maintained correctly with tasteful mods will always demand a premium. So, on the topic of tasteful mods, opinions will always vary. But in the argument of ‘mods don’t increase the value’, there are exceptions that go against the grain of that conversation. Let’s talk about some of these mods.

 

WHEELS – AND NOT JUST ANY WHEELS, FORGED WHEELS TO BE EXACT

Volk TE-37 SL Mag Blue 18x9.5 +40 5x114.3 2015-2025 WRX / 2015-2021 STI

CLICK HERE FOR ALL WHEELS

Now wheels can either increase the value of your vehicle, or the wrong set of wheels can easily decrease the value if the size and offset is so wrong that it causes damage. But keyword quality, is what matters here. Yes, there are several aftermarket non-forged examples that are quality, but they are more common. And yes, we acknowledge for those of you who actually read these blogs are scoffing right now because TE-37’s are common. But are they really? Yeah, you see them all over the internet but when you go to a local car meet, how many will have real units on their car? Probably not too many. Whether it be TE-37’s, Advans, CCW’s, real BBS LM’s, or Work wheels, those who invest the $3k+ range are going to make sure that they are buying the correct size.

Because if you have a WRX or STI with a stock body or have tons of exterior mods, a nice set of quality wheels just works with any setup.

 

 

 

BIG BRAKE KITS

 

CLICK HERE FOR ALL BIG BRAKE KITS

Absolutely they will increase the value of your Subaru especially if paired with a proper wheel that will have the right clearance to fit these bad boys. For those who race, or have high-horsepower cars, one of the most important mods is a proper braking system. Because modded cars will always surpass the limits of their OEM brakes, and not just the pads. Big brake kits such as Brembo or Stoptech, are an investment, and in many cases will cost more than wheels. Not only are big brake kits aesthetically mint especially when behind TE-37’s, but they have a main function, which is to increase the stopping power of your car. For racing, big brake kits have a larger rotor which gives the pad more surface area to grab. And most importantly, the size is not about how big the caliper is and how many pistons it has, but it’s about heat management. Heat is the biggest killer for brakes because it leads to boiling brake fluid, but it also leads to brake fade. Big brake kits when paired with the right pad for the occasion, will have much reduced chances of brake fade during racing conditions.

 

 

TIRES TOO – EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2

 

Making a first impression comes in many different examples. People say that what you wear in terms of even shoes says a lot about you and who you are. How dirty your car stays could conjure some judgement. And people will pass judgement on what music you listen to, and obviously politics. But there are certain ‘mods’ that many (not all) enthusiasts like to cheap out, or cut corners on, and that is tires. Take the examples above. Those are Michelin Pilot Sport Cups. These tires are factory-issued tires among some of the fastest street-legal production cars such as the Porsche 911 GT cars, the turbo models, new Corvettes, Ferraris, you get the deal. Someone who drives a 2011 WRX won’t spend $1k+ on a set of Toyo R888s, Sport Cups, Bridgestone RE71s, or Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. They would rather spend that $1k on new aftermarket seats, a cat-back, turbo upgrade, etc. Absolutely wild that enthusiasts (again not all) will mod their cars to make more than 500+ HP and ride on Mucho Macho’s, Ling Long’s, or whatever recycled X brand of tire just because they are cheap.

However, for the gentleman who appreciates a fine wine, or if grown adults are in the room and they see your Subaru wrapped in a proper tire, this reflects on how well you’ve maintained your vehicle, and good tires say that you take your car a little more serious and put maintenance over mods.

 

 

NOT JUST ANY CAT-BACK, BUT ONE THAT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY

Greddy Supreme SP Cat Back Exhaust 2011-2014 WRX/STI Sedan

CLICK HERE FOR ALL CAT-BACKS

Because used Subaru’s are in the affordable spectrum, they can get into the hands of the younger crowd who may be in college or work a job that doesn’t pay too well. And why not having an all-wheel-drive turbocharged vehicle is awesome. But there are those who get impatient and try to find a used cat-back off marketplace or they might have a friend who has a hack saw and a TIG welder and you end up killing the value of your Subaru because it now sounds like an angry elephant farting in a pool. Do not go full VQ35 with your Subaru you are better than that.

If you have a cat-back by a pioneered performance establishment such as Greddy, HKS, COBB Tuning, or Invidia to name some examples, then that means that you have both sound and performance in mind, and not bazooka pipes that say that you vape and never wash your hands after going to the bathroom. A quality cat-back exhaust system will be made of quality stainless steel construction with premium welds that hold together larger pipes for better flow. You get those added horsepower and torque, and your Subaru should have that flagship rumble without being the obnoxious rasp machine that comes with some home-built or cheap exhaust systems.

 

 

 

NOT GOING OVER THE TOP WITH ENGINE MODS – OR DOING THEM INCORRECTLY

You could buy the most expensive mods known to man, but you can also do them very incorrectly. Now with enough money, you can build a Subaru to make big horsepower. Like 800+ and beyond. But in the entire field of Subaru owners, there is only a handful of them, and the majority of those who own pre-owned WRX or STI, etc. are not building these cars to run single-digit quarter-mile times. As we have mentioned – and in reality - engines will have a hard time living above 400 hp with factory internals. And yes, there are several key variables such as how the owner drives the car, how it’s maintained, if it has a proper tune, what type of fuel they use, the elevation, and many more.

Now a turbocharger can either add value or kill the value of your Subaru if you get one that is too large, and you don’t do the supporting mods to supplement the power, so you’re limited to lower boost levels and the car drives like crap. A turbocharger that makes your car more appealing is going to be one that comes from a good brand but is a direct drop-in unit that is a sensible upgrade from stock that you can run with a top mount setup, mild fueling upgrades, and an Accessport. You don’t want to get a turbocharger that looks ‘cool’ under the hood with a larger inlet, where you have to get bigger everything else that will overextend the limits and capacity of your OEM short block.

Here are some examples of sensible turbo and intercooler upgrades that will improve the value of your Subaru.

 

GrimmSpeed Overtake BB500 Turbocharger Kit 2002-2014 WRX / 2004-2021 STI

CLICK HERE FOR ALL TURBOCHARGERS

 

ETS Top Mount Intercooler 2004-2007 STI

CLICK HERE FOR ALL INTERCOOLERS

 

 

SUSPENSION – NOT JUST COILOVERS

As Subarus, or whatever car you’re into get older, naturally, the ride quality diminishes. Except the problem with an enthusiast car such as an STI or Evo, worn suspension leads to worse handling. And although coilovers may be the most popular suspension upgrade to virtually any platform, it’s the bushings that make a world of a difference. If you are in the market for another fun vehicle, and you come across a car where the previous owner had replaced the control arm bushings, steering rack bushings, differential bushings, shifter bushings, new motor mounts with upgraded urethane bushings, that is the car to get. Because replacing bushings is far from easy in terms of control arms. In fact, many will just opt to buy upgraded or new control arms to avoid removing them, and having the old units pressed or burned out.

New bushings not only refresh the ride quality of your vehicle, but if you get bushings made with upgraded urethane, then it really tightens up the chassis and makes the suspension much more responsive during high-performance driving conditions.

CLICK HERE FOR BUSHING KITS

 

CLICK HERE FOR ALL CONTROL ARMS

 

 

 

CHASSIS BRACING

CLICK HERE FOR ALL CHASSIS BRACING

Chassis bracing is one of the suspension mods that you can’t really see unless it’s a front or rear strut brace, but they make the suspension performance a lot sharper especially if you like to autocross or participate in weekend track events. When you have an AWD rally-inspired sedan or hatch, naturally the car will like to oversteer or understeer in some cases, and we can counteract that with sway bars – the other most popular suspension mod – but the chassis braces outside of front or rear strut tower braces also play a vital role in the overall improvement of your suspension performance, and will certainly add value to your vehicle especially in the eyes of a proper enthusiast.

 

 

SWAY BARS

 

CLICK HERE FOR ALL SWAY BARS

Outside of coilovers, every Subaru enthusiast should upgrade their sway bars, and it doesn’t matter if you have a STI, or an Outback. Sway bars are so beneficial to your AWD chassis and will greatly improve the handling by reducing the amount of body roll and lateral forces when cornering. The result is better control, better feedback, and driver confidence.

 

 

LASTLY, INTERIOR

Before we talk about what interior mods can increase the value of your Subaru, let’s talk about why we didn’t mention any exterior mods in the conversation about adding value to your vehicle. This is because history (and Bring-A-Trailor sales) have shown us that any car that retains a stock body without any alterations outside of being a race car, has a monetary upper hand when compared to anything that has a widebody kit, giant wing, all the carbon fiber, or whatever else you can bring to the table.

With the interior, there are just a few things that can be done to make the interior look and feel better. Especially since used Subarus were victims to really terrible and cheap trend of large phallic neon shift knobs, glued-on hobby store fabric on the headliner and pillars that would fall off, and vape.

Now something such as a good tint job where the owner invested in the latest ceramic tints that had been applied correctly would add more value.

Outside of tint, we think that something as simple as a brand-new OEM shift know breathes new life back into your interior, and a steering wheel upgrade that retains all OEM functions will also make for an excellent interior upgrade that is proper, and tasteful.

Subaru OEM tS Shift Knob 2013-2021 BRZ/FR-S/86

CLICK HERE FOR ALL SHIFT KNOBS

 

Faction Fab Carbon Fiber/Leather Steering Wheel 2008-2014 WRX/STI

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR ALL STREERING WHEELS

 

 

FINAL WORD

Mods that will increase the value are more geared to those that will make your car ride better, handle better, or look better to complement the rest of your aesthetic whether it be interior or exterior in terms of wheels. Going the extra mile to invest in forged wheels, big brake kits, along with suspension are mods that will make your car more enjoyable. Now some 19-year-old who just got up at noon would disagree by saying “bro the power makes the car funner to drive and will add value because the new owner won’t have to do it”. Remember yes engine mods make the car more fun to drive but there comes a responsibility of owning a car that is heavily modded in terms of horsepower, and that is how well did that person maintain the car, and how hard did that person drive the car. Because engine mods only lead to faster engine wear. What engine is going to be more reliable? A 100k mile motor that is relatively stock that has had all routine oil changes, or a race car with 1000 HP but has 10k miles of roll racing, drag passes, dyno time, and track days?

Whether if you’re in the market, or looking to sell your vehicle, or just want to add more value to yours, great wheels and suspension are a great choice. When it comes to engine mods, just make sure everything is documented in terms of what vendor you bought the parts from, but most importantly, get the mods that are made from established brands that know what they are doing, and not by a copycat company that sells parts on the cheap end made with inferior materials. Buy once, cry once. But buy it right the first time.