Man Buys Used Car For $2,000. Then He Spends $7,000 Fixing It. Then He Realizes What It’s Now Worth

Fixing up cars can be a rewarding and lucrative hobby. But just because you put a bunch of money in a vehicle, does that mean you’ve increased its value?

A Utah man says he bought a used car for $2,000 and put $7,000 into it only to discover that this may have not been the wisest investment.

In a Facebook Reel that’s generated over 797,000 views as of this writing, Braxton Butterfield (@braxton.butterfield.3) exposes the downside of getting modifications added to your vehicle.

In the brief clip, Butterfield shows off his drifting ability in his souped up used car. The impressive donuts around the cul-de-sac display his driving talents—but the on-screen text reveals an arguably more dubious skill.

“My hidden talent is that I can put 7k into a 2k car and make it worth $1,500,” the on-screen text reads.

He’s clearly joking, but there’s truth to his post. Considering Butterfield has invested $7,000 in the car, many would think its value would increase. Yet that’s not always reality, as many car enthusiasts know all too well.

Does Fixing Up A Car Increase Its Value?

Car enthusiasts chimed with their own stories of how modifications have decreased their vehicles’ value.

“Yep. I have a 1990 Honda xr600r paid $1,500, put $8,000, still needs a little more work, worth $3,500,” one Facebook user shared.

“Same bruh, same. Bought a 335i for 8k—put another 12k in it due to lack of services from the previous owner, and I could probably sell it for $5k,” another commented.

“I put $25k into a $5k car and made it unsellable,” a third added.

Some brought jokes. As one wrote, “Atta boy! That's guy math!”

“It’s called financial personalization,” one commented.

Why Do Car Modifications Devalue Your Vehicle?

Customizing a vehicle can be a fun way to make it more your own. These upgrades can revolve around performance or be simply cosmetic, such as putting on stickers or getting pink interiors.

However, doing any modification comes at a cost. It also impacts the car's resale value—sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

Yahoo Finance reports that the more outlandish the modification, the more the value drops.

Getting a custom modification can reduce the appeal of a vehicle and require a niche buyer. For example, neon-hued interior may appeal to some but not all. This also applies to modifications like lift kits and engine swaps.

Generally speaking, this is why cars without modifications typically sell better and faster than those without.

In a recent interview with Motor1, Butterfield shared his thoughts on how modifications devalue vehicles and why his video went viral.

“I mostly made that post as a funny joke but it is relatable to car enthusiasts who enjoy to modify their cars as most of the time installing expensive fancy parts will decrease the resell value of the car to non car enthusiasts and dealerships who find it easier to sell stock non modified cars,” he began.

Butterfield offered some context about why the price people are willing to pay for a vehicle can go down even as its performance improves.

“Although modifying your car can increase the performance and make the car drive way better than stock and in turn should increase the value, it actually decreases the value to most as it takes a certain buyer to buy what someone else has already built because car guys would rather modify the car themselves over buying it pre built,” he continues. 

In the harsh reality of it all, Butterfield mentions how most used car drivers will want a stock vehicle compared to a modified vehicle even if its parts are upgraded from stock.

“Overall you’ll find modified cars, even ones that have thousands of extra dollars invested in them, will go for cheaper than a stock car as people don’t want someone else’s modified cars,” he said.