Buying a used Range Rover Evoque with bodywork modifications

[LifeExperimentation]

After seeing the car advertised online on Autotrader, I went to see it this morning. It's 4 years old and had 2 previous owners. I'd probably keep it for 5 years. I noticed though that some of the exterior has been modified - i.e. badge, grille, bumper, wheels are black. It's a bit like the official 'black exterior pack' from Range Rover, which is what I thought it might have been originally.

Would I be unreasonable to buy it? i.e. is it likely to have been owned by a boy racer who did the mods, and maybe ragged around?? Or would this affect its resale value?

might also be difficult to insure as mods should be declared,sounds like you'd have a page or two of them

Thanks @dopeydazy - even just bodywork? Looks like they were aftermarket modifications, with painted grille, bumpers, etc.

Well you must know if it affects the resale price because you know the price of it now. Its miles cheaper than similar unmodded versions?

Can you rag a range rover?? Bit heavy really and its all cosmetic mods, none are performance mods

@araiwa It’s priced similarly to other cars on Autotrader - just had a look... it's more expensive than some and less expensive than others that are same age/mileage.

So it doesnt seem to affect resale value

And i dont think a couple of cosmetic mods will cause much of a problem/price jump for insurance

What kind of tyres does it have? I've found that if they are decent ones (usually costing about £200 a corner) then the odds are that the previous owner looked after it.

If you want it and can afford it then buy it, being unreasonable doesn't come into it.

I wouldn't personally buy a modded car, but I don't have any tatoos or a badly mangled "personalised" number plate either.

If the mods don't bother you, buy it - but do make sure you tell your insurers.

Warranties on the test if the car may not be valid either.

If it's 4 years old, you'll be the third owner, and you'll have it for the next 5 years....

...then what's the actual issue in terms of "resale value", in the sense that by the time you've had it, it will be creeping towards 100,000 miles and there'll have been five years worth of the new Evoque to further depress the used prices of your model?

I wouldn't obsess about "resale value" when the reality is that the Evoque seems to sell like hotcakes no matter what colour or spec it is.

If it's more expensive than some at the moment, and you're buying it, then that means there's a market for it.

There are a fair few Evoques out there that have the "tank" look or black pack modifications. Not my taste but Land Rover are actually offering this on the new Defender and others in the ranges. So your car will probably be in vogue so to speak.

@Didntwanttochangemyname It has 22 inch alloy wheels. I know the dealers are changing 2 tyres.

Going to say YABU to buy it but purely because Evoques are so chavy, and a modified one even more so!

@familycourtq that’s a good idea… I think I’ll call the insurers to check on this. The modifications don’t look crazy, they are quite subtle really.

@AlwaysCheddar - really, even on bodywork only?

@GinDaddy - yes, that’s what I was suspecting. By the time I come to sell, it would have depreciated a lot more anyway (as cars do). I really like the black pack look (sleek), which is why I was drawn to this. Just want to sense check it… I don’t know anything about modifications and how that might affect anything. It’s still an expensive car to me, so just want it to be a well considered purchase.

@TequilaMockingbird0 OK, will buy a Skoda then as clearly that's a marker for tasteful middle classiness. In all seriousness, they're a great car!

You have to notify insurers of all modifications, and with some, even stickers count as a modification.

Just for information really I hope you don't mind OP, my grandson works at Range Rover as an engineer and when showing him this page he said in the next 2+ years they are going to be rolling out a new model which will affect the value of the ones being sold now,also when out of warranty parts are so expensive,he also said he wouldn't own one even if it was a gift.

22 inch wheels are way off standard on an Evoque. Those big wheels will massively adversely affect the ride quality.

@abigailsnan

They may be rolling out a new Range Rover (full size) to replace L405..

However the OP is posting about the Range Rover Evoque.

The new model of which was launched a few months ago, and is already out there (recessed door handles, curvier edges, more Velar look, dual screens inside).

So that process of values being affected re 1st generation Evoques has already begun so to speak.

@BazzleJet But damn, they are pretty! Probably not the best option then. I would probably damage them on a curb within a month.

@abigailsnan thank you for asking! And thanks for your comment too @GinDaddy.

Yeah they look well mean 😄 Bit drug dealer-y with a black pack to me because I'm middle aged and boring but if that's the look you like, go for it. Mind those kerbs. And never go off-road! (I do actually use mine off road)

Ha, perhaps that’s the aesthetic that I secretly hanker over! I'm actually worried about those wheels, it's putting me off. The standard ones aren't quite as pretty but maybe more sensible...

With the black facejob and the dodgy size alloys, I'd steer well clear. It's been owned and driven by a dick, and dicks are bad at looking after things.

They aren't a great car / brand quality-wise (check out JD Powers survey), but that doesn't seem to put others off.

As previously mentioned, good tyres on a car tend to give a reasonable indication of how much the owner is willing to spend on the important bits of car maintenance and not skimp. For example, Bridgestone / Michelin tyres great, Chaoyang / Westlake / Telluride avoid like the plague. For that size of wheel tyres will be very pricey, but the quality of cheap tyres is shockingly bad and not worth the risk.

@SpoonBlender

My best friend owns an Audi which he has spent £5000 on in terms of visual accessories - black wheels, black spoiler, dark tinted windows, the whole "murdered out" look

Has the car cleaned every week, serviced annually at Audi (money to burn haha) and all parts are original equipment manufactur where possible.

Does that make him a dick? Who knows in terms of your criteria. But does he look after it? A hell of a lot better than a company who leased it as part of their fleet and handed it back after 3 years/60,000 miles.

Assumptions...