Cars!

[Jimbo]

When it comes to modding cars, I ve always had conflicts with my wallet!

Your never going to see that money again, I see these kids driving round in cars that they ve spent 10-15k on, strip out the tinsel and it's a 2k vauxhall underneath, that to me is foolish, why not just spend the 15k on decent car to start with!

Don't get me wrong i ve modded parts of my cars, I m usually v quick to swap out cans on my bikes, or change tyres, fully accepting it isn't really going to add value,
But there's a line for me!

Each to their own I guess!

I am the first to appreciate good craftsmanship however!

J.

 

[Matth3w]

Well, some people smoke and/or drink. I do neither. So that's my hobby, my vice, whatever you want to call it. For now I am getting ready to move to Texas and I'm going to be gone most of the end of the summer in Germany so I haven't spent much on my car. Just tint and removing the mufflers. When I get to Texas and get settled in and make sure my wife has a good job, I'm going to completely upgrade the audio system first (nothing major thumping or anything) by swapping out the stock deck for a bluetooth compatible DVD navigation and touch screen with iPod controls. Maybe I will upgrade the other stuff as well. But that alone will be expensive. Dash kits for new cars are like 250+ because they have to replace and redo all the climate controls etc.

Then I'm going to put a CAI and work from the headers back and then get a tune. The car has plenty of HP for me and I don't take it to the track much. Hell, I barely drive it and it's my daily driver. I only have 1900 miles on it and I bought it in March.

 

[Wolffmann34]

Superbike81 that is some cool stuff!!

 

[FrostyFire]

Ten minutes after I got her, my photographer friend shot these:

He also shot some pics of my bike:

 

[Superbike81]

Wow, your friend is a really good photographer!


Modding cars in 95% of situations is a losing game, you will never get anywhere near the money back you put into it, but I'm a lot like Matth3w (no smoking or drinking).

You say why not buy a better car to begin with. If the kid with a $3000 car puts $12k into it, then he probably has something pretty unique, something he can be proud of. If he just goes out and buys a $15k car, then he looks like everyone else on the road with that same $15k car. At least the cheap car is truly his own creation.

 

[Matth3w]

Plus in my experience you can't buy shit for 15k dollars. Maybe a base model Honda with no a/c, power steering, or power windows/locks.

 

[FrostyFire]

People don't have the cash to buy a more expensive car up front.....they buy a cheaper car, then spend money into it as time goes by. They may drop $5,000 into a car, but over a 3 year period, that really isn't a lot of money.

 

[Jimbo]

Firstly I m from the uk, so it's GBP not USD, 15k now becomes alittle bit more than pocket change,

Secondly it's just an opinion, we are all entitled to one, you guys see the modding game differently to me, that's cool, there isn't a right or wrong, and it's part of what makes our society so diverse,

I did the modding bit on my first cars, civic type rs, years back, and can remember come trade in/sell time the tinsel not adding anything to the value infact the opposite in most cases,

I have the passion as much as the rest of you guys, I spend 14-15 hours detailing my individuals cars, I d say that qualifies me as having the bug!

I ve made money on cars but in the main lost, cars don't make money it's a fact of life,

I ve never bought a car to make money always knowing I m going to take a loss in someway shape or form,

Having had 20plus cars in 8-9 years and 7-8 in the last 12-18months i am learned on the subject!

I think the modding scene in the uk might be slightly different also!

J

 

[epb]

I'm not against modding, but imo too many people go into it without any sort of plan or cohesive vision, and worst of all without a commitment to keep the car - modding a car you'll sell in a year or so throwing money away as you get no return on them.

As for not having the money to buy something nicer, and building up over time, that's not what I normally see. I spent the entire first "Fast and the Furious" wondering why characters who could spend a mint modding their Civics didn't buy a used 996 turbo or Ferrari 360 with the same cash. One of the BMW forums I frequent has an M3 whose owner spent over $100k on mods the first year he had it. Is the car awesome - sure, but the purchase price and mod money would get all sorts of cars that would spank it and look better doing it. He's spent as long attempting to sell it as he did modding it.

 

[Superbike81]

To many people, cars are a consumable, nothing more than a way to get from home to work and run errands. For some of us though, cars, and driving are truly passions. I've owned 9 cars in the last three years, everything from Skylines to Silvias to STi's to Civic Type R's and Evos, each one I drove at the race track as often as I could, and it's made me a better driver overall, now I can masterfully maneuver, front wheel, rear wheel, and all wheel drive cars. Each of those cars I invested money into, but mostly into stuff like tires and beefed up suspension parts, since the racing I do involves actual skill (turns) and you need to have a solidly built car to put them up to that kind of abuse. Each time I sold a car I lost the money that I invested into it, but I don't consider it a loss. I consider that investing in myself, money spent on both honing my skills and pure entertainment.

I have my GT-R which is my long term car, but I will continue to buy cheaper sporty cars, play with them for 5 or 6 months, and then move on to something else, it's just what I do, I enjoy it. It's not a wise investment, but I'd rather be losing a little money enjoying myself, than saving all of my money and not having any fun. Don't get me wrong, we have a healthy savings account, some investments, and guaranteed retirement money for the rest of my life, so I'm financially secure. That extra "play money" is going to get spent however I see fit.

 

[henry2]

my smart was the first new car i had in about eight years ..i basically drove my old car to death

 

[Linkreincarnate]

I just have a 2005 scion xb that I plan to drive till the wheels fall off. Plus I threw an inverter, 20 inch HD tv, and an HD camera in there so there's that...That said I prefer my motorcycle to any cage on wheels...

 

[Wolffmann34]

When you talk about mods you guys are so right, they are fun and there is nothing wrong with upgrading your car a little, but like some have said, if you are spending more money than it would have cost to buy a better model, then you should analyze your spending.

For instance, the ATV in my avatar picture is a 800 Can Am, this last weekend I was riding with a guy with a 500 Can Am, he has spent almost as much money trying to make his 500 go faster as the difference between the two.

Here is a video of some ATV racing (hopefully our buddy ipadone doesn't come flame me for posting something slightly off topic here)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CKK-N8_xs4&]YouTube - BRF Racing[/ame]

 

[Snagtooth]

You fellas are all rich!! I'm 21 and I drive an 06 special edition lancer lol

Some are rich, but most of are just show off … don’t confuse avatar and real life (bank also help lot of to have something they can’t paid)

more they talk less they have .. old african sentence

"Never judge a book by its cover" is another proverb that warrants repeating. Also, "rich" is a relative term. If you haven't learned by now, one day you will - there is always someone who has more than you so be grateful for what you have as there are many more who have much less. Money and possessions, while nice, are by no means a measure of happiness as many of us already know.

For the record, all my toys are paid for - not that it is anyone's business. Despite the entitlement mentality of this country today, hard work and determination does pay off. Be happy with what you have and you will find you often get more than you need. Now let's get back to enjoying our hobbies!

 

[Matth3w]

That guy is an idiot, just ignore him.