Modifying your Mustang - Is it a "waste of money?"

All,

I would like your thoughts on this subject. I know a lot of people who aren't interested in the car modding world that say modding your car is a waste of money. They always say, "You'll never get that money back" or "Spend that money on a vacation instead" etc. I'm positive you all have heard those naysayers comments at least once.

What are your thoughts on modding your Mustang, or any other car for that matter? How do you justify your purchases on your car?

Most won't mod there mustang because of warranty concerns, not by the references you just made.

Joe 5.0 said:

All,

I would like your thoughts on this subject. I know a lot of people who aren't interested in the car modding world that say modding your car is a waste of money. They always say, "You'll never get that money back" or "Spend that money on a vacation instead" etc. I'm positive you all have heard those naysayers comments at least once.

Click to expand...

I've never heard anyone say any of those things. All those 'arguments' are ridiculous.

Everything is pretty much a waste of money.

If it's your money to waste do it however you want.

I don't buy my hobby cars for investment purposes. I buy them to have fun with them, and they are not my daily drivers.

If people look at a Hobby as an investment, then my opinion is that it is not a true Hobby. With investment decisions, comes stress of sorts. I don't keep track of what I spend on my Mustang, because I really don't care.

That's just my pov.

Modding your car is always technically a waste of cash. Its something that depreciates. Youll never get your mod money back, especially if you break something because of the mods. With that said, I mod my cars. I more then get my money worth with the enjoyment I get. Its all subjective. Whats a waste to others my not be a waste to you. Who cares what others think is a waste.

Depends on whats important. I struggle with it but at the end of the day for me I just want a nice looking fun car to drive, track a couple times a year for fun only. I have other things in life I like to do, travel, dirt bike, dive etc. For me its a balance.

Every hobby is a waste of money........none of them are necessities, the car still gets from point A to point B with or without custom wheels / stripes.

That being said, I love wasting my money

Even with all my mods, the final price of my car is $3,000 below MSRP (yes, I got a good deal). Each one serves a useful purpose to me and I think they were all well worth the money.

When I purchase my mustang it's the one thing I do that doesn't make much fiscal sense. It's one thing I allow myself to really have an escape with, it's for me, which can't be said for pretty much anything else in the life of a husband and father. This is for fun and escape, makes the grind a little bit easier when I get to jump into a mustang in the morning.

Joe 5.0 said:

All,

I would like your thoughts on this subject. I know a lot of people who aren't interested in the car modding world that say modding your car is a waste of money. They always say, "You'll never get that money back" or "Spend that money on a vacation instead" etc. I'm positive you all have heard those naysayers comments at least once.

What are your thoughts on modding your Mustang, or any other car for that matter? How do you justify your purchases on your car?

Click to expand...

I've never met anyone who got their money back from a vacation, either.

First of all, outside of the collectors market, cars are not investments. Whether you buy a Prius or a Mustang, you'll never make your money back in the short term.

Here's my opinion, and I know it will not necessarily be agreed to by many. Cars are a hobby. If they are not, you're unlikely to be the one making performance modifications to your car. As such, you spend money on your hobby. I know folks whose hobby is golf, and they spend more on their hobby in a year than I do on my cars!

If you are sacrificing your retirement planning or the financial stability of your family to mod your car, the this is an issue, otherwise, mod your car to whatever degree you want. When the time comes that you want to sell it, then a modded car is best sold by the owner, as the buyer will likely want the modifications you've made. If you trade it in, however, the mods will NOT raise the value of the trade. In fact, it could hurt what a dealer is willing to give you.

"Waste of money" is an opinion in the eye of the beholder.

No one has the authority to dictate whether or not something is a waste of money.

Just want to clarify that. ;)

It is a waste of money to buy a car like the S550 and NOT modify it.

With my personal cars, I tend to modify them bit by bit rather than doing everything all at once. It keeps you excited about your car longer, and makes it more fun to drive knowing you just installed something.

You won't get a return on your investment, but life is too short to drive a boring car.

Everyone has their hobbies and spends money on what makes them happy. Some women for example, buy a ton of clothes, outfits, shoes etc...because that's what makes them happy. Nothing wrong with that IMO

Nick C.

Financially it's never going to be "worth it". Not only do you not make your money back, most mods hurt the value of the car if you were to sell/trade it in (unless maybe you sell it to a fellow enthusiast). But, I look at it like any other hobby. Does hunting or fishing make you money? Does racing RC cars make you money? No, they cost you money, but people do it because they enjoy it. That's how I look at my car. I enjoy driving my car and making it look good. Any money I "invest" into my is an investment into my enjoyment, and nothing else. So, for that reason it is "worth it" to me.