To Mod or Not to Mod, That Is the Question

[shogun32]

Going overboard will (in my experience/and seeing others) make you wan tto get rid of the car, because it won't be enjoyable for its primary use anymore.

I thought the point was to spend stupid money on the blank canvas and preen/brag at C&C and bask in the 'cool'. You mean you're supposed to drive it and enjoy the experience?

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[ZeroTX]

that's why the poor of the world drive Honda/Toyota. I can't think of a single instance where our Japanese cars ever had so much as a hiccup. I've had component failures (eg. alternator) on GM but it didnt' strand me as such.

My parents didn't really like "foreign" cars, my dad is 6'3" and has weighed between 300-450lbs his whole adult life, so the idea of him getting into an 80's vintage Toyota *anything* is comical Also, budget for cars was often $300-1500 total purchase price. Even in the 80's, a clean Toyota would go for a lot more. But a '79 Malibu sedan? Hook a brotha up! Those were cheap.

To prove their point about "foreign' cars, my mom once (for a brief time, remember, we were poor and had junky cars) had an '81 VW Rabbit and we were convinced that they intentionally designed the rear hatch with hand grips for pushing the car. We had to push it on several occasions. Also the sunroof leaked. One brief visit into Japanese cars, my mom had a beater of an '83 Mazda 626. It was 5-speed manual, which was cool, because I got to learn on it. But it had about 150k miles on it and all the usual wear stuff was going out (bearings, clutch, steering components), plus some weird electrical stuff. Unfortunately that turned my parents off to "foreign" cars even more....

Myself? As you can see, I enjoy Toyota vehicles. Reliable, VERY well made cars. For trucks, I prefer Ford, Ram, Toyota (in that order) for current late-model versions. To be honest, this Mustang? The choice was between a Mustang and a Toyota GR86. If I had driven the GR86 first (and not test driven a Mustang), we might have one of those instead of the GT. However, *after* driving the GR86, I feel it's too small inside. I'm 6'1" 270lbs, and yes I fit in it, but with zero margin of error. Head is under an inch from the roof, etc.

 

[Balr14]

My vehicle purchases or modifications have always been influenced by how likely am I to find a dealer/shop that can fix my car, on a long trip? I have been stranded hundreds of miles from home on at least 3 occasions. All turned out to be real nightmares.

 

[Toretto]

I'm totally feeling this thread!

I've been modding my cars since my '03 Protege5 (yes, you read that right) when I was 23 years old. But now that I'm 42, I'd say I've matured quite a bit and the mod bug doesn't bite as hard as before. When I picked up my '21 GT, obviously there are non-negotiable things that I did straight away - tints, headlight/signals PPF, light smoke tailight overlays, and ceramic coating (more for longevity/protection) and dash cam. Other than that, the only things I"ve gotten are GT350 shift knob and CF steering wheel emblem. I've always lowered my car pretty much as soon as I get it, but somehow I'm fine with the ride height as is for now (non-PP with black accent package). I know once I eventually decide to change my wheels, lowering springs will be a must have, but until then I'm honestly happy with everything about the car. As the OP said, it sounds great (especially with my active exhaust as is), more than enough power, and I'm not much of a handling guy so suspension work isn't a priority for me other than aesthetics. I think the next thing I would do is add a front chin spoiler, and in a couple years time katzkin upgrade and add heated seats once I get bored of the cloth ones.

 

[Genxer]

Mustang, Jeep, whatever it is one of those things that can get out of hand in a hurry. It's like any hobby for that matter. You have to decide how much is too much, but I will say this... you have to be responsible to yourself to invest, save, be charitable, and then go ahead and play.

I search high and low for just the right things to put in/on my car to make it look good and perform well. I pass on a whole lot of items, but then not everything is put through a "rigid evaluation" LOL. It is tempting to do just one more thing, or the next big thing.

 

[shogun32]

since my '03 Protege5

my first "wow, this sucker is FUN!" car. bought in the dead of winter (snowing in DC which is rare enough) on Superbowl Sunday.

 

[Toretto]

It was such a fun little wagon! Honestly, driving a slow car fast is always fun (I'd love to find one in mint condition to use as a winter DD, but they're all rust buckets now especially in our crappy Toronto weather)

 

[baazooka]

I don't doubt it. I just get a little paranoid thinking about 100+ mile highway stretches w/ no cell service and a 30 year old car Realistically, we all know that a highway drive is less stressful on a car than an around town romp, but mentally ... maybe it's because I grew up poor and we drove sh*tboxes that literally did break down often and at the worst possible time.

I would definitely work my way up to it, plan your route and have a backup. Worth the effort imo

 

[LSchicago]

Modding is a slippery slope. It starts simple enough, then snowballs. My wife won't even ride in the car anymore. Yet I'm turning it up again next month........

 

[FUN2RIDEFAST]

There are times while browsing this site and places like American Muscle when I feel like I have a devil on my shoulder saying DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!!!. Then I get in my 460 HP car and feel totally content with the sound, speed and performance. Then I'm bored and back on the internet, thinking NOT ENOUGH HORSES, NOT LOUD ENOUGH, NOT COOL ENOUGH, but I'm not tracking or showing the car so why do I care? Sometimes it starts with a simple resonater delete but ends up being a revamped exhaust that's louder than a Harley and pisses off the entire neighborhood. Other times it starts with a CAI and a tune that gives you 40 more horsepower but you end up with a car that gives you never ending headaches and a CHECK ENGINE LIGHT that never goes out. Sometimes it starts with a minor interior change but ends with a new steering wheel, tint too dark to see through and $4000 worth of hideous carbon fiber. Then the exterior mods start where you need to change everything just to say you changed everything. It might start with a new grille and rock guards but you end up with a new hood, aftermarket fog lamps and Ferrari tail lights (imagine a Ferrari with Mustang tail lights for laughs). Americans need the Euro tail lights and the Europeans need the American tail lights. Before you know it the car is unrecognizable along with your bank account and you're stuck with a car that is worth significantly less than before you spent a dime. Soon nothing is stock and there's no going back and you paid a whole lot of money to ugly up a beautiful car. Sometimes I really envy the restraint that the "Never Mod' crowd shows. Not sure what the moral of this story is but I do know that human nature is a funny thing.

I'm 76 and had a Roush Phase 2 supercharger installed in November. When men stop being boys it's over. New wheels this summer.

 

[MIDLYFE]

I'm 76 and had a Roush Phase 2 supercharger installed in November. When men stop being boys it's over. New wheels this summer.

Love the badassery!

 

[Outlawtorn]

I had to get rid of the hideous black PP1 wheels straight away.... Other than that I could live with the car as it was (although I didnt lol)

 

[Seanuf99]

I'm 76 and had a Roush Phase 2 supercharger installed in November. When men stop being boys it's over. New wheels this summer.

That's awesome! That's pretty much my goal... keep enjoying life until you can't. I switched to pickups when I was in college because they are more practical. Practical is great, trucks are great, but when I sold my truck 1 month and 14 days ago and bought this Mustang it really did bring back that feeling I had when I bought my first car 31 years ago, which also happened to be a V8 Ford (65 Galaxy convertible). Makes me mad at myself for spending the last 20 plus years being practical.

The other thing is my dad was a mechanic and custom upholster by trade and a racer by hobby, so having this car makes me think of him every time I start it up. And that is not a bad thing.

The one mistake I did make with it though... When my wife said I spend too much time with the car and watching Mustang related Youtube videos and asked if I loved the car more than her, I guess I paused too long while I was trying to formulate an answer...lol.

 

[2JZ LOL]

Opening up the flood gates to modding is potentially dangerous. How competitive are you? How easy are you to form addictions? I started out by just wanting to put an exhaust on my 2021 Supra, now I’m here with 20,000$ in mods installed and getting another 20,000$ ready to go for next year

 

[young at heart]

Opening up the flood gates to modding is potentially dangerous. How competitive are you? How easy are you to form addictions? I started out by just wanting to put an exhaust on my 2021 Supra, now I’m here with 20,000$ in mods installed and getting another 20,000$ ready to go for next year

I feel your pain on the addiction thing. Sometimes I daydream about doing just one little mod on my car-namely, FI. Then I think about all the other stuff I’d want to go with it and I realize that after this crazy market normalizes (fear not, it will and if you buy a used car now you’re hosed) I could buy a nice 2018+ coupe for close to the same $ as FI plus mods and then have both a coupe and a convertible.

Plus, I’d really like to leave the stock tune on the car. Seems like virtually every single post on here asking for help involves a car that has been tuned and I sure like just being able to push the button and go.

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